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Former Americans Who Gave Up Their Citizenship Want Their Money Back Former Americans Who Gave Up Their Citizenship Want Their Money Back
(3 days later)
Last fall, Nina Nelson went to the U.S. Embassy in Paris and renounced her citizenship to the United States of America.Last fall, Nina Nelson went to the U.S. Embassy in Paris and renounced her citizenship to the United States of America.
Now 67, Ms. Nelson called the decision “painful” and one that she wasn’t happy about. She had not lived in the United States since she was a young girl. And to be an American citizen who lives abroad can be taxing — literally.Now 67, Ms. Nelson called the decision “painful” and one that she wasn’t happy about. She had not lived in the United States since she was a young girl. And to be an American citizen who lives abroad can be taxing — literally.
The United States is one of only a few countries that levy taxes based on citizenship rather than geography. This means that Americans living abroad must file a tax return, and they may find it more difficult to open a bank account, because of reporting rules for foreign banks imposed by the U.S. government.The United States is one of only a few countries that levy taxes based on citizenship rather than geography. This means that Americans living abroad must file a tax return, and they may find it more difficult to open a bank account, because of reporting rules for foreign banks imposed by the U.S. government.
“I did it because of the permanent stress,” Ms. Nelson said of her decision to relinquish her U.S. citizenship.“I did it because of the permanent stress,” Ms. Nelson said of her decision to relinquish her U.S. citizenship.
The process to obtain what is known as a certificate of loss of nationality, which included taking an oath of renunciation after several months on a waiting list, cost her $2,350, a fee that the United States began to impose in 2014 on those trying to renounce their citizenship. For four years before that, the fee was $450. And before that, the certificate was free.
On Monday, the State Department announced a proposal to return the fee to $450, a move it signaled earlier this year. Now, Ms. Nelson and others who paid the higher amount would like some of their money back. She and three other plaintiffs, including citizens of Germany and the Netherlands, filed a class-action lawsuit against the State Department to get the difference of $1,900 refunded.