Freedom of Information Officer, Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20220 VIA EMAIL and U.S. MAIL
Dear FOIA Officer:
This is a request filed under the Freedom of
Information Act seeking copies of records in connection with negotiation
of "intergovernmental agreements" (IGAs) by the U.S. Department of the Treasury
(hereinafter, "Treasury") with the governments of Canada, Switzerland, and
the United Kingdom providing for implementation of the Foreign Account
Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) in those countries.
Please provide copies of all departmental records (paper or
electronic) concerning communications (emails, paper correspondence, or records
of in-person meetings) between Treasury officials and officials of the three
foreign states indicated above relevant to negotiation of IGAs with such
foreign states, as well as departmental records concerning worldwide implementation
of FATCA that may be relevant to the IGAs with any of the three foreign states
indicated.
Date range of this request : (a)
From the earlier of January 1, 2012, or the time prior to the February
8, 2012, "Joint Statement" with the United Kingdom and four other European
states (found at click here
) when the Treasury Department began preparations for contact or
communication with officials of the United Kingdom in relation to such "Joint
Statement"; (b) to the date of this
request.
Request for "news media" status : As editor of RepealFATCA.com , I am a "representative of the news media" for fee
waiver purposes as "any person or entity that gathers information of potential
interest to a segment of the public, uses its editorial skills to turn the raw
materials into a distinct work, and distributes that work to an audience." Based
on my status as a "news media" requester, I am entitled to receive the
requested record with only duplication fees assessed. Further, because disclosure of this
information will "contribute significantly to public understanding of the
operations or activities of the government," any duplication fees should be
waived.
Request for Expedited Processing : This request
warrants expedited processing because it is made by a person primarily engaged
in disseminating information, and it pertains to a matter about which there is
an urgency to inform the public about an actual or alleged federal government
activity. This urgency is particularly
applicable to Switzerland, where a public referendum is pending, and to Canada,
where IGA negotiations reportedly have reached an impasse.
Mode of delivery :
To facilitate the timely fulfillment of this request and to moderate Treasury's
burden of paper documents, any portion of the requested records which Treasury
may have in electronic form may be emailed to me, with the rest sent by U.S.
mail, per the contact information appearing above.
Please acknowledge via email your receipt of this message,
and indicate an anticipated timeline for fulfillment of this request. Thank you in advance for your prompt
attention to this matter.
Respectfully
submitted,
James George Jatras
Editor, RepealFATCA.com
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