Did Michele Bachmann Become A Swiss Citizen To Avoid US Tax Hikes?
According to Politico, Michele Bachmann’s husband Marcus Bachmann was eligible for Swiss citizenship because of his parent’s heritage. Back in March Marcus filed to become a Swiss citizen, which extended citizenship to his wife Michele as well.
Why would they do such a thing? It could just be a cultural heritage thing – as Allah notes Bachmann has talked pretty specifically about her love of that country in the past – but it’s worth remembering that before she was a member of Congress Michele Bachmann was a tax lawyer. She knows the ins and outs of the tax code, and with the Bush tax cuts set to expire on January first (barring action by Congress, which seems unlikely at this point) they could be getting ready to shelter some income.
Arthur Honegger, a reporter for Swiss public broadcaster Schweizer Fernsehen, told POLITICO the Swiss consulate in Chicago has confirmed that the former Republican presidential candidate became a citizen on March 19, 2012…
Marcus Bachmann, the congresswoman’s husband since 1978, reportedly was eligible for Swiss citizenship due to his parents’ nationality — but only registered it with the Swiss government on March 19. Once he did so, Michele automatically became a citizen, too, according to the Honegger.
It’s hard to tell if this is about taxes or not. I’m not savvy enough to know what the tax implications of Swiss dual citizenship are, and as Allah also points out the Bachmanns really aren’t all that wealthy, but I can’t imagine another reason why they’d do it given that Bachmann is such a lightening rod for media scrutiny.
I wouldn’t think that they’d make a move like this lightly.
If it is about taxes, good for them. I know the left likes to tell us that paying taxes is patriotic, but I don’t think any free citizen has any duty to sit still for ridiculous tax hikes when there are legal options available to avoid them.
Tags: bush tax cuts, marcus bachmann, Michele Bachmann, switzerland, Taxes
