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At 11:56 22/05/2000 -0500, you wrote:
>Given the foregoing facts, they might consider expatriating.
>After all, since they =never= plan to return to the U.S.,
>why would they desire to retain their U.S. citizenship? They
>are, in fact, perfectly free to walk into the nearest U.S.
>embassy and renounce their U.S. citizenship.
"Thank you sir for renouncing? How much are you worth? ...here is your tax
bill for leaving. Consider us taking half your net worth as our farewell
present to you".
>Not that I, specifically, was asked or anything, but I find
>it rather telling that very few Americans living and working
>abroad "have no plans to ever return to the U.S." and even
>the few that have no plans to return actually expatriate. I
>guess, in some way, they feel their U.S. citizenship has
>=value= (in contradistinction to the =millions= who have
>fled their homelands over the years hoping to become
>citizens of the U.S.).
Exactly, which makes the situation even worse. I was being a little
extreme in suggesting one might know for sure they'd never return. Perhaps
only millionaires with large sums of money a stake could be that
definitive. Things happen, things change, and most middle class American
expats at least want to keep the possibility of a return open. Which is
why they are so aggrieved at being forced to file and pay tax while they
are living and working overseas; often for many years.
Does it sound reasonable to you as an American that if you ever worked
abroad, your government would tell you "Keep sending us money while you are
away, or don't ever come back here again"? No democratic government in the
world says this to their people except the US Govt!
Certainly, I've heard the argument of "pay up or leave if you don't like
it" applied to Americans at home. But to say to expats: "Pay us, or hand
over your passport" ....C'mon, does this seem reasonable to you? Seems
like fascist blackmail to me ...!
I agree that the lure of the US for people from poor countries is not
affected by such issues. But that's not the point. One makes the USA the
greatest country in the world for a poor or persecuted person does not
automatically make it the greatest place for the masses of middle classes
who are being shafted by such extremist agencies as the IRS.
Simon.
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