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American Citizens Abroad (ACA), a non-profit, non-partisan association said on October 30 that it welcomes US Vice President Kamala Harris’s recognition of the unique challenges faced by Americans living overseas and her commitment to work in partnership with the community to address these issues if elected President.
In a letter addressed to Americans abroad Vice President Harris Letter to Americans Abroad – Democrats Abroad, Harris said that she takes the concerns of US citizens overseas seriously, “whether it’s improving access to consular services, addressing the complex challenges you face with banking, taxation, and financial services, or ensuring equal treatment in immigration and citizenship processes.”
A serious issue for the five to six million US citizens living overseas is tax policy, ACA said.
For over 20 years, ACA has been advocating for the adoption of residence-based taxation (RBT) which addresses this issue.
“As stated previously, it’s important for both major party candidates seeking the presidency and Members of Congress to commit to a tax policy that treats hard working Americans overseas fairly,” Marylouise Serrato, ACA executive director, said.
“While often overlooked by U.S. policymakers, Americans overseas represent an engaged and informed voting block of over 5 million strong. We look forward to working with the next Administration to address these important issues,” Jonathan Lachowitz, ACA chairman, said.
ACA was recently quoted in the media stating that, “Often, the compliance costs for filing tax returns can far exceed the actual taxes that Americans owe. … It makes it very difficult and complex to file, and it also limits the ability of a lot of Americans to invest and live when they’re overseas.”
Previous bipartisan support and concrete policy proposals demonstrate there is a path forward for addressing this issue, ACA said.
(Photo: White House)