More American Expatriates Give Up Citizenship

You have a right to pursue happiness, and we also have a right to call you un-patriotic for talking about renouncing your American citizenship. You can't go around talking about leaving the country and renouncing your citizenship and then get offended when people refer to you as un-American.

Please find a quote in which I said I would be renouncing citizenship. Considering expatriation is not the same as renouncing citizenship. Talking about others who have gone so far as to renounce their citizenship is not the same as saying you're looking to renounce your own.

You explicitly clarified this morning that the subject of this thread is renouncing your citizenship for financial advantage:

I am not buying this, be an expat, live tax free notion.

I couldn't post the whole Q&A since it's long, but I left out the part where he renounced his US citizenship (which is the subject of this thread). If you renounce your citizenship to the US, you do NOT pay taxes to the US anymore. You may be an expat, but if you're still paying US taxes it's because you kept your citizenship.

Renouncing your citizenship for any nation is almost the definition of unpatriotic. What you're saying by doing that is basically that you reject the notions and ideals of the country you are a citizen of. You're unpatriotic with regards to that country.

In my mind, so what? If you can lead a better life for yourself in another nation, then go ahead and do it.

You explicitly clarified this morning that the subject of this thread is renouncing your citizenship for financial advantage:

I couldn't post the whole Q&A since it's long, but I left out the part where he renounced his US citizenship (which is the subject of this thread). If you renounce your citizenship to the US, you do NOT pay taxes to the US anymore. You may be an expat, but if you're still paying US taxes it's because you kept your citizenship.

Financial advantage? LOL, yeah...I'm a millionaire seeking a tax shelter! I've been holding out on you guys, sorry. I was referring to HIM and OTHERS renouncing, not me. I wish I had that kind of money. But unless you and your wife plan to make over $150,000 a year overseas, there is no financial advantage to renouncing citizenship, and even then, it really doesn't kick in until you make BIG money.

But wait a minute....you just got done saying I'm depressed over Obama's presidency and that's why I'm renouncing, and now you're saying I'm doing it for financial reasons that don't even benefit me? Make up your mind. Which is it? You still didn't tell me what phase we're in. We secured citizenship abroad. The only reason I went through the trouble is because the Obama haters and tea baggers inspired me, right?

Renouncing your citizenship for any nation is almost the definition of unpatriotic. What you're saying by doing that is basically that you reject the notions and ideals of the country you are a citizen of. You're unpatriotic with regards to that country.

Or you might be rejecting the notions and ideals of the government you were being ruled by. The government is not the country, is it?

In reality it is. Unfortunately the government, in most cases, defines what a country's ideals and notions are, regardless of what the founding documents say.

But wait a minute....you just got done saying I'm depressed over Obama's presidency and that's why I'm renouncing, and now you're saying I'm doing it for financial reasons that don't even benefit me? Make up your mind. Which is it?

Yes, make up your mind indeed. Your opening post was not about money?

The opportunities are gone. Bankers and corporations control the government. Entrepreneurship today means opening a business.....in another country. I'm seeing this at the bank, I'm seeing this with friends, and even considering it myself

What is this thread about then? The operas in Vienna? The Montessori schools in Verona? Did you post a thread railing against corporate control of the federal government because you wanted to talk about how much better the food is in Spain? You don't talk about culture or kids much, but you do talk a lot about the corrupt the federal government and the president who you don't like.

What is this thread about then?

More American expatriates are giving up citizenship. Will this get worse or better in the future? Why are people leaving in larger numbers than before?

You don't talk about culture or kids much, but you do talk a lot about the corrupt the federal government and the president who you don't like.

What's your point? I don't talk about baseball much on TNL, but I guarantee you that I watch more baseball than I do politics on TV.

You know what, forget it. You're absolutely right. It's time for me to come clean....I applied for citizenship in the EU because I hate Obama. I hate his guts. I am a tea party activist who sees this as the perfect opportunity to prove my worth. I can show how anti-socialist I am by leaving one socialist country for another. Yeah, that must be it.

<Tires screeching!> Oops...only one problem. When I first started pursuing the idea of working and living abroad for lifestyle reasons, Bush was still president. And it would be over 7 months before Obama was inaugurated. I guess that blows another hole in your endless stream of stupid theories.

What is this thread about then?

More American expatriates are giving up citizenship. Will this get worse or better in the future? Why are people leaving in larger numbers than before?

Uh okay. I get it. You posted on page 1 about better economic opportunities in other countries motivating expatriates to renounce their citizenship, but your interest in renouncing your citizenship is not financial. And you talked on page 2 about how the way to avoid paying double taxes is to renounce your citizenship (not that you're interested in talking about money) but the thread was about OTHER PEOPLE renouncing their citizenship rather than you. And now on this page you're talking about how you yourself have initiated the expatriation process (not for financial reasons!) in this thread that's about other people expatriating and renouncing their citizenship but not about you expatriating or renouncing your citizenship.

Did I get that right, Twisty McTwisterson? At least you're not trying to make a case that you're not un-patriotic or un-American.

Did I get that right, Twisty McTwisterson? At least you're not trying to make a case that you're not un-patriotic or un-American.

Hey....stop stealing my little pet names for you and using them on Shaun. I'm going to get jealous.

Uh okay. I get it. You posted on page 1 about better economic opportunities in other countries motivating expatriates to renounce their citizenship, but your interest in renouncing your citizenship is not financial. And you talked on page 2 about how the way to avoid paying double taxes is to renounce your citizenship (not that you're interested in talking about money) but the thread was about OTHER PEOPLE renouncing their citizenship rather than you. And now on this page you're talking about how you yourself have initiated the expatriation process (not for financial reasons!) in this thread that's about other people expatriating and renouncing their citizenship but not about you expatriating or renouncing your citizenship.

Yes, I think you understand finally. Everyone expatriates for different reasons, everyone renounces citizenship for different reasons. Some people are doing it for tax purposes, but since I'm not a millionaire, that doesn't apply to me. Some people are doing it for economic opportunity, but not me, since I already make a six figure salary in the banking industry with full benefits and local business/political connections. I am apart of that "good ol' boy" network most people spend years trying to break into. That's a lot to leave behind. On top of that, I can only speak English. Tell me, what financial opportunities could possibly be waiting for me outside the States that I don't already have? Go ahead, tell me. So I guess we're back to lifestyle and cultural reasons.

i moved here because i really liked the movie 'Australia'