Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why do you think Eric has problems traveling?
Americans are currently blocked from travel to many countries, European included, due to the bungling of their Covid 19 response.
Eric Schmidt has applied to become a citizen of Cyprus
71–80 of 401 posts
Re: Eric Schmidt has applied to become a citizen of Cyprus
#72Earlier quoted context omitted.
> It's not moral behavior. Getting a second citizenship?
Buying one. Citizenship is something that ought to be earned and given to people who show that they want to live in and contribute to a country. People like Schmidt purchase themselves a tax excemption or freedom of movement in a world where ordinary people right now lose their jobs and are locked into their country.
Re: Eric Schmidt has applied to become a citizen of Cyprus
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
The act is not in question...its the motives that are.
Well, the article says it's unknown why, but even speculating what nefarious things could you do with it? Cyprus is part of the EU.
https://www.globalcitizensolutions.com/cyprus-tax-for-non-re...
Re: Eric Schmidt has applied to become a citizen of Cyprus
#74Earlier quoted context omitted.
He'll have to renounce his US citizenship, which means he would never again be able to set foot in the US (even for "connecting flights").
wait. if you renounce your citizenship you are denied entry? wouldn't he be able to just travel to the US under the same rules as any other Cypriot citizen?
Re: Eric Schmidt has applied to become a citizen of Cyprus
#75Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why do people think this is a "bad thing"? It's no different than buying an expensive home anywhere in the world, except it comes with a citizenship. I doubt he can use the favorable taxation - he would have to renounce his US citizenship for that.
How different is this from oligarchs using private jets to escape lockdowns?
Yes, we're both eating a liver but we're not the same kind of person.
Oligarchs travel, just like you and me. That's not what makes them oligarchs.
And where exactly do they travel that is not accessible to you and me?
I'm pretty sure that when governments ban air travel, they also ban private jet travel.
Re: Eric Schmidt has applied to become a citizen of Cyprus
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
Huh, why not? If not for people taking advantage of "the system", "the system" would not exist. I mean; here we have a guy that has taken all the advantage of all the benefits a developed industrial country has to offer and then in turn does everything in his power to give back as little as possible. Hell yeah I'm going to blame him. It's not moral behavior. I don't care whether it is legal or not, he's behaving like…
> that has taken all the advantage of all the benefits a developed industrial country has to offer a. He has also given a lot more back to the said country. than he has taken from it, IMO. Imagine what life would be like without Google. b. Google is a global company, not just a US company c. I don't believe in the notion of nations or citizenship and don't blame him if he doesn't either and is switching citizenships…
Interesting point of view!
Re: Eric Schmidt has applied to become a citizen of Cyprus
#77If this is indeed for a tax dodge, what's funny is that the US Government helped fund Google. Or, more accurately, they funded the research into the seemingly esoteric problem that became Google; > In 1995, one of the first and most promising MDDS grants went to a computer-science research team at Stanford University with a decade-long history of working with NSF and DARPA grants. The primary objective of this grant…
Re: Eric Schmidt has applied to become a citizen of Cyprus
#78Earlier quoted context omitted.
Buying one. Citizenship is something that ought to be earned and given to people who show that they want to live in and contribute to a country. People like Schmidt purchase themselves a tax excemption or freedom of movement in a world where ordinary people right now lose their jobs and are locked into their country.
American citizens living and working abroad still must pay taxes to the US Government. As far as I am aware, the US is the only country in the world with this requirement. There is a reason the FBAR requirement is often called the "fubar" requirement.
We choose to live & work here because SV is the Mecca of software development, but that could very easily change within our lifetimes, so tying ourselves down with this ridiculous obligation for life doesn't make any sense in the long term.
Re: Eric Schmidt has applied to become a citizen of Cyprus
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
Buying one. Citizenship is something that ought to be earned and given to people who show that they want to live in and contribute to a country. People like Schmidt purchase themselves a tax excemption or freedom of movement in a world where ordinary people right now lose their jobs and are locked into their country.
American citizens living and working abroad still must pay taxes to the US Government. As far as I am aware, the US is the only country in the world with this requirement. There is a reason the FBAR requirement is often called the "fubar" requirement.
Re: Eric Schmidt has applied to become a citizen of Cyprus
#80I don't blame him for taking advantage of the system. What I blame him for is all of his supposed altruistic bloviating. No different than a Russian oligarch.