US Taxpatriates
Compiled by the Internal Revenue Service
John Gaver
February 15, 2008
The the list below contains links to the US Government's official lists of Taxpatriates, as compiled quarterly by the IRS, required under 26 USC 877(a)(1). Under this law, the people on this list may be taxed for ten years after they renounced their citizenship. Furthermore, under 8 USC 1182(a)(10)(E)), these persons may not be allowed back into the US for any reason. For some unknown reason, the lists are not always published in order. We present links to these lists, to demonstrate just how far our government will go to control us. If you think that it can't happen to you, just imagine how many people on these lists thought the same thing, prior to 1996.
Even facing such penalties, wealthy US citizens continue to leave the US at an alarming rate. The following lists show conclusively that the exodus of US citizens and their wealth is not only continuing, but growing (see chart below). What these lists fail to show is the vast and increasing numbers of wealthy US citizens who are just "dropping out" - taking ALL of their wealth and leaving the US without ever renouncing. They just disappear off of the US tax rolls and appear on some other country's tax rolls. The INS estimated the total at over 300,000 per year and rising, in their "2000 Statistical Yearbook" and that was prior to the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Tax haven countries are recording significantly larger numbers of US applicants for permanent residence or second citizenship every year.
Keep in mind that most of those expats are wealthy, since poor people can't afford to leave. In fact, millions of poor people risk their lives in the back of trailers or crossing Arizona desert every year, to take advantage of our increasing welfare state. It is the wealthy, who are leaving and they represent lost US investment dollars and subsequently, LOST US JOBS.
Instead of reducing the number of taxpatriates, these oppressive laws have actually increased taxpatriation. But, to make matters worse, wealthy expatriates are now taking ALL of their money with them, to prevent it from being taxed for ten years after they leave (26 USC 877(a)(1)). The "small flood" of taxpatriates predicted by the Forbes Magazine article, "The New Refugees" (Nov 21, 1994 v154 n12 p131(5)) is threatening to become a large flood in the not too distant future. Also see the Forbes article, "And don't come back." (Nov 18, 1996 v158, n12, p44(2)). See the article, "The Economy Bomb," for more information on these numbers.
When big money is forced out of the US, it is the average citizen who has to make up the difference in higher taxes. The Income Tax and US government attacks on wealth is costing you money in more ways than you know!
US TAXPATRIATES
(Remember, the people on these lists are just the very few who chose to let the government know that they left, by renouncing their citizenship.)
The following chart, derived from the above government reports, demonstrates clearly that expatriation is growing much faster than population. From 1998 to 2004, formal expatriation grew by more than 50%. Rather than slowing expatriation, government attempts to force the wealthy to stay, have actually forced many more to leave. Remember too, that these are just the very few, who are willing to tell the jailer where they are going, after their "escape." For every expat, who formally renounces, hundreds more just quietly leave. Some US Census data that we have uncovered, reveals that the Census Bureau expects more than 300,000 US citizens and permanent residents to permanently leave the US in 2006. When government punishes the wealthy simply for the sin of being wealthy, should we be surprised if the wealthy, who have the wherewithal to live anywhere that they please, choose a more wealth friendly country, as their home?
(Although the Forbes articles mentioned above have expired from the Forbes web site, they are maintained in text format in several other places on the web. We try to keep our links up-to-date, but with the size of Action America, that is not always possible. If one of the above links should be broken please let us know, so we can point that link at one of the several other archives. Thank you.)
Copyright 2008 John Gaver
All rights reserved
See related articles and supporting documents:
1986-2005 IRS Collections Data by Income Category
The Privacy Factor
More Attacks on the Wealthy
US Taxpatriates List
2000 Statistical Yearbook of the Immigration & Naturalization Service (6.2mb PDF)
2003 World Wealth Report (Merrill Lynch/Ernst & Young)
American Citizens Residing Abroad (US Bureau of Consular Affairs)
Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996 (26 USC 877(a)(1))
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1996 (8 USC 1182(a)(10)(E))
The Economic Impact of Replacing Federal Income Taxes
with a Sales Tax (CATO)
Fair Tax Act of 2007 (H.R. 25)
Americans for Fair Taxation
National Retail Sales Tax Alliance
Recommended Books:
The Fair Tax Book
Fair Tax: The Truth
How to Hide Your A$$et$ and Disappear
Escape From America
See Expatriate sites:
The Sovereign Society
Escape Artist
Expat World
Second Passports
Contact your Congressman here.