2 September 1998

Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1998 07:53:22 -0400 (AST)
From: Vincent Cate <vince@offshore.com.ai>
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Subject: First "Crypto Refugee"?


Monday I renounced my US citizenship in order to be free from the silly US
laws on crypto.  I have citizenship in Mozambique. So I am now an
American-African (not to be confused with an African-American).  I live in
Anguilla.

My question is, has anyone heard of any other Crypto-Refugees? Anyone else
fleeing the US for freedom of crypto?  Or am I the first? 

The embassy in Barbados did not give me any trouble, though it did take
like 5 hours for them to get the forms ready.  They asked if I was doing
it for tax reasons.  Seems if you say you are getting rid of your
citizenship for tax reasons the US thinks they then have the right to tax
you for the next 10 years. 

Somehow I lost my plane ticket and did not have the extra $300 needed to
purchase another (LIAT will not reissue a ticket even though it is in
their computer).  My credit cards were maxed out, and none of the
companies would even give me an emergency increase in my limit.  In the
end I had to get a friend in Anguilla to buy me a ticket.  But while all
this was going on I kept thinking, "if the guy at the embassy knew I did
not even have the $300 to get off Barbados he would not have asked if I
was doing this for tax reasons."  :-) 

Anyway, free at last, free at last!

  -- Vince


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vincent Cate                           Offshore Information Services
Vince@Offshore.com.ai                  http://www.offshore.com.ai/
Anguilla, BWI                          http://www.offshore.com.ai/vince
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You have to take life as it happens, but you should try to make it
happen the way you want to take it.    - German Proverb