I left the US and renounced my citizenship 24 years ago, after Dubya shat out the USA Patriot Act and I knew the US would turn into a full-blown Nazi state some day.
Best thing I ever did.
Where did you go?
Were you able to get citizenship somewhere, or just permanent residency? I admit idk exactly how that works in terms of citizenship renouncement
It was easy for me: I had dual citizenship. I simply renounced the wrong one - which cost me a pretty penny: it’s a real racket run by the US, this. But it paid for itself many times over in that I never had to pay US taxes for income I generated outside the US, which is also another US racket.
But it paid for itself many times over in that I never had to pay US taxes for income I generated outside the US
Did it really? I was under the impression that foreign taxes paid reduced US taxes owed, so (unless you were in some low-tax country, which doesn’t seem likely given that you’re talking about countries with better government services than the US) wouldn’t your US taxes have been minimal, if not zero? I also understand that filing each year to claim that exemption could be a hassle, but it doesn’t seem like enough of one to be worth the “racket” of renunciation over.
I’m open to the idea that renunciation could be better than maintaining dual citizenship, but you haven’t convinced me yet. What other pros/cons are there?
Renounciation costs (or at least used to cost) a few thousand dollars. That’s money you quickly recoup by not paying any US taxes.
Besides, I don’t see why I should pay Uncle Sam anything of what I earn abroard, living abroad and working in a foreign company, not using any American services or infrastructure. The only rational Uncle Sam has to offer for extracting taxes from US citizens residing abroad is essentially “Pay up or else…” That’s a racket, pure and simple: even if it wasn’t financially sound, I don’t pay racketeers.
What other pros/cons are there?
Not being an American is a big pro. Your conscience is less dirty.
And as of Apr 14, 2025, the safety of not living in a dictatorship where the rule of law doesn’t apply anymore is also a big plus.
And while not directly linked to citizenship proper, living abroad offers many advantages: working healthcare, a decent education for your children, publc services that work… Yes, you pay a lot of taxes in Europe, but you know what you get out of it. The quality of life in Europe is much higher than in the US. And - I know it sounds weird but it’s true - you don’t need the constant background paranoia you need to live in the US. You don’t realize the paranoia is there until you leave and then it lifts from you. It’s a real thing.
But of course you can experience all that while still being an American. Not being American is mostly a matter of refusing to be associated with - and finance - an amoral society.
