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Comment by Consultant32452 | Hacker News Reader

You've bought the privilege of being allowed to accept the EULA.

It reminds me of a US visa, which is far from free, and you pay for applying whether you is granted it or not. It allows you travel to a border control and ask to be let in. They can refuse you without explanation.

All visas work this way afaik, at least in the few places I’ve traveled where I’ve needed a visa; notably Africa.

I met a Italian man at immigration control in Ethiopia, at the Addis Ababa airport, he had been traveling Africa and this was his third attempt to enter Ethiopia. The first two attempts were via land borders with Kenya and he had been turned around both times, despite having a visa, because border control felt it would be too dangerous for a white man to travel through southern Ethiopia at the time. So he had to travel to Nairobi and get a flight; he was admitted this time, but he had to pay for another visa at the airport. Unclear why? He wasn’t best pleased about the whole thing.

Oh, let's not with my country. We're also the only nation in the world that requires its abroad citizens to pay the same tax rates domestic citizens pay, and only offers a credit-basis for exempting income that you paid taxes on to the country you reside in.

It's the reason nearly all US citizens who move overseas eventually give up their citizenship. My great aunt left for Poland 30 years ago, and renounced her citizenship within 3 years because she was paying taxes on everything she earned twice, one under Polish law and again under US law.

For anyone who didn't believe above and wanted to verify: https://www.americansabroad.org/us-taxes-abroad-for-dummies-...

And US isn't alone nation in this.

Any idea on where I could read more about this? in particular, what happens to people with two nationalities (i.e. US + another one)?

If the nations have a tax treaty, you are usually not double taxed on income below some threshold. Last I checked, it was around the first $100k or so worldwide income, for US taxes anyway. After that, you are taxed at some rate, but I’m not sure if it is reduced at all or how different forms of income may affect this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_treaty

I believe the threshold, which is basically a big deduction, always applies if you meet the criterion (living outside the US). Tax treaties come into effect regarding whatever income you have beyond your deductions.

Good points. I should note that my foreign income was taxed and paid in the jurisdiction in which I earned it, so if you are not liable to pay foreign taxes on foreign income, you may not get the deduction advantages of a tax treaty to offset your US tax liability on worldwide income, as the intent is to not double tax. If you weren’t taxed on that income yet, the US may hold a tax liability on any and all income not already taxed, and it may be taxed a second time if said income exceeds limits.

That’s how I understand it, anyway. I hope to be corrected if I’m inaccurate as this is not my area of expertise.

The US doesn't care about your other nationalities. If you have citizenship or permanent residency in the US you need to file taxes (though despite what the other poster is saying, you may not actually need to pay any taxes).

I'm not aware of any visa anywhere in the world that supersedes the discretion that immigration officers have to refuse entry to a non-citizen.

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