Kirby: Shaniya anniversary a reminder of the fight
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
If you want to know about child abuse in this community, look no further than the tombstone at Fayetteville Memorial Cemetery.
Or ride along Walker Road near Sanford, where some say you can still find a cross or a teddy bear or two, where the body of Shaniya Nicole Davis, 5, was found Nov. 16, 2009.
"I was not involved in that case," says Sharon Davis Koonce, a victim/family advocate at the Child Advocacy Center. "But I see every day the devastating consequences of child abuse, not only on the child victim but on the family and the community as well.
"I believe every child deserves to live in a safe, nurturing environment with family who love and protect them.
"And we need all the support Fayetteville can give us to stop child abuse in our community," says Koonce, who wants to remind all of us about the center's seventh annual Blue Jean Ball.
The family event, for parents, grandparents, youth and anyone who is concerned about child abuse, is scheduled Saturday at 7 p.m. at Highland Country Club.
Adult tickets are $60. Youth tickets are $30, and all proceeds benefit the Child Advocacy Center.
Tickets can be purchased online at childadvocacycenter.com or by calling 486-9700 until 3 p.m. today. And tickets will be available Saturday at the ball.
This year's theme is "Back to the '50s," says Jean Harrison, and participants are encouraged to wear 1950s costumes or casual denim attire.
And that means you fellows can comb your hair into a duck tail like the Fonz of "Happy Days" fame, and you ladies can pull out your old poodle skirts.
Younger folks will enjoy a party featuring a disc jockey, dancing and plenty to eat, while adults will have their own disc jockey, too, silent and live auctions and heavy hors d'oeuvres.
More than 300 people turned out for last year's ball, and center officials say $175,000 has been raised since the ball's beginnings.
"Special events and fundraisers like the Blue Jean Ball make up 28 percent of our revenues," says Roberta Humphries, executive director of the center that provides support for abused children.
"It would not be possible for us to provide services to approximately 500 child abuse victims each year without the community's support and the fantastic volunteers who make these events happen."
You can count folks such as Linda Braswell, Taylor Stephenson, Neil Bergman, Julia Adkins, Kenneth Barefoot, Mike Morketter, Amy Perko, Juanita Pilgrim, Buntie Russ, Lucy Jones, Wendy Vonnegut, Garry Winebarger, Dr. Howard Loughlin and Chief District Court Judge Beth Keever among those volunteers, and many more.
Shaniya Nicole Davis was a precious little girl whose life was worth a mere $200, an innocent child who was a sexual pawn for a drug debt. Then the breath was snuffed out of her, and she was left among kudzu and deer carcasses in Lee County.
"At the Child Advocacy Center," Koonce says, " we provide hope and healing to these most vulnerable children."
Thursday, November 14, 2013
More Taxpayers Are Abandoning the U.S. - Yahoo Finance
More Taxpayers Are Abandoning the U.S. - Yahoo Finance
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
This year will set a record for expatriations by U.S. taxpayers, with at least a 33% increase from the previous high in 2011.
The Treasury Department published the names of 560 people who either were U.S. citizens renouncing their citizenship or long-term residents who turned in their green cards during the third quarter.
That brings the total so far this year to 2,369, according to Andrew Mitchel, a tax lawyer in Centerbrook, Conn., who tracks the data. For all of 2011, the number of published expatriates was 1,781, he said.
Treasury doesn't report when people renounced, and there could be a gap between that action and a name's appearance on the list. The department also doesn't distinguish between those giving up passports and those turning in green cards.
Taxpayers who expatriate aren't required to give a reason, but experts said the overall increase was likely because of tougher enforcement of U.S. tax laws.
"Nothing has changed in immigration law that would make people want to renounce," said Freddi Weintraub, an immigration specialist and partner at Fragomen Worldwide, a New York-based law firm. "Current or anticipated changes in tax law and enforcement are driving this increase."
People who renounced last year might have avoided higher taxes on income and estates—including those on long-term capital gains—that took effect in 2013. Those who renounce citizenship or turn in green cards can be subject to an exit tax.
The Internal Revenue Service declined to comment.
"The fact that renunciations have increased sharply is not surprising, given increased U.S. scrutiny in this area," said Fran Obeid, a partner at Obeid & Lowenstein LLP in New York, who specializes in offshore-account issues. "Renunciation can be expensive, but it may be easier than staying in compliance with U.S. tax laws that can be onerous for citizens of other countries."
Taxpayers who renounce aren't required to hold citizenship elsewhere, but as a practical matter they usually do.
Experts said the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act also may have contributed to rising renunciations. Set to take effect next year, it requires foreign financial institutions to report account information about U.S. taxpayers to the IRS. Affected taxpayers include both U.S. citizens and green-card holders living in the U.S. and abroad.
All income earned by U.S. citizens and permanent residents, even those who live abroad, can be subject to U.S. tax. The U.S. also confers citizenship on people born on American soil. Penalties for failing to report assets can be severe, including up to 50% of an account balance a year.
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
This year will set a record for expatriations by U.S. taxpayers, with at least a 33% increase from the previous high in 2011.
That brings the total so far this year to 2,369, according to Andrew Mitchel, a tax lawyer in Centerbrook, Conn., who tracks the data. For all of 2011, the number of published expatriates was 1,781, he said.
Treasury doesn't report when people renounced, and there could be a gap between that action and a name's appearance on the list. The department also doesn't distinguish between those giving up passports and those turning in green cards.
Taxpayers who expatriate aren't required to give a reason, but experts said the overall increase was likely because of tougher enforcement of U.S. tax laws.
"Nothing has changed in immigration law that would make people want to renounce," said Freddi Weintraub, an immigration specialist and partner at Fragomen Worldwide, a New York-based law firm. "Current or anticipated changes in tax law and enforcement are driving this increase."
People who renounced last year might have avoided higher taxes on income and estates—including those on long-term capital gains—that took effect in 2013. Those who renounce citizenship or turn in green cards can be subject to an exit tax.
The Internal Revenue Service declined to comment.
"The fact that renunciations have increased sharply is not surprising, given increased U.S. scrutiny in this area," said Fran Obeid, a partner at Obeid & Lowenstein LLP in New York, who specializes in offshore-account issues. "Renunciation can be expensive, but it may be easier than staying in compliance with U.S. tax laws that can be onerous for citizens of other countries."
Taxpayers who renounce aren't required to hold citizenship elsewhere, but as a practical matter they usually do.
Experts said the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act also may have contributed to rising renunciations. Set to take effect next year, it requires foreign financial institutions to report account information about U.S. taxpayers to the IRS. Affected taxpayers include both U.S. citizens and green-card holders living in the U.S. and abroad.
All income earned by U.S. citizens and permanent residents, even those who live abroad, can be subject to U.S. tax. The U.S. also confers citizenship on people born on American soil. Penalties for failing to report assets can be severe, including up to 50% of an account balance a year.
Although many of the U.S. laws on offshore accounts have been in effect for decades, experts say there was little enforcement of them until 2009, when Swiss banking giant UBS AG admitted that it had helped U.S. taxpayers hide assets abroad. The bank paid $780 million to avoid criminal charges and turned over the names of more than 4,000 account holders, piercing the veil of Swiss bank secrecy.
Since then, more than 38,000 U.S. taxpayers have confessed to having undisclosed offshore accounts and paid more than $5.5 billion in back taxes, interest and penalties. Lawyers estimate $5 billion more hasn't yet been paid.
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