Our campaign
Who we are
We represent the estimated 9 million U.S. citizens who live outside the United States and who are fed up with unfair, extraterritorial U.S. taxation and related financial reporting obligations that make them second-class citizens. We are non-partisan, united by a fundamental belief in fairness and hunger for equal treatment under the law.
Some Americans living outside the United States moved abroad for work. Others moved for love or to retire abroad. Some moved with their parents as kids. Many have never even lived in the United States because they were born to U.S. parents abroad. Some “accidental Americans” don’t even speak English! None had any idea what they were in for: a lifetime of double tax filing obligations, high compliance costs, financial discrimination and sometimes outright double taxation, simply for being American.
We are average ordinary, hard-working or retired Americans, no richer or poorer than Americans who live in the United States.
We are average, ordinary, hard-working or retired Americans, no richer or poorer than Americans who live in the United States.
We are all Americans and all volunteers. Our members include “accidental Americans” as well as Americans born and raised in the United States but who now live abroad for the long term or permanently.
What we want
Americans abroad already pay taxes in the countries where they live. Citizens living outside the United States. They shouldn’t also have to declare their non-U.S. income in the United States or face tax or financial discrimination or unfair and disproportionate penalties for maintaining bank and investment accounts outside the United States.
We want to end Citizenship-Based Taxation and all the unfairness, high costs and hassles it imposes on Americans abroad!
This campaign unites all Americans abroad who want equal treatment with U.S. residents by allowing them to pay Residence-Based Taxes—just like the citizens of every other developed country in the world.
What is Residence-Based Taxation?
Residence-Based Taxation (RBT) means declaring income and paying income taxes in the country in which you live. Its opposite is Citizenship-Based Taxation (CBT), under which people are required to declare income and potentially pay taxes to a country of which they are a citizen but in which they do not live. Currently no other country imposes the type of unfair, discriminatory CBT on its citizens living abroad the same way the United States does.
The United States imposes taxes and tax-related reporting obligations on U.S. citizens who live year-round in other countries because of an out-dated 19th Century law.
U.S. tax rules directly and indirectly impose significant and discriminatory burdens on U.S. citizens abroad. These burdens are significantly greater than those imposed on people who actually live in the United States.
Direct burdens include mandatory filing of U.S. income tax declarations—in addition to whatever declarations people need to file in their countries of residence, and whether or not the person has ever lived or worked in the United States—and mandatory reporting of non-U.S. financial accounts. Penalties for non-compliance are draconian even for any unintended errors or omissions.
Indirect burdens resulting from U.S. law include non-U.S. financial institutions refusing U.S. citizens abroad any banking services beyond basic savings accounts and checking accounts. Even access to mortgages can be a problem. This condemns millions of Americans abroad to having to pursue more difficult and expensive options for personal savings.
How we plan to win
Numbers matter. Numbers of constituents writing letters, making calls and asking for meetings. But also $$$ for advocacy campaigns and public relations support.
First, we plan to identify as many Americans living abroad as possible, ask them to share stories of their U.S. tax woes, and ideally also to donate to the cause.
In parallel, we will take our campaign to Washington. Even though we will rely on volunteers as much as we can, we will also need professional help, and that costs money. That’s why donations will be really important.