Hi,

I am a journalist looking to interview Americans who gave up their American passports in order to avoid double taxation after receiving citizenship from another country. If you have done this (or know someone that has) and are willing to be interviewed, please let me know.

Thanks in advance.

In most cases it isn't actually double taxation.. It's more like host country tax plus the difference paid to the USA had they actually been located in the States.

Going to be hard to find someone who has done this. Tempting as it is, even if you do give it up you have to file taxes for 10 years after you've renounced it. And if they think that you've done it for tax reasons, you have to keep filing until they tell you not to.

For real? That is ****** up. What if you refuse to do that?

Then you might need a presidential pardon like Mark Rich of Switzerland did.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Rich

His name is Mr Rich and he is actually rich. I wonder if there is a poor guy who goes by the name Mr Poor

Marc Rich's case seems slightly different as he did not renounce it properly and looks liek he was in trouble. I was curious about normal people (Mr Average) who renounced it properly and stopped doing the tax return thing.

there is a simple solution, never visit the US, okay maybe not so simple if you have family there.

Not sure why a country where you don't reside and whose citizenship you renounced would have any kind of jurisdiction over you.



Urban legend maybe?

Don't know why they want us to file taxes until we die, either, but they do.

From the horse's mouth

Well, looks to me it only applies if you earn *plenty* of money or have a significant investment...

I did not know the US were a Cristian country,

Damn. I won't tell my kids yet that they are on the IRS' hook for life.

Hmmmm...Whether USA or any other country for that matter, i could NEVER give up my citizenship for the country that I was born in. Its like ripping away part of your identity and who you are. This is me, coming from someone who is probably more American then British, but no matter what grudges people may have or complaints they may have about their politicans and their country etc I think renouncing the country that you were born and bred in is going too far. Its kinda like giving up your own flesh and blood. Thats just my opinion, i may be wrong.

I suppose it depends. I was born in India, but have lived the majority of my life in Australia. Which country do I owe my loyalty to?

They're never easy questions to answer, so instead I went for which country made it easier for me to travel the world. SO much easier on an Australian passport!

I dont know. I was born in the UK and grew up here, but spent most of my adult life in the USA. Everything about me is American (so people say!) even my accent, and I am always complaining about the UK - But I am still proud to be British, because thats who I am. However at the same time, I am also proud to be Pakistani as my parents are from there. I consider Pakistan my roots and I wont be here if it wasnt for Pakistan. I have never lived in Pakistan and have only visited three times in my life, but everytime I go there or meet Pakistani's I have a sense of familiarity or a sense of 'home'. But i say the same thing when i see Americans here in London or when I see other British people when I am in the USA. I dont know! I guess I am a bit of everything!!

what an idiot! why didn't he just go for dual citizenship?

this is plainly false. i have been an australian dual-citizen all my life (and i was not born after 2002). the united states also allows dual citizenship.

Kinda weird, eh? I was 'born' a dual national. Pakistani and British. Pakistani nationality not very useful though, I must say. They dont even give out Pakistani passports these days, only ID cards.

read it again please. it does not say that before 2002 dual citizenship was prohibited. besides, wasn't this person of whom you speak an american who obtained australian citizenship? the united states allows its citizens to hold a second passport.

Someone at the US Embassy told me Americans are not allowed to give up their citizenship. They told me that you can renounce it if you want, but in the eyes of the US government you are still a citizen. Don't know if this is really true, but it's what they told me about 10 years ago.