Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

US Renunciation Fee Rises to $2350

posted by LaminatorX on Wednesday December 03 2014, @12:48PM   Printer-friendly
from the breaking-up-is-hard-to-do dept.

bradley13 writes:

The USA has been making life difficult for Americans residing abroad; FATCA causes plenty of problems; but so does citizenship-based taxation. The IRS and Treasury department have made the reporting and taxation more onerous, and stepped up their collection efforts.

The result should be a surprise to no one: more and more Americans are handing in their US citizenship. Total numbers are unavailable (the lists published by the government include only a portion of the total), but undisputed is the fact that the numbers are increasing rapidly.

Having lots of citizens want to leave is...embarrassing. One solution could be to review the policies leading to people to hand in their citizenship. Another would be to make the fee unaffordable, especially for people living on second- or third-world incomes. It's obvious, of course, which route the USA has chosen: It now costs $2350 to hand in your US passport; more than 20 times the international average.

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
US Renunciation Fee Rises to $2350 | Log In/Create an Account | Top | 75 comments | Search Discussion
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

  • (Score: 2) by Thexalon on Wednesday December 03 2014, @04:53PM

    by Thexalon (636) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday December 03 2014, @04:53PM (#122316)

    If you're a US citizen and you feel that the benefits you receive from the Bill of Rights and all the government services, not to mention membership in American society, are not worth the costs you pay in taxes, regulatory compliance, and other legal obligations, to the point where you want to opt out of our particular social contract, then I wish you the best of luck in your new homeland.

    What if your newly adopted homeland has the freedoms of the Bill of Rights and great government services? I'm not an expat, but if I were, I would probably pick a country to live in in part for those freedoms and services. Sure, you could live in Guyana or Indonesia or Jordan, but I'd think more Americans would be happier living in places like Sweden, France, and Australia.

    --
    The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  
    Total Score:   2  

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 03 2014, @06:06PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 03 2014, @06:06PM (#122344)

    "I'd think more Americans would be happier living in places like Sweden, France, and Australia."

    Except of course those that whine about how high taxes are in the US...

  • (Score: 2) by Sir Garlon on Wednesday December 03 2014, @06:38PM

    by Sir Garlon (1264) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @06:38PM (#122353)

    I guess people read the wrong intent into that paragraph. Seriously, France, Sweden, Iceland, Canada, and many other countries all offer comparable benefits to their citizens, so you may very well feel you're better off there. I shopped around myself and concluded that staying in the US is the best option for me, but you may very well come to a different conclusion.

    --
    [Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight that is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.