Reporting to the Bank
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Question
The question is urgent, I would appreciate a quick response. A. According to the law, banks are required to ask their customers if they are American citizens. This is because Israel has made an agreement with America to report on American citizens since they are required to pay taxes to the USA, and the bank is obligated by law to do so. If it knows someone is an American citizen, it must report it to America. B. I am an American citizen, and I am going to the bank where they will ask me to sign a form stating that I am not an American citizen. The question is whether I can lie to the bank about this, as it doesn't matter to them; they are just obligated by law to report it to America. But if I don't tell them the truth, they don't care at all. C. In the past, I lied to the bank that I am not American, and now I am afraid to tell them that I am American for two reasons: 1. I am afraid that America will find out that I actually hid the tax from them and they will fine me. 2. I am afraid of the bank seeing me as unreliable and marking me, and not trusting me regarding mortgages, loans, etc., which could make it difficult for me to open a bank account, etc. 3. I am afraid of unnecessary bureaucracy that I will have to deal with when I conduct transactions at the bank. In conclusion, is there any permission to lie to the bank for these reasons. Thank you very much.
Answer
Shalom Rav
According to the instructions of our teacher, the law of 'Dina de-Malkhuta Dina' does not apply to the laws of the United States regarding a US citizen living in Israel, but only to those living in that state. Therefore, you can act according to your own discretion.