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[QUOTE=Stealthbomber16;948841]Yeah in my political science class we took a citizenship test as a class and with the 13 of us (summer course) we didn’t even pass. That test is bullshit.

I disagree with your point about it requiring context. I think the Dubai requirements are bullshit, just as I think the American requirements are bullshit. I will still have a stronger opinion about the American requirements because it’s the country that I live in. I can vote on representatives to make legislature about citizenship reform. I can’t do that in Dubai. My voice on that opinion actively doesn’t matter so I do not care to voice it.[/QUOTE]

I mean no offense when I say this. And I agree the process to US citizenship is bullshit. But that test is ridiculously easy and doesn't even rank in the top 20 biggest obstacles to obtaining US citizenship

You get asked 10 questions out of [URL="https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/questions-and-answers/100q.pdf"]a list of 100 questions, which are available online for all to read.[/URL]

You only need to get[I] 6 out of 10[/I] correct.

And the questions are already extremely easy for anyone that's lived in the US with stumpers such as:

[COLOR="#FFFFFF"][B]What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?[/B] [/COLOR]
(Who doesn't know the good 'ol Free Speech amendment?)

[COLOR="#FFFFFF"][B]Name one branch or part of the government.[/B][/COLOR]
(Who doesn't know what [I]Congress[/I] is?)

[COLOR="#FFFFFF"][B]Who is in charge of the executive branch?[/B][/COLOR]
(President? I thought we were a monarchy!)

[COLOR="#FFFFFF"][B]We elect a President for how many years?[/B][/COLOR]
(4 Years? But Trump assured me he would be elected for life!)

[COLOR="#FFFFFF"][B]What is the name of the President of the United States now?[/B][/COLOR]
(Insert Stolen Election Joke Here)

[B][COLOR="#FFFFFF"]Some additional head scratchers for your perusal:[/COLOR][/B]
[B]What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?[/B]
[B]If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?[/B]
[B]What is the highest court in the United States?[/B]
[B]What is the capital of your state?[/B]
[B]How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?[/B]
[B]Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?[/B]
[B]When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?[/B]
[B]Who was the first President?[/B]
[B]Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s[/B]
[B]Name one American Indian tribe in the United States[/B]
[B]Name one state that borders Canada.[/B]
[B]Name one state that borders Mexico.[/B]
[B]What is the capital of the United States?[/B]
[B]Why does the flag have 50 stars?[/B]
[B]When do we celebrate Independence Day?[/B]

Admittedly these are some of the easier questions, but none of the questions are really [I]that[/I] difficult. And as long as you don't get like half of the questions wrong, you still pass.

So unless your professor purposefully picked out [I]only[/I] the trickier questions (but even then the tricky questions are not very difficult) and didn't tell you that you pass with a 60%, then what you [I]probably[/I] took given that it was a civics class was one of those "literacy" tests that were around in the south in the 1890s-1960s period that were designed to disenfranchise black voters.

Originally Posted by Stealthbomber16

Yeah in my political science class we took a citizenship test as a class and with the 13 of us (summer course) we didn’t even pass. That test is bullshit.

I disagree with your point about it requiring context. I think the Dubai requirements are bullshit, just as I think the American requirements are bullshit. I will still have a stronger opinion about the American requirements because it’s the country that I live in. I can vote on representatives to make legislature about citizenship reform. I can’t do that in Dubai. My voice on that opinion actively doesn’t matter so I do not care to voice it.

I mean no offense when I say this. And I agree the process to US citizenship is bullshit. But that test is ridiculously easy and doesn't even rank in the top 20 biggest obstacles to obtaining US citizenship

You get asked 10 questions out of a list of 100 questions, which are available online for all to read.

You only need to get 6 out of 10 correct.

And the questions are already extremely easy for anyone that's lived in the US with stumpers such as:

What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
(Who doesn't know the good 'ol Free Speech amendment?)

Name one branch or part of the government.
(Who doesn't know what Congress is?)

Who is in charge of the executive branch?
(President? I thought we were a monarchy!)

We elect a President for how many years?
(4 Years? But Trump assured me he would be elected for life!)

What is the name of the President of the United States now?
(Insert Stolen Election Joke Here)

Some additional head scratchers for your perusal:
What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
What is the highest court in the United States?
What is the capital of your state?
How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
Who was the first President?
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s
Name one American Indian tribe in the United States
Name one state that borders Canada.
Name one state that borders Mexico.
What is the capital of the United States?
Why does the flag have 50 stars?
When do we celebrate Independence Day?

Admittedly these are some of the easier questions, but none of the questions are really that difficult. And as long as you don't get like half of the questions wrong, you still pass.

So unless your professor purposefully picked out only the trickier questions (but even then the tricky questions are not very difficult) and didn't tell you that you pass with a 60%, then what you probably took given that it was a civics class was one of those "literacy" tests that were around in the south in the 1890s-1960s period that were designed to disenfranchise black voters.

[QUOTE=SuperJack;948825]Is that per year? Or just a one time thing.

And if they lived and worked over in Qatar, what the problem with them not paying American tax?[/QUOTE]

It is per year, yes.
And if they lived and worked in Qatar then they would still not need to pay any taxes on the first $108k annually. And only need to pay on anything above $108k

You can also claim foreign earned income as another exclusion in the case of someone that genuinely does live and receive their income within a foreign country, so someone living in Qatar making $200k per year may still be exempt because the income was foreign earned.

Really the system is set up as a way to stop people from doing things such as: owning a US based business but living in a place with no income tax to get around having to pay tax on the profits you're making within the US

Originally Posted by SuperJack

Is that per year? Or just a one time thing.

And if they lived and worked over in Qatar, what the problem with them not paying American tax?

It is per year, yes.
And if they lived and worked in Qatar then they would still not need to pay any taxes on the first $108k annually. And only need to pay on anything above $108k

You can also claim foreign earned income as another exclusion in the case of someone that genuinely does live and receive their income within a foreign country, so someone living in Qatar making $200k per year may still be exempt because the income was foreign earned.

Really the system is set up as a way to stop people from doing things such as: owning a US based business but living in a place with no income tax to get around having to pay tax on the profits you're making within the US

There is the FEIE - Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. FEIE lets you exclude the first $108,700 you earn abroad from US taxes.

Additionally there are Foreign Tax Credits which allow you to receive tax credits for income that is already taxed and paid to a foreign country.

So, do Americans have to pay US taxes even if they're expats living abroad? Technically yes, but for "normal" people that amount of taxes they have to "pay" is usually $0. The system is set up in this way to prevent people that are sufficiently wealthy from obtaining foreign citizenship in a country like Qatar with no income tax, and claiming their 7 or 8 figure incomes in those countries to get around paying US income tax.

(Not to say that tax loopholes don't exist, but like at least the absolute lowest hanging fruit of loopholes like that one don't exist)

There is the FEIE - Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. FEIE lets you exclude the first $108,700 you earn abroad from US taxes.

Additionally there are Foreign Tax Credits which allow you to receive tax credits for income that is already taxed and paid to a foreign country.

So, do Americans have to pay US taxes even if they're expats living abroad? Technically yes, but for "normal" people that amount of taxes they have to "pay" is usually $0. The system is set up in this way to prevent people that are sufficiently wealthy from obtaining foreign citizenship in a country like Qatar with no income tax, and claiming their 7 or 8 figure incomes in those countries to get around paying US income tax.

(Not to say that tax loopholes don't exist, but like at least the absolute lowest hanging fruit of loopholes like that one don't exist)