From patriotism to parasite: A dual citizen's struggle with U.S. taxation abroad

"Taxing Americans abroad is the U.S. government inserting its head deep into the flesh of the host in a way that festers and becomes toxic over time."

-Sue from Indiana and Canada

Dear Congress,

Although born in Canada, I was raised in a small town in Indiana. I acquired U.S. citizenship when my mother acquired hers (I was under the age of 18 at that time.) The childhood was, in many ways, idyllic. My father still lives in the house I grew up in, and when I go home (for it will always be home) I walk the streets and give thanks for all the simple, grounded values that were planted and watered on those lawns, sidewalks, and schools.

I returned to Canada to attend University. I married a great (Canadian) man and we have made our lives here. I had three children all of whom attained U.S. citizenship at birth, through my citizenship. The great thing about love is that it has an infinite capacity. My love for my Canadian world and the people that live in has in no way dampened my love for my U.S. world and all of the formative experiences and people in that part of my story.

How shocking, and what a betrayal it has been, to feel that U.S. friend reaching into my pocket and invading my peace over the years. One simple example has been the costs associated with filing paperwork associated with my children's Canadian registered education savings plans (RESPs). It was exorbitant, and the work to find someone to prepare them was challenging. While I dreamed of a future, with an advanced education for my children, U.S. tax laws, and the keepers and creators thereof, have burdened me with hurdles and hassles that left me questioning, more than once, whether renunciation was the right choice.

Fast forward on that track...my children made their way through their Canadian education and worked hard. They received Canadian benefactor scholarships to Canadian universities. Our U.S. government joined in the celebration by taxing those scholarships. This was the moment when I realized that my allegiance to the U.S. was predicated on a false belief in partnership and reciprocity. What did my children receive in the way of benefits from the U.S. that would justify them funding the government coffers on the back of their Canadian scholarships? Nothing. I did a mental bookkeeping of all of the dollars spent remaining compliant in tax filings, and then the actual payment of taxes, and the emotional rose colored lenses fell away. I saw the relationship with the U.S. for what it was: parasitic. Put simply, taxing Americans abroad is the U.S. government inserting its head deep into the flesh of the host in a way that festers and becomes toxic over time.

I continue to maintain my U.S. citizenship. I do so for several reasons, first and foremost being that it allows me peace of mind that, should my loving and aging father ever need me to go and care for him for an extended period, I will be able to do so without question. The second is a moral ground; I refuse to pay the ""exit tax"" to finally eradicate the parasite.

When I attended those simple classes in Indiana, stood and said the Pledge of Allegiance with a reverence equal to that applied in church, I felt a symbiosis with the flag and the country. Now I ask, where is my liberty from burdensome and pointless accounting and where is the justice for all when we are subject to taxation without representation? The flag and my memories are losing their glory.

I urge the U.S. government to end the unjust double taxation of Americans abroad, restoring fairness and reciprocity to a relationship that should honor, not burden, its citizens living overseas.

Sincerely,

Sue from Indiana and Canada