Write to your Elected Representatives today and ask them to include tax relief for Americans abroad in the reconciliation bill!
Democrats Abroad has been advocating on your behalf for many years in Washington, and we're excited to share that our tax reform recommendations are close to getting into the upcoming reconciliation bill -- but we need your help!
Copy the text below then click here to paste it into a message to your Members of Congress. Click here if you prefer to call.
Note: You need to use the last US address you lived at (even if it was many years ago!) and put in 000-000-0000 for the phone number in order to submit the form. Also, we've had a high number of submissions so if the system gets hung up, don’t worry. Check that your email was sent by checking your emails for the confirmation receipt or go back and try again later. You can also contact all 3 of your Members of Congress individually by clicking here.
|
Subject: Please Put This Tax Relief for Americans Abroad in the Reconciliation Bill Americans abroad are always forgotten in the tax-writing process. This has caused a compounding of unintended consequences and made it difficult for everyday middle-class Americans, like me, to file a US tax return. Can you include two simple reforms to the tax code for Americans abroad in the upcoming reconciliation bill? 1. A filing modification for Americans abroad who owe $0 in US taxes. The $0 tax owed filing modification has already won support in the House from Representatives on the Ways & Means Committee including Don Beyer (D-VA-08), Brendan Boyle (D-PA-02), Judy Chu (D-CA-27), Danny Davis (D-IL-07), Suzan DelBene (D-WA-01), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-20), Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), Tom Suozzi (D-NY-03), and Mike Thompson (D-CA-05). Legislative language is in the process of being drafted now. Will you help ensure this filing modification is included in the final version to greatly simplify tax filing for Americans living outside the US who owe $0 in US taxes? We also ask for your support in exempting small American abroad business owners from the GILTI tax. When the GILTI tax was passed in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, it forced many American abroad business owners to close or become non-compliant in order to survive. GILTI was intended for the Googles and the Apples of the world, not mom and pop Main Street businesses. There has been little appetite to fix GILTI since implementation, even though everyone knows it's the right thing to do. What can be done, can be undone. We urge you to ensure an exemption for small and medium sized American abroad business owners from the GILTI tax is included in the reconciliation bill. [Insert your own personal story that's relevant here] Thank you in advance for your support for including Americans abroad in the reconciliation bill. Sincerely, [Your name] |
If you'd like more detailed information on how to Contact your Members of Congress, watch this video:
Contacting your Members of Congress about Tax Reform
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I waste my time? No one in Washington DC cares about me anyway.
That's not true. We've been speaking to Congress for decades about tax reform for Americans abroad, they do listen. Recently, some of the conversations we've had with Congress have been because one person from one district spoke up and arranged a call for DA to put the case forward for tax relief for Americans abroad. People like you. And it's working. When there's will from Americans abroad, Congress listens!
Why now? How is this any different compared to any other time I've written to Congress and not received an answer?
Because Democrats are in the majority, and DA has been fully engaged with decision-makers in DC on our tax issues. Congress is about to pass the budget reconciliation bill, which contains a range of issues that Democrats want to fix in the tax code. This is the first time we've had an opportunity to be heard and we have a vehicle (the bill) to pass it. Americans abroad are no different from any other American, we all have a right to be heard and have the law changed to provide urgent tax relief.
Why aren't you asking for Residency Based Taxation?
We believe RBT will be possible in the coming years. Based on our conversations in DC, these are the reform recommendations that are realistic to achieve for Americans abroad this year. This is why we're asking for you to help us help you, by writing to your Members of Congress to support these tax reform recommendations.
What about FATCA?
You are welcome to write to your Members of Congress about FATCA, but the reconciliation bill has no provision to change FATCA. So that's why for this campaign, our ask is focused on what we can achieve in this bill this year.
Should I write to my Senators as well as my House representative?
Absolutely! Democracy.io makes it easy for you to write to all of your Members of Congress all at once with the click of a button. We have had a very good response to our recommendations, with support coming from Representatives serving on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. We are confident we can get support from more Representatives as well as the Senate. However, we have not yet been able to get our reform recommendations into the reconciliation bill, so that's why we need your help now!
It's asking me to put in a US phone number, but I don't have a US phone number. What should I do?
You can put all zeros or use a US based friend or family's phone number in if they're ok with it. They will not get a call or be added to any call list. The phone number is a formality that is required to vet genuine constituents contacting their Members of Congress. We have had discussions with Congress about entering phone numbers being a hurdle to contact Congress in the past, and very few have not required it for contacting their office. Feel free to write another message to your Members of Congress about this topic as well!
It's asking me to put in a US address, but I don't have a US address. What should I do?
Put in the last US address you lived at. Even if it was 40 years ago, that is still your last US address and you are still a constituent of that state and district!
If you have any other questions on contacting your Members of Congress, please don't hesitate to contact the Taxation Task Force on [email protected].
No more questions? Great! Get to contacting your Members of Congress here now!