The "internal" revenue service of the United States of America has been receiving the banking records of Canadians, from our government, for at least 4 years.
This nearly affected me a few years ago, when PayPal sent me paperwork authorizing my financial data be shared with the IRS. Their reason for needing my info? My collectible card business on eBay at the time occasionally sold to (and shipped to) Americans. I shredded the pile of documents they sent me to fill out, on a few occasions. Volunteer my personal financial data to a foreign government? Nah.
Now it comes out that this has become common practice, is no longer optional, and is officially being done 'to combat tax evaders'.
Valid questions
Are there really that many Canadians evading taxes in the USA, that it justifies sending massive amounts of our data South of the border? What about privacy? What about innocent until proven guilty? What about the right to be free of unreasonable search and seizure? Do businesses (and eBay sellers) now have to restrict sales to within their country, to avoid having their financial info distributed without their consent?
What surprised me about this revelation is how severe the data breach goes. The information sent contains EVERYTHING about you, right down to how much you spent (and where you spent it) on lunch yesterday. Full names, Social Insurance Number, bank account numbers, passwords, date of birth, driver's license, net worth, yearly income, tax information, etc etc etc. Far more information that would be needed to steal your identity and everything you own.
IRS
In my years of research I've found that the IRS functions on dubious legal ground. They are armed to the teeth, and on many occasions have used military force to go after funds they believe they're entitled to. They are backed up fully by the most corrupt government on Earth, and have a 100+ year history of violence and oppression. They were created to collect funds to be used in wars, and have funded most of the violence this planet has seen for a few generations. I have little respect for the IRS, and little hope they're collecting this data to help anyone but themselves.
A Solution
Without a bank account, a person has no banking information to steal. Not having a bank account completely nullifies this threat. But is that possible?
I haven't had a bank account in 5 years, and I'm still thriving, so it's definitely possible!
The Canadian government, claiming I owed money to my ex-wife, seized my bank accounts, passports, and driver's license. This is standard procedure against men unlucky enough to have signed marriage documents in the past. My divorce allowed them to claim I owed a pile of money, and to ensure I didn't leave the country and start a new life somewhere else, they took away my documents and ability to bank.
Life threw me lemons so I made some lemonade! I had been wanting to leave the traditional banking system for years, and had been slowly positioning myself to do so. When the surprise came, it was financially and personally devastating, but I was able to survive it and eventually stabilize without any ties to banks or governments.
Without a driver's license, I couldn't transport @MediKatie to her college classes (she is crippled), but we found a way to make it happen so she could still graduate. But I wasn't able to commute into Vancouver to help my dying grandmother anymore. I solved that problem by moving, so I could be right there until she died. Not being able to drive to see my kids was a huge problem, and something my ex was very happy about, but I still made it happen (until she found another way to stop me from seeing them at all).
Without the bank account, my PayPal account became less operational, and then recently finally had to be closed. Without PayPal or bank accounts, I had no way to receive payments, and my business finally went under (after 17 years).
Without income, things have become complicated and difficult, but I still manage to go on. My hope is that when my children graduate high school and start to think about their lives away from their mother, her hold over them will weaken, and they'll begin to see the situation for what it was. Dad always loved them, always wanted to be there for them, but was systematically removed from their lives for no good reason. They're smart like me and will eventually outmaneuver her tactics, and wake up to the fact they're being deceived.
Looking back on it, I'm very happy about moving away from the traditional banking system and credit cards. I recommend it to everyone. Here are some tips to get started:
- begin now, be prepared, because it can be forced upon you at any moment
- simplify and reduce your accounts and complexity first, and over time you'll be able to cut out more, until you're free
- start paying for EVERYTHING in person with cash
- get out of debt and credit (live within your means)
- consider precious metals at home for private savings, rather than digital funds or unsafe deposit boxes
- look into cryptocurrencies as a way to pay digitally, online, any time you can't pay with cash
I will never bank again. I'm free! I control 100% of my finances, now and forever.
You become a new person when you shed the banking shackles that have held you since your parents signed you up as a kid. It's something powerful that we have within our grasp. A wrench in the system that turns from you from a victim to a boss.
Humans lived without banks for millions of years. We can do it again!
DRutter
