U.S. Presidential candidates (finally!) recognize issues afflicting Americans abroad

U.S. presidential candidates from both major political parties are now (finally!) on the record as being aware of the many tax and financial services issues afflicting Americans abroad—and pledging to do something about it. 

On October 24th, Vice-President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris addressed a letter to Americans abroad recognizing “.....the complex challenges you face with banking, taxation, and financial services…” :

This follows former President Donald Trump’s Oct. 5 pledge to “end double taxation” of Americans abroad, which received international media attention.  

While we can’t take all the credit for this sudden sympathy following years of official neglect, Tax Fairness for Americans Abroad is proud to be the only organization representing Americans abroad for which tax fairness is the only issue. Many other organizations are doing good work focused on the voting rights of Americans abroad, social security benefits for Americans abroad and health insurance for Americans abroad. We applaud those efforts.

Tax Fairness for Americans Abroad is fighting for one thing only: the replacement of the current U.S. system of discriminatory citizenship-based taxation with one based entirely on residence and source–like the systems of every other free country on the planet. We are doing it on a bipartisan basis, recognizing that divided government in Washington is likely to remain the norm for the next few years and that any solution to our issues needs to address the concerns of both major political parties. 

And we are making very good progress, actively fine-tuning our proposal with potential Congressional champions in light of an introduction when Congress convenes in January at the latest.

Residence-based taxation is an idea whose time has come. Please tell your new or returning members of Congress that the vast majority of Americans living abroad are just normal, hard-working Americans who want to live normal lives. If you agree with our cause, please consider supporting it by sharing your story or with a donation. Every bit of help brings us closer to our goal of tax fairness for Americans abroad.