Living with administrative anxiety, confusion and injustice—for being American

“What might sound like an administrative matter has become, for many of us, a source of anxiety, confusion, and injustice. The IRS foreign-reporting requirements are complex and costly. Even for someone who has always tried to comply, the risks of error and the fear of penalties are constant. Many of us must hire expensive professionals each year simply to prove that we owe nothing.”

— Daniel Brose in South Africa

Dear Members of Congress,

My name is Daniel Brose, and though I was born in Burundi to American missionary parents in 1960, the United States has always been part of my identity. I grew up between two worlds, carrying both the ideals of American democracy and the deep friendships and sense of community I learned in Africa. After college and graduate studies in the U.S., my wife and I began our family in Oregon, where we lived what many would call the American dream. But in 2001, we chose a different path and moved with our children to Rwanda and Burundi, and I have continued to live and work in Africa for most of the past twenty-five years.

Living abroad does not make me less American. On the contrary, I have always seen myself as an ambassador for American values—hard work, fairness, generosity, and democracy. Yet, over the years, those values have felt increasingly out of reach for Americans like me, who live and contribute outside the United States. The reason is not emotional distance or lack of patriotism, but a tax system that punishes citizenship itself.

Punished - for being American

Imposing taxes on the basis of citizenship rather than residence subjects Americans abroad to the same tax obligations as if they were still living in the United States, regardless of where they earn their income or pay their taxes. What might sound like an administrative matter has become, for many of us, a source of anxiety, confusion, and injustice. The IRS foreign-reporting requirements are complex and costly. Even for someone who has always tried to comply, the risks of error and the fear of penalties are constant. Many of us must hire expensive professionals each year simply to prove that we owe nothing.

For some, this burden has meant difficult choices: to renounce U.S. citizenship, to abandon their lives abroad and return to the United States, or to live in quiet fear of making a costly mistake. These are not decisions of convenience; they are decisions born of exhaustion and disillusionment.

I have often asked myself whether it is wise to remain American. That question, alone, should trouble every one of you who represents the spirit of this nation. Americans abroad—more than five million citizens—have no real political representation, yet we carry the same obligations as those living at home. Our only remaining hope lies in reform.

LaHood bill hopes

That is why I strongly support H.R. 10468, the “Residence-Based Taxation for Americans Abroad Act,” introduced by Representative Darin LaHood. This bill would align the United States with the rest of the developed world, where residence-based taxation is the international norm. Only the United States and Eritrea continue to tax their citizens regardless of where they live. Such a change would not be a loss for America—it would be an act of fairness and recognition that we, too, are part of the American story.

Adopting residence-based taxation would allow Americans abroad to focus their energy and resources on building communities, creating businesses, and serving as bridges between nations—rather than navigating the labyrinth of double taxation and paperwork that now defines our existence. It would allow engineers and business people, like me, to innovate and create jobs in other countries, helping to alleviate poverty while building and growing profitable businesses.

Mr. and Mrs. Members of Congress, I urge you to act not only with policy but with conscience. Remember that behind every line of tax code there is a life, a family, a business with employees, and a story of belonging. Supporting the Residence-Based Taxation for Americans Abroad Act is not just a matter of fiscal reform; it is an affirmation of fairness and respect for all Americans, wherever they live.

Respectfully,

Daniel Brose

Resident of South Africa

American citizen born in Burundi

Registered voter in Washington State