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[quote=”bogino”]Is it just me or does it seem as though in recent years the CR government has been moving in a direction to “[b]disincentivize[/b]” potential retirees from considering CR as an option?
I wonder how Panama is beginning to look in comparison.[/quote]
Like all governments the good folks in CR are desperately seeking money anywhere they can get it. Count on it only getting worse!
If you want to see the end result of a failed, open immigration policy simply ask an American Indian…. that should pretty much give you your answer and let you know where the US is headed!
History repeats itself over and over… only the names and dates change!
[quote=”davidd”][quote=”sweikert925″]Nope, I went outside and checked, the sky is exactly where it was before.[/quote]
Sweikert
everything is fine.. the world is exactly where it should be..
you keep doing what your doing
btw it was every appropriate changing your avatar to its new cartoon character :wink:[/quote]
“Nothing to see here folks…. move along now….. everything is fine…. go about your business!”….. seems this is the new credo of government!
That is of course unless you stop and look…. then things don’t look so rosy! LOL
[quote=”sweikert925″]I see that the sky is falling and the world is about to end – yet again. [yawn]
[/quote]
Happy to report that the sky in your neck of the woods (Chicago Illinois) is a bit closer to falling than the rest of the world…. this way you won’t have to wait as long as the rest of us for reality to rear it’s inevitable ugly head. LOL
[quote=”costaricabill”][quote=”costaricafinca”][b]Costaricabill[/b]’s advice is right on the (pension) money…8)
In fact, you [u]cannot[/u] combine the income from two individuals when applying for residency.[/quote]But you never know what Caja may choose to do. When you apply for Caja now they now look at your “Resolution” from immigration, and that document states the amount of income you will be receiving from your pension. So to get 2 Caja accounts they will look at both resolutions. You never know what they will do,but they may add the 2 amounts together to determine your monthly Caja payment(s).[/quote]
You never know! If things get bad enough CAJA may require FULL income disclosure when they set/adjust your monthly CAJA payments. Never say never… Who would have thought 3 years ago that Uncle Sam would be entering into financial disclosure agreements with foreign governments requiring the AUTOMATIC exchange of bank account balance and transaction information!
[quote=”waggoner41″]I am about to renew my residency after 6 1/2 years as residente temporal.
What documents will I be required to present to Migracion to make the move?[/quote]
Hey Les…. I think part of it depends on the temporary status you’ve been using. Some of the rules have also changed since you originally applied. Besides the basic stuff required for anyone applying for permanent status I believe there are some requirements that differ between the three temporary residency options. There are two or three good threads over on ARCR detailing the steps and missteps some folks have taken while converting. Check them out. And as always the experiences and requirements that each person faced sometimes differed from one office or reviewer to the next. Best of luck.
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”] The topic and discussion was about the changes (international agreements) that allow governments to see WHAT YOU HAVE AND WHERE YOU HAVE IT…. NOT a word about taxes.[/quote]
The title of the thread is “The tax man cometh with lots of new rules and fines” but it’s not about taxes. Um, OK. LOL[/quote]
You’ll notice my comments and concerns were in response to Scott’s posting the link to the OECD agreement which provides for the standards of the AUTOMATIC exchange of financial information between the participating countries. Note that probable cause or court order is NOT required for the parties to share information on your account balances and transactions. THIS is the concern I addressed…. and looking over my prior postings you’ll notice the word taxes was never used.
So Steve what’s your feeling on being subjected to unreasonable searches of your assets and finances where criminal conduct is not alleged or suspected…. just an automatic “exchange” of what you have and where you have it. Looks like a fourth amendment issue that is being sidestepped. Seems that obtaining the same information on a US held account by law enforcement within the US would require court action and probable cause.
What do you think the signatories of this agreement have in mind? Tax cheats? Terrorist? Or perhaps something much more basic as I had mention in a prior posting in this thread. They need to eventually have people “bail in” the system that they have allowed themselves to become part of. And remember folks it’s a two way street when the politicians in CR need to know how much you have for their needs to fund the system (General taxes and CAJA contributions)… both total assets and income (in the reportable accounts) will be available to them since the required reporting (via FATCA/OECD) of “transactions” would include your total income (pension, annuity, and other income) flowing through your US bank accounts as well as accounts held in CR.
As a US citizen I have an expectation of privacy under the US constitution. Why is it that the US government feels they can wave that right on my behalf to ANY of the counties that are part of FATCA/OECD?
Paranoia… no… just a real concern that our rights of privacy are being removed rather quickly.
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]…when Hitler was rounding up the Jews…[/quote]
[i]”Make people use leashes when they walk their dogs, and pretty soon they’ll wind up in gas chambers.”
“Make people obey speed limits, and pretty soon they’ll wind up in gas chambers.”
“Make people pay their legally due taxes, and pretty soon they’ll wind up in gas chambers.”[/i]
Your analogy is both ludicrous and DEEPLY DEEPLY offensive to those who actually DID wind up in gas chambers. The fact that your mind even equates the two says something about you which is NOT to your credit.[quote=”Imxploring”]…were Washington and our nation’s founders just a bunch of disobedient WHINERS.[/quote]
Washington et al were fighting for the right to make their own decisions as to how they were governed. Up to that point they had no say in that. You, however, DO have a say – you can vote, donate to candidates who share your views and even run for office yourself. If the elected representatives consequently make decisions that you personally disagree with, TOO DAMN BAD. You had a chance to influence how things are run and if you couldn’t get enough people to agree then STOP WHINING ABOUT IT.You ain’t no Washington. He didn’t spend his days sitting around the local tavern bitching about taxes.
Little Timmy, age 4: “Ooh, Mommy, I don’t WANNA eat my spinach, it’s ICKY! And that mean old Tommy keeps PICKING on me! Bwah, Bwah, Bwah!”
Not so little Timmy, age 54: “Ooh, anyone within earshot, I don’t WANNA pay my taxes, it’s UNFAIR! And that mean old government keeps PICKING on me! Bwah, Bwah, Bwah!”
Just what good does whining about your taxes over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again do?
(See how annoying it is when someone repeats himself like that?)
[quote=”Imxploring”]You better get back to work before the boss sees you stealing time..[/quote]
Check the time of my previous post. I work a lot of hours (typically 50-55 per week) but I am not at work at 5 AM, nor at 5 PM when I am posting this comment. Of course that has nothing to do with the topic under discussion but you just can’t help yourself with that kind of pettiness can you?[/quote]
Come now Steve… The topic and discussion was about the changes (international agreements) that allow governments to see WHAT YOU HAVE AND WHERE YOU HAVE IT…. NOT a word about taxes. That was the issue and the topic we’re talking about.
And please Steve…. When you get upset…. Just take your ball and bat and go home. None of us will mind. If we needed a poster boy for how government is helping us and everything they do is on the up and up, and we have nothing to fear we’ll just watch one of Barry’s speeches… Then again even the little people like Ed Snowden can bring about change and awareness…. All without voting or contributing to a politician with “new” ideas and all the answers.
Remember… Short of a military take over ALL dictatorships started as elected governments. It’s the changes they make once in power that you need to watch. Hugo and Danny are good examples… Zelaya in El Salvador is another good example… But the people got smart and put him on a plane at gun point to stop his games from playing out.
I wonder how Washington would have felt if all colonist were required to disclose all their assets to 40 other governments…. What could go wrong!
[quote=”sweikert925″]Pay all taxes you are legally required to pay. Problem solved.*
*And as a favor to the rest of us, please stop whining about it.[/quote]
Spoken like a good little sheep…. but remember Steve… when Hitler was rounding up the Jews and all the other folks he didn’t like, taking their possessions, crowding them into ghettos, or loading them on to trains for concentration camps to be executed… they were just following what they were LEGALLY required to do. So how did that work out my friend? I guess you wouldn’t have had a problem with that either? That is as long as it didn’t impact you….
An extreme example perhaps…. but remember…. Hitler was first ELECTED…. and the end result of his actions…. be they extreme were the end result of a series of small steps. Most folks are rather myopic… never having a clear vision of what awaits in the distance. It takes time and thought to see off into the distant future….
Or perhaps an American history reference… were Washington and our nation’s founders just a bunch of disobedient WHINERS for revolting against what they saw was a system of tyranny and unfairness?
Ignoring governments out of control doesn’t make them any better…. it just empowers them to make more bad choices.
Come now Steve… I can’t wait for the hammer to fall in Chicago and Illinois and see how you feel then. LOL
Now it’s time for another coffee and out to the deck to enjoy the hummingbirds and Toucans. You better get back to work before the boss sees you stealing time…. the CEO needs another Benz!
Sounds fair to me…. lots of sheep making that compensation package possible…. would you like to defend it as being fair? LOL
[quote=”Scott”]Just because we’re paranoid doesn’t mean that they’re not out to get us…[/quote]
I like to say… Paranoia is the UNFOUNDED fear that others are out to get you…. when people ARE out to get you…. you’re just more perceptive than most folks!
I suspect this latest step has more to do with a “bail in” or claw back when the poop hits the fan rather than seeking tax compliance. One of many small innocuous steps that have been undertaken over the last several years that have an endgame in mind!
[quote=”Scott”]If you have the time, you may wish to read the 92 page OECD report on the [url=http://www.oecd.org/ctp/exchange-of-tax-information/automatic-exchange-financial-account-information-common-reporting-standard.pdf]Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information[/url]
[/quote]
Scary info. One has to wonder why they want ACCOUNT BALANCES…. I can understand income reports (interest/dividends) for the sake of catching those not reporting offshore income… but they want total account balances. That should be a big red flag as to where this is headed…. not being paranoid… just watch history repeat itself over and over!
As to those questions… Perhaps the reason they can find viable candidates is because anyone with an IQ above 80 and a pulse can see where Illinois and Chicago are headed! I like to say that these days politicians running for office are either delusional or liars… In most cases they’re both!
As to Nixon… Happy to say I’m young enough not to have voted that year!
As to my “rhetorical” question to you.. I take it that the answer is a resounding yes! LOL
[quote=”bogino”][quote=”costaricafinca”]Since it is now mandatory to join CAJA, when applying for residency, some object or simply can’t afford the new higher monthly fees if the are under 55….especially when they have no intention of using CAJA, preferring to use the much better private sector.
Many are not of retirement age so don’t have a ‘guaranteed for life’ pension nor the required funds for [i]Rentista[/i] status.
And, [i]I would presume[/i], there are those who do not want to divulge their personal information…
Lastly, some don’t intend to stay for the long term.Personally, it is my impression that during this [i]’in limbo'[/i] time that ‘potential residents’ may have to do this for, possibly 18+ months, while waiting for their resolution/cedula and to re-set their drivers license, they change their mind and either return home or go ‘elsewhere’.
Would we apply for Rentista residency, now, with these changes now in place? No.
[/quote]
Thx. Makes sense. If you’re 60+ what is the cost for CAJA now? I thought I read somewhere $100+ but not certain. If so seems like a waste especially if no intention of using it. Maybe I’m wrong but seems like Panama is looking more and more like a better option to settle down in vs. CR.[/quote]
The problem with residency now is mandatory CAJA enrollment… because as we ALL know… once government gets their hand in your pocket…. it only goes deeper and that which they remove becomes more painful! Like all governments the folks in CR are looking for added revenue streams to pay for promises made… “rich” expats that can’t vote and will get very little sympathy from the local population when they get milked are easy targets!
All these moves are the tiny steps we look at without seeing the endgame. When they changed the rules (required CAJA enrollment) a few years back most people didn’t flowchart it out and foresee the large CAJA increases that Expats would get hit with. But now they do… and next (in my opinion) you will see a required declaration of TOTAL income for residency (current CAJA members and future applicants)… not just (the minimum) that which you declared to be eligible to process your residency application under your desired status. The FATCA/OECD agreements will be a two way street… so when CR needs to TAX your total income for your CAJA payments…. it will be an easy process since Uncle Sam will be required to provide them (CR) with your financial information. And with FATCA even your assets (bank account balances)… not just your current income now come into play and are on the radar! It’s getting scary folks!
I already have 4 governments picking my pocket why add another. Staying off the radar and avoiding giving up too much personal information works for me! I don’t intend to go the PT route but will limit my stays in Costa Rica to that of a tourist and then jump elsewhere for a month or two before returning. I’ll happily play tourist in my loud flowered shirt for the several months I stay in CR per year enjoying my home.
Those contemplating or going the PT route will see that method slowly closed. What then?
[quote=”sweikert925″][It’s nice that you have returned to actually discussing ideas like an adult instead of throwing childish insults at me. Let’s see how long that lasts.]
[quote=”Imxploring”]How’s that bastion of democratic views working out for Chicago and Illinois.[/quote]
If you’re expecting me to defend the way this city and state have been run for the past 20 or 30 years you’re in for a disappointment. The state and city finances are a mess, no doubt about it. But that took the effort of lots of politicians from both parties. We had Republican governors for 26 years straight from 1977-2003. The decisions to shortchange the pension funds were largely theirs.
For the past 3 state elections now, I have wanted to vote for someone other than my current state senator and state representative (both Democrats) but I couldn’t. Why? because that pathetic creature called the Illinois Republican party didn’t bother to recruit a candidate for either post. But it wasn’t just my district – almost half of all state legislature seats in 2010 had NO MAJOR PARTY OPPOSITION. That includes Democrats with no Republican opponent and Republicans with no Democratic opponent. And in the 2011 mayoral election there was also no Republican running. So whose fault is it when all the offices I get to vote for wind up with Democrats in them?
This fall though we DO have a real live Republican running for governor and he will get my vote. (The current Democratic incumbent is a decent man and the state financial situation isn’t his doing, but he’s had long enough to fix it and hasn’t.) And we also have 2 constitutional amendments on the ballot, both of which I will gladly vote for – term limits and a non-partisan method of assigning political district boundaries.
As for why we’re in this mess, the answer is simple – the people who run things kept using gimmicks to balance the state budget instead of raising the necessary taxes to do so. Since the state income tax was first instituted in 1969 (by a Republican governor by the way) the rate has remained at a flat 3% or below until 2011. Illinois had the lowest state income tax of any state that HAD a state income tax for years. And it’s not like Illinois spends a lot – as [url=http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/per-capita-state-spending/] this reference shows[/url], Illinois spends less than almost every other state. (Wait, this is where you accuse me of “hitting you with an obscure web link to make my point”, right?)
[quote=”Imxploring”]Or are you planning on bailing out when the COST of such social “planning” comes due?[/quote]
The bill has come due now. I’m already paying for all those stupid decisions. My state income taxes went up in 2012 and so have city taxes. They will both probably go up more in the next few years – well before I leave for Costa Rica, and my decision to move there has nothing whatsoever to do with what’s going on here.
[quote=”Imxploring”]I’ve asked before and you seem to ignore the issue.[/quote]
I don’t recall any such question being asked before, maybe you can refresh my memory on that.
[/quote]So finally something we can agree on…. as for my asking… page 1 of this very thread… my second posting.
BTW…. You highlight the fact that Illinois has had Republican governors to place the blame on… but hasn’t Chicago had a series of Democratic mayors since the “New Deal” and is in as bad, or worse shape, as the state?
Just because one party can’t find a quality candidate does not absolve the other of being accountable or held accountable for their conduct… on the topic of governors… didn’t 4 or the last seven go to jail… in addition to your former mayor?
Just a thought… when you say they used “gimmicks” to balance the budget… what you’re really saying is that they continued to SPEND more money for social programs they didn’t have funding for in order to keep buying the votes of those folks on the receiving end… all to keep their political power intact.
Seems the “informed” voters of Chicago and Illinois are not very good judges of character. LOL
How about a more local city and state government you must be much more familiar with and one that will impact you directly and deeply? So tell us Steve… How’s that bastion of democratic views working out for Chicago and Illinois… How are YOU going to pay to keep the utopian dream alive there? Seems they have about 2 years before the hammer falls and it becomes time to pay up for many years of politicians kicking the can down the road in order to buy the votes of the foolish as well as keep their political lives going! That is when they don’t get arrested and sent to jail!
Or are you planning on bailing out when the COST of such social “planning” comes due? I’ve asked before and you seem to ignore the issue. But isn’t the failure of such a city and state important to ALL governments, including Costa Rica which face similar problems?
How are YOU going to pay to keep Chicago and Illinois going?
