More Americans Give Up Citizenship As IRS Gets Aggressive Overseas

Dow Jones Newswire ^ | 4-9-2010 | Martin Vaughan

[Rodebrecht]

The number of American citizens and green-card holders severing their ties with the U.S. soared in the latter part of 2009, amid looming U.S. tax increases and a more aggressive posture by the Internal Revenue Service towards Americans living overseas.

According to public records, just over 500 people worldwide renounced U.S. citizenship or permanent residency in the fourth quarter of 2009, the most recent period for which data are available. That is more people than have cut ties with the U.S. during all of 2007, and more than double the total expatriations in 2008.

An Ohio-born entrepreneur, now based in Switzerland, told Dow Jones he is considering turning in his U.S. passport. Mounting U.S. tax and reporting requirements are making potential business partners hesitate to do business with him, he said.

[mia]

If our soldiers can fight in foreign nations for us, then I guess we can fight right here for our own homeland. When the venture capitalists can’t stand and fight for their country, then they are welcome to go someplace else.

[Taxman]

Looky here!

Every post on this thread is an argument for the FairTax!

Haveatem!

[Nowhere Man]

It started the minute India and China opened their doors with the promise of no lawsuits, no Affirmative Action, the promise that they would be free from racial extortion, and low taxation. They also appreciate people like Bill Gates and don’t persecute them for being successful.

I'm a big roleplaying game fan, one of my favorites is "The Morrow Project" where people are frozen and wake up 150+ years later after an atomic war with the intentions of rebuilding the United States. Given that, if I froze myself for that long, barring the apocalypse, would I find the U.S. being a vassal of India and/or Red China?

IT sort of reminds me of Robert A. Heinlein's "Farnham's Freehold" where the US/USSR had an atomic war in the late 1960's and the family that survived had their bomb shelter take a direct hit from a nuke and it sent them 2000 years into the future where the Third World nations like India and in Africa were the new powers of the world. The people of the former first world were slaves and sometimes the owners ate them, the book really creeped me out.

Maybe we will find something like a higher tech version of Star Trek's "The Omega Glory" where what is left of the United States is fighting the Chinese and is on the verge of throwing them out after a long protracted war.

[Nowhere Man]

Rather like Beck saying what are the people in the wagon going to do when there’s nobody left to pull the wagon.

I think in that case, Bammy, will use his press gang, most likely made up of inner city gangs and Black Panthers to force them out and work. Yeah, I don't think they will take too well to being pressed to work and will not be efficient but this is similar to what the early USSR did.

[EDINVA]

If all the “smart” people voted for O, why are we heading for a ‘brain drain?”

I never could have imagined even THINKING of giving up my US citizenship, but if things get much worse here, and IF there’s a viable alternative, I’d begin to consider that option.

[RipSawyer]

Yes, we are slaves! Just a very few years ago I was ridiculed on FR for saying that Americans are NOT free. It is amazing how often it is said now and nobody wants to argue the other side. It would appear that those who were blind to the tyranny five years ago have no trouble seeing it now.

[jveritas]

Patriotic Americans do not give up their US citizenship no matter what. Being Americans is the greatest thing we have and our US citizenship is much more valuable than all the money and properties we own.

[AuntB]

“According to public records, just over 500 people worldwide renounced U.S. citizenship or permanent residency in the fourth quarter of 2009”

Here’s an idea..give a foreigner US citizenship for every one of these fools that renounce theirs. And no more. Last year over a million foreigners became US citizens, and the rest of the world is trying to get in here.

[RipSawyer]

That is because our gooberment wants to rob the citizens to support the illegals.

[combat_boots]

Gwenyth Paltrow moved to Spain in 2006-07, and moved her wealth out of US dollars. Whereupon she began lecturing folks here about spending time with their children.

[RWB Patriot]

“A man of self-respect doesn’t turn into a milch cow for anybody. Some able fellows tried to stick it out, but they couldn’t take it for long. We kept losing our men, they kept escaping from the factory like from a pest-hole—till we had nothing left except the men of need, but none of the men of ability.”

Jeff Allen, Atlas Shrugged