Unexpected request to confirm tax residency - Halifax

conny55

IT IS NOT a scam, however always check with your bank.
I had terrible time with Natwest as they sent me one of this forms to fill in and return, which I refused to do. firstly the account was in my daughters name, I am just a named person on her account in case anything goes wrong while she is abroad.
FATCA is mainly to do with USA trying to catch up people who have lived there and have not paid their taxes.
my refusal was also based on that fact. I HAVE NEVER LIVED THERE, what on earth gave them the idea I have at some time in my life resided there?? why are we in UK doing this work for the USA government/tax office?
I was threatened that if I did not fill in and signed the form this information would be passed to HMRC here in UK who will then investigate further. what??? totally crazy.
after escalating my complaint to a manager, I had to deal with different departments, and my threat of going to the FOS, they admitted I did not need to fill in the form as I was just a named person and compensated me for the stress (high level of it), however they informed me that any British citizen opening new accounts would get this form as from 2014.
this is ridiculous and I am not aware if anything can be done.
I wonder if every USA citizen has to do the same on behalf of HMRC??
never heard of a most ridiculous thing.

conny

Cook_County

conny55 wrote: »

IT IS NOT a scam, however always check with your bank.
I had terrible time with Natwest as they sent me one of this forms to fill in and return, which I refused to do. firstly the account was in my daughters name, I am just a named person on her account in case anything goes wrong while she is abroad.
FATCA is mainly to do with USA trying to catch up people who have lived there and have not paid their taxes.
my refusal was also based on that fact. I HAVE NEVER LIVED THERE, what on earth gave them the idea I have at some time in my life resided there?? why are we in UK doing this work for the USA government/tax office?
I was threatened that if I did not fill in and signed the form this information would be passed to HMRC here in UK who will then investigate further. what??? totally crazy.
after escalating my complaint to a manager, I had to deal with different departments, and my threat of going to the FOS, they admitted I did not need to fill in the form as I was just a named person and compensated me for the stress (high level of it), however they informed me that any British citizen opening new accounts would get this form as from 2014.
this is ridiculous and I am not aware if anything can be done.
I wonder if every USA citizen has to do the same on behalf of HMRC??
never heard of a most ridiculous thing.

conny

Correct - we have 500,000 US citizens in the UK. FATCA was signed into UK domestic law by the Queen in the 2012 Finance Act. If you do not like a bank's interpretation of the law, change your bank.

EdSwippet

Cook_County wrote: »

FATCA was signed into UK domestic law by the Queen in the 2012 Finance Act.

Factually correct as far as it goes, but worth noting yet again that the UK and other nations only "agreed" to FATCA under the duress of US gunboat diplomacy.

The FATCA "intergovernmental agreements" and their import into UK and other nations' laws are lipstick on a pig.

smallfry27

I am sorry to hear of your bad experience with Natwest, as it looked like they were one of the better banks at dealing with FATCA. Their web site shows a form that is miles simpler than the one Lloyds sent me, and Natwest have also provided some guidance. I found this very useful when trying to understand the gibberish that Lloyds sent.

Having read the terms of the FATCA agreement, it appears that all the banks need to demonstrate is that they have some sort of procedure to check their clients tax status. There is no rule that says they must use the US IR forms - but most are doing so to save themselves the bother of designing something that meets the Plain English Campaign.

Changing established procedures and old computer systems is a nightmare - but they had two years notice that they would have to do something. Instead they have just bolted something onto the side because the deadline suddenly crept up on them.

Li0nhead

Got one of these today.

Will not be sending it in.

If they really do sent to the HMRC if I don't fill this in then fine. I will deal through them, I will not deal with a bank asking me for information I don't legally have to give.

The part about me sending a photocopy of a form of ID such as passport stinks of being a scam.

I will send them a note in the pre addressed envelope telling them I will not fill in anything I don't have to, just so they have to pay for the postage.
Will not be putting my name/address on my reply. Just a polite:

"I will not provide you with information I am not legally obliged to provide you with, would you provide me with the same from yourself if I asked you to?
Further needless annoyances/unnecessary worries like this from you may result in me taking my accounts elsewhere.

Yours
Annoyed Customer"

Wayne_O_Mac

Li0nhead wrote: »

I will send them a note in the pre addressed envelope telling them I will not fill in anything I don't have to, just so they have to pay for the postage.

Or you could try not behaving like a child?

realaledrinker

Got two today, one from Lloyds and one from Halifax. Both had reply paid envelopes to Lloyds at LS1 9QE. Thing is, the notes say you need to fill in one form for each Lloyds Banking Group institution that may contact you. But it's EXCTLY THE SAME FORM with no means of differentiating which one it relates to when sent back. i have accounts with 5 of the institutions listed!!!

GreenBitterfly

Got one today from Halifax, Merry swear word Christmas! Haven't decided what I'm going to do yet, this is a second emergency/just in case current account , never had any communication from my primary current account provider.

Li0nhead

Wayne_O_Mac wrote: »

Or you could try not behaving like a child?

How is it behaving like a child?

They have wasted my time. I am not certain it is not a scam.

Disagree with me? Well you send me your personal details including a scan of your passport or driving licence and a signed declaration of the 'I disagree with you form' with all attached personal details as they are requested me to do.

Would you saying 'no' be you being childish?

Wayne_O_Mac

I rest my case.