Discriminatory Taxes and Congress: Do as I Say, Not as I Do

Laura Snyder, "Discriminatory Taxes and Congress: Do as I Say, Not as I Do," 180 Tax Notes Fed. 1283 (Aug. 21, 2023).

11 Pages Posted: 9 Oct 2023

See all articles by Laura Snyder

Laura Snyder

Association of Americans Resident Overseas (AARO); Stop Extraterritorial American Taxation (SEAT)

Date Written: August 21, 2023

Abstract

For decades, overseas Americans and others have appealed to Congress to act regarding the U.S. extraterritorial tax system. The long-standing system discriminates against persons of U.S. nationality living outside the United States, subjecting them to a tax regime that is more burdensome and punitive than for persons residing in the United States (of any nationality) and persons residing outside the United States who are not U.S. nationals. But their appeals are disregarded. No action to alleviate the situation has ever been taken (or, with few exceptions, even proposed), and nearly all members of Congress remain silent on the issue.

In contrast, in the past few months, multiple members of Congress have voiced objections to tax policies recently adopted by other countries that are considered discriminatory against Americans. Their objections are vociferous, and they have invested considerable time and effort into proposing alternatives and threatening retaliation if their demands are not met.

Unless these lawmakers seek to end all tax policies that discriminate against Americans - with at least equal indignation and effort – their demands cannot be understood as anything other than hypocritical. Any bill introduced to Congress seeking to end taxes that discriminate against Americans should encompass all taxes that discriminate against Americans, not just some. At a minimum, it should include the discriminatory taxes that are within the direct power of Congress to change.

Otherwise, when it comes to discriminatory taxation, for Congress, it’s a case of “Do as I say, not as I do.”

Keywords: Extraterritorial Taxation, Nationality-based taxation, Discrimination, Digital Services Taxes, Global Minimum Tax, International Taxation, Canada, Underused Housing Tax

JEL Classification: D63, E62, F22, F53, F54, H24, H25, H30, H87, K33, K34

Suggested Citation

Snyder, Laura, Discriminatory Taxes and Congress: Do as I Say, Not as I Do (August 21, 2023). Laura Snyder, "Discriminatory Taxes and Congress: Do as I Say, Not as I Do," 180 Tax Notes Fed. 1283 (Aug. 21, 2023)., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4466436

Laura Snyder (Contact Author)

Association of Americans Resident Overseas (AARO) ( email )

4 rue de Chevreuse
Paris, 75006
France

Stop Extraterritorial American Taxation (SEAT) ( email )

Box 19602, Manulife P.O.
55 Bloor St. W.
Toronto, Ontario M4W 3T9
Canada

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