A Floridian living in Belgium wonders why her country has stopped loving her

“I have seen friends—proud Americans—already renounce their citizenship in sorrow, not because they stopped loving their country but because their country stopped loving them.”

— Marian Kane

Dear Members of Congress,

Though I have lived in Belgium for many years, my American identity has never left me. I vote, I follow the news, and I raise my children to take pride in their heritage. I was born in Florida to American parents, and I grew up believing that my citizenship was a birthright that could never be questioned, much less turned into a burden. I never imagined that being American abroad would mean living under a weight that feels heavier with every passing year.

Around 2015, my best friend of 25 years began warning me that I would get into trouble, that the IRS and FINCEN would come for me if I did not start reporting, repeating this for weeks on end and under the influence of her accountant friend who specializes in helping Americans comply. At first, I ignored her, but then I started looking into the Streamline process. I submitted the paperwork without help. It was awful, so complicated, and I barely slept for six weeks while I worked on my filings. In the end I had to get help from my friend’s accountant to fix the mess, but by then my friendship had died, and I had spent a month’s salary just to show the IRS and FINCEN that I earned a modest amount, saved a modest amount, and owed no taxes.

Perennial accounting nightmare

Each spring since then, while my Belgian neighbors complete a simple tax declaration, I spend over fifteen hundred dollars—more than the cost of a family vacation—just to file reports to the IRS and FINCEN for myself and my sons. Year after year, we owe nothing, yet the paperwork is relentless and the fear of making a mistake constant. The one time I did end up owing money, it was not because of income or wealth but because of a reporting error I made. The system treats us not as citizens abroad but as potential criminals who must prove their innocence again and again.

The cost is not only financial. I have been barred from holding a brokerage account in the country where I live, and I was expelled from my own U.S. bank because I don’t live in the United States anymore. My children are also compliant, much to my regret. My oldest son recently graduated as a general surgeon and will become a cardio-thoracic surgeon in two years. That will require him to set up a small company, but at that point, unless Residence-Based Taxation is introduced, he will be forced to relinquish his citizenship. The restrictions on investing are simply too limiting for someone who must begin saving for retirement.

I have seen friends—proud Americans—already renounce their citizenship in sorrow, not because they stopped loving their country but because their country stopped loving them. I do not want to join them, but each year the pressure grows. I remain one only for as long as my 93-year-old mom is alive unless the law is changed.

Unique form of punishment

There are more than five million of us scattered across the globe, Americans abroad who live under this unique form of punishment. We are taxed not on where we live but on the accident of our birth, and we are left politically voiceless in the process. Only Eritrea shares this practice with the United States. Everywhere else in the world, the principle is clear and fair: you pay taxes where you reside.

I urge you to recognize the injustice of Citizenship-Based Taxation and to support a move to Residence-Based Taxation, as proposed in Representative Darin LaHood’s bill, the Residence-Based Taxation for Americans Abroad Act. This legislation is not radical but balanced and necessary. It honors the promise once made by President Trump to end double taxation for Americans abroad, and it deserves support across party lines as a matter of basic fairness.

This is not a question of numbers or technicalities but of lives. Every day, Americans abroad must choose between keeping their citizenship and protecting their financial stability, between clinging to their birthright and being able to live normally in the countries where they raise their children.

I ask you, as elected representatives, to consider our plight and act with conscience. Please co-sponsor the Residence-Based Taxation for Americans Abroad Act and ensure that hearings are held on this vital issue. Restore fairness to the millions of Americans abroad who want nothing more than to live responsibly, honorably, and proudly as Americans.

Sincerely,

Marian Kane

Belgium


If you are an American living abroad and also suffer from double taxation, please help us in the fight for residence-based taxation! Share your own story on our Help us page and Donate using the button below! Our campaign is 100% financed by individual donations and every donation brings us one step closer to winning!

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An American in Germany feels the oppressive impact of U.S. double taxation