Twitter reactions to Canada's efforts::
Yemane G. Meskel _at_hawelti · Jul 10
Legality & modalities of Diaspora tax collection not controversial. Is
Canada after lame excuse?
***************
Lynne Swanson _at_LynneBlaze Jul 12
_at_HonJohnBaird "We would love 2 hear how it is acceptable" 4 #IRS 2
#FATCA Canadians but u kick out Eritrea
******************
Lynne Swanson _at_LynneBlaze Jul 12
"Stunning hypocrisy"
http://bit.ly/1q5m6kq _at_HonJohnBaird kicks out
Eritrea. Welcomes _at_BruceAHeyman. Lets #USA #FATCA & tax Canadians.
************
Yonas Manna _at_YonasManna Jul 11
#Eritrea -Stunning Hypocrisy: Canada Threatens Closure of Eritrean
Consulate Over Diaspora Tax
************
Aron _at_coolproof Jul 10
Canadians Stunned By Hypocrisy:
http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2014/07/09/stunning-hypocrisy-canada-threatens-closure-of-eritrean-consulate-over-diaspora-tax/
... _at_eastafro @EritreaCanada #Eritrea #Eritrean
**************
Attorney Simret Zeru _at_SimretZeru Jul 10
Warning to #Eritrea from #Canada over Diaspora Tax. Aren't states
allowed to tax citizens abroad? The US does.
********************************
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/07/14/eritrea-consulate-receives-final-straw-warning-to-stop-extorting-expatriates-in-canada/
Eritrea consulate receives 'final straw' warning to stop extorting
expatriates in Canada
Stewart Bell | July 14, 2014 | Last Updated: Jul 14 7:24 PM ET
Email: sbell_at_nationalpost.com
TORONTO -- The federal government has warned Eritrea that its only
diplomatic outpost in Canada will be shut unless it ceases all
involvement in a discredited taxation scheme that has been linked to
threats, intimidation and harassment.
In a diplomatic note obtained by the National Post, Canadian foreign
affairs officials put the Eritrean regime on notice that its Toronto
consulate must stop soliciting and collecting a "diaspora tax" for the
tiny African dictatorship.
Should consulate staff do anything more than refer callers to an
Eritrean government website, Ottawa will close the diplomatic post,
said the diplomatic note delivered Thursday in a significant blow to
Eritrea and its supporters.
"If the department continues to receive allegations that the consulate
continues to solicit the tax, including through provision of amounts
owing, requesting notices of assessment, and/or using agents or any
similar activities, Canada will withdraw its recognition of the
Eritrean consular post in Toronto," the note said.
Described by a Canadian official as a "final straw," the warning came
after the National Post reported that, a year after Foreign Minister
John Baird expelled the Eritrean consul-general over the issue,
consulate staff continued to play a key role in collecting the 2%
income tax from Eritrean expatriates.
Under the scheme, even Eritreans who had fled the repressive
dictatorship were told to send their Canada Revenue Agency assessment
notices to the consulate, which then calculated how much they owed.
Those who decline to pay are denied basic services and face possible
arrest should they return to Eritrea, while their friends and families
in Eritrea are threatened and harassed, according to the RCMP.
The "diaspora tax" system has been condemned by the United Nations,
which has asked member countries to end the practice. The UN has
imposed strict sanctions on Eritrea over its clandestine backing of
armed groups in the Horn of Africa, notably Al-Shabab, which killed
two Canadians in Nairobi last year.
The consulate denies soliciting the tax, claiming it only provides
"information" and that those complaining want to "destroy the Eritrean
community." But in phone calls secretly recorded by
Eritrean-Canadians, consulate staff admitted they were still actively
involved in the taxation program.
An affidavit signed by Wegahta Berhane Tesfamariam, a landed immigrant
living in Edmonton, described how the consulate informed her she owed
$1,200 in back taxes and that unless she paid her passport would not
be renewed, meaning she would be unable to visit her husband in the
United States.
The consulate instructed her to contact an agent in Edmonton named
"Domenico," who would arrange for her to ship the money to Eritrea.
"He can connect you with other people who can take the money for you,"
a consulate employee named Ketem said, according to the affidavit,
which was sent to foreign affairs officials.
A Canadian living in Alberta who also recorded his calls said the
consulate told him his wife and child would not be allowed to leave
Eritrea until he paid up. A former political prisoner who fled the
regime and now lives in Vancouver was told he could not have his
university transcript unless he paid $6,000 in taxes.
The diplomatic note said the department "continues to receive serious
allegations that the consulate of Eritrea in Toronto is violating its
commitment to respect Canada's conditions regarding the solicitation
and collection of tax.
"Canada expects that the only action on the part of the consulate
related to the 2% reconstruction and rehabilitation tax is to refer
any inquiries about the tax to the government of Eritrea directly or
to a government of Eritrea website."
The senior consulate officer could not be reached for comment on
Monday. The consulate has been without an accredited diplomat since
the former consul-general's expulsion last May. The consulate is
currently staffed by locally engaged employees.
Every month, some 3,000 Eritreans flee the repressive country, which
human rights groups have called a "giant prison."
National Post
Text of Diplomatic Note
The department acknowledges receipt of the tax form used by the
government of Eritrea to collect tax from its citizens in Canada. The
department also notes that it continues to receive serious allegations
that the Consulate of Eritrea in Toronto is violating its commitment
to respect Canada's conditions regarding the solicitation and
collection of tax. Specifically, the department has received
information that the consulate continues to request notices of
assessment of Canadian tax returns from Eritrean-Canadian citizens, is
involved in the calculation and negotiation of the amount of money
owing to the Eritrean government, and further relies on agents in the
community to collect funds and transfer them to Eritrea. All of these
actions are considered as solicitation and collection of tax. Canada
expects that the only action on the part of the consulate related to
the 2% reconstruction and rehabilitation tax is to refer any inquiries
about the tax to the government of Eritrea directly or to a government
of Eritrea website. If the department continues to receive allegations
that the consulate continues to solicit the tax, including through
provision of amounts owing, requesting notices of assessment, and/or
using agents or any similar activities, Canada will withdraw its
recognition of the Eritrean consular post in Toronto. The above will
be discussed in detail with the next career head of the consulate in
Toronto upon her arrival.
Received on Tue Jul 15 2014 - 09:19:13 EDT