Quote:
Originally posted by Beastiepoo
There are SOOO many previous posts in this thread that I wanted to quote. Instead I'll try and go through the whole issue and hope that I hit all the high points.
I am an American living and working in the UK. My company does NOT pay the US government anything to have me on staff. As I do not earn more than the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (which was around $80000 this year when I did my taxes) I have not had to pay taxes effectively twice (once to the UK and once to the US). As far as I read the article, they are planning to do away with the FEIE. This of course means that companies that DO pay their US employee's US tax bills will get a hike and they will have to decide whether they want to send the employee back to the US or pay the additional taxes to keep them on staff abroad. What it means for the rest of us is that we will effectively pay out nearly 65% of our earnings in tax!!! 30 odd % to the country in which we live and work, and 30 odd % to the good old USA.
I do not now use the amenities that US taxpayer money supports and I am not ever likely to do so ever again. I do not drive on the roads, rely on the police or fire service to keep myself and my possesions safe, I won't be 'coming home' so I won't take advantage of either welfare OR Social Security, I don't even enjoy the maintenance of our monuments and museums.
I would SERIOUSLY consider relinqishing my American citizenship if this bill goes into effect. The US does NOTHING for me as long as I live abroad and I don't see why I should have to pay for something that doesn't help me at all. I suppose were the UK ever to become an active war zone again, they'd pay to have me and my family evacuated. But to be honest, I see that situation as very unlikely to occur.
I suppose you could argue that in those countries where the employee pays little or no tax to the 'host' country that they should pay SOMETHING. I mean, for fuck's sake, we all have to pay taxes right? Its only fair! But seriously, the people this bill will hurt the most are the little people. The people who are only living their lives and working within the community in which they reside. The people who up until now haven't earned enough to make it necessary to pay taxes to the US and therefore probably couldn't afford it if things changed. I know I couldn't.
I think I've made my point of view clear and I hope that it has opened the eyes of some people who think that I should pay for the fact that I happened to be born in Washinton D.C. instead of Rome, Hamburg, Rio, or hundreds of thousands of other places in the world.
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And to think, the USA goes to war for you!
Don't you think you should pay for your share of those bombs?
You don't care about freedom!
INGRATE!