Calling All DPCA Officers... to Vote On 2024 Delegate Selection Plan

Connection details will be emailed to all Democrats Abroad member RSVP's closer to the meeting date.

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Every four years, the Democratic Party begins designing the Delegate Selection Rules and a resulting nominating process for the next presidential election.

While the Rules drafting process begins anew after each Presidential election, many norms and traditions carry over, including a rule that lets some states hold their nominating contest early, which in 2024 will be South Carolina, Nevada & New Hampshire, Michigan, and Georgia.

Democrats Abroad has worked hard at crafting our Delegate Selection Plan, which is the guiding document as we play our part in nominating our Party's 2024 nominees for President and Vice President of the United States.

You can review a copy of our draft 2024 Delegate Selction Plan which was posted for public comment on our website on March 6, 2023, and submit your by writing to [email protected] through April 5, 2023.

(Please include the page and line number your feedback refers to in your email. Thank you!)

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NOTICE: This meeting will be recorded, including audio, video, and any materials exchanged or viewed during the session.

Join us for our yearly Annual General Meeting where we will announce the results of our DAUK elections and look forward to a bright future!

1. FIND YOUR HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE'S WASHINGTON D.C. OFFICE PHONE NUMBER

Click here and search for the last address you lived at in the U.S. or your U.S. voting address (if you've never lived in the U.S., use the last address your American parent(s) lived).

CALL THE OFFICE

Call the office because calling is generally more effective than emailing to get the correct name. When the receptionist answers the phone say the following:

Hi, my name is [insert your name here], I am a constituent and I would like to know who is in charge of taxation issues on the Congress[wo]man’s legislative team. Would it be possible to get his or her email address?

The person on the phone should then give you the email address for the correct person of staff in charge of tax legislation.

Note: If you try calling and can’t get through, contact [email protected] and we’ll see if we have the contact information.

2. COME UP WITH AN AGENDA

Ultimately, this meeting should be about highlighting your specific issues as a constituent living abroad, so take the time to think about a few problems you want to bring up. Examples include:

• Double taxation
• Overly complex tax filing
• FATCA, problems opening/maintaining bank account
• Difficulty saving and investing abroad
• GILTI and the transition tax

Don't be afraid to ask for help, you don't have to do a call alone. Volunteers from the Taxation Task Force are able and willing to attend the meeting with you. You can even arrange the call and then allow our subject matter experts to run the meeting for you, if that's something you prefer. It is always beneficial to have at least a few people on the call, "strength in numbers", to help demonstrate support for the issue. Email us at [email protected] to get the ball rolling.

3. RESEARCH YOUR CONGRESS[WO]MAN

It is important to do a bit of research to see if your representative is a member of any relevant committees, and get a feel for what positions he/she may have on issues related to taxation and financial access. 

Think about how your problems as an American abroad tie into their positions. For example, if your representative is interested in small business and entrepreneurship, you should place special focus on GILTI and the transition tax if you’ve been impacted by these taxes. If your representative is concerned about retirement/social security, you should emphasize the punitive treatment of foreign savings and retirement accounts, etc. 

4. PREPARE THE MATERIAL YOU WANT TO DISCUSS

Now that you have an idea of what you want to discuss, you need to prepare some material in advance so the legislative assistant can review it. If you are unsure of where to start, take a look at the Democrats Abroad tax report. Read the report and pick out which parts are relevant for you. If you need some presentation ideas, take a look at this one. Furthermore, if you are not confident in holding a presentation yourself, email TTF ([email protected]) and ask for their support.

5. SEND AN EMAIL TO THE TAX STAFFER

Send the following e-mail to the legislative assistant and make sure to attach the material you have prepared:

To: Tax staff email

Cc: [email protected] (this is very important, don't forget to cc us so that we know that you contacted your reps! This helps us track who contacted whom.)

Subject: Meeting to Discuss Tax Issues for Americans Abroad

Dear [Tax staff's first and last name],

My name is [your name], I am a constituent from [city and state where you vote] living in [country you live in].

[Please add your own personal story about how you've been impacted by tax and financial access issues. The more personal, the better.]

Would it be possible to schedule a meeting this week or next week to discuss the wide range of tax problems facing Americans abroad? Please review the material attached to this e-mail for further details about the issues I would like to discuss with you.

Thanks,

[Your name]

If you do not receive a response within 48 hours, call the office (preferably right when they open the telephone line at 9 AM EST) and say the following:

Hi, my name is [insert your name here], I am a constituent and I am trying to get in touch with [staffer’s name] in order to book a meeting to discuss the taxation of Americans abroad. Would it be possible to speak with him/her?

The receptionist will most likely say that the staffer is unavailable to take a call. They might ask you for your name and voting address to confirm that you are a constituent. 

Tell the receptionist that you have e-mailed the staffer to book a meeting but have not yet received a response. Ask the receptionist if the tax staffer can please respond to your request for a meeting.

Immediately after the call, send a follow-up e-mail to the tax staffer:

To: Tax staff email

Cc: [email protected]

Subject: Follow-up on Meeting to Discuss Tax Issues for Americans Abroad

Dear [Tax staff's first and last name],

I have just called Congress[wo]man [name of your rep]'s office to see if you would be available for a meeting to discuss the tax issues facing Americans abroad. Do you have time for a call this week or next week?

Sincerely,

[Your name]
Constituent from [city, state]
Lives in [country]

6. PREPARING FOR THE MEETING

• Prepare to tell your personal story of tax problems and financial access issues. The more detailed, the better. It is much easier for them to understand an issue when they have a constituent (AKA you) concrete example of the problem. They are also more motivated to work on the issue if you’re able to clearly articulate the problem.

WHAT TO SAY IN A MEETING

• Always be respectful. Staff are humans, just like everyone else. They have families and lives just like the rest of us. We know that the situation you find yourself in is frustrating, but it’s not the tax staffer’s fault and he/she is an entrypoint for affecting legislative change.
• Aim to get the staffer to speak more than you during the call. If 
• Ask the tax staffer if he/she has lived abroad or knows anyone (friends/family) who live abroad. Ask if he/she is familiar with some of the tax problems we’re dealing with. If the tax staffer has heard about these problems, ask what they know. This will help you gauge their knowledge in order to keep the discussion at the right level.
• Give one or two concrete “asks” to your representative. Examples include requesting the tax staffer to ask the Congress[wo]man to join the Congressional Americans Abroad Caucus or ask him/her to co-sponsor a specific piece of legislation.

WHAT *NOT* TO SAY IN A MEETING

• Do not bring up politics. Keep the discussion focused on policy and your specific problems as a constituent.
• Do not use the term “citizenship-based taxation”. This term automatically associates taxation with a patriotic duty as an American citizen, so using it only makes it more difficult to make your case against it.
• Do not bring up “residency-based taxation” yourself. Instead, guide the discussion in that direction, if they know about RBT they will bring it up themselves.
  
• Do not spend the whole meeting venting your frustrations of the problems on the staffer. If you spend the whole meeting speaking and the staffer doesn't get a word in, you might temporarily feel better, but this doesn't get laws passed and is not an effective use of your time.
• Don’t say “Americans abroad experience x, y, and z”. Congressional staff serve constituents, not Americans abroad. They will prioritize what you want over what Americans abroad want.
• Don't tell a friend's story unless your friend joins you for the call and is able to tell the story themselves. Congressional staff want to hear your story and care about what you want as a constituent.

Thank you so much for helping us with this very important work.

• If you have any questions on this action, please email us at [email protected].
• Feel free to share this webpage with anyone you think is interested in helping fix the tax problems for Americans abroad!

You can really make a difference!

Write to your Members of Congress in 3 easy steps about how you've been impacted by the broken US tax laws! This will only take you an estimated 20 minutes, and it is much easier than you think!

Step 1: Find your two Senators’ and one Representative’s phone numbers

• Click here and search for your last US address or your US voting address, or your parents last US address if you have never lived in the US.
• Grab the Washington D.C. phone numbers (area code 202) for all three members.

Step 2: Call their offices!

• Call first, in order to identify the correct person to send your email to.
• When receptionist answers, read the following script:

Hi, my name is [name], I am a constituent and I would like to send an email to the person in charge of tax on the Congress[wo/man]'s legislative team. Could you tell me his or her email address so I can send them an email?

• Call during Washington D.C. office hours (9am to 5pm ET, weekdays) to increase your chances of success.
• Do not leave voicemail. After three unsuccessful attempts, email us at [email protected] and we'll see if we can help.
• Call your House representative first if you don’t have time for all three.
• Minimum credit (usually about $5) can get you connected through any internet device to reduce costs if you cannot make an international call.

Step 3: Send a separate email to each Member’s tax staff

If you do not receive a reply within 24 hours, send a follow-up email.

• Ask for confirmation that they received your email (1-2 minutes of your time).
• Message them on their social media platforms to help bump your email up to the top of their inbox.
• If the Congressional staff requests additional information or wants to speak to you further but you're not confident in doing this, forward us the email and then we'll advise you on next steps.
• If you receive any reply, please forward it to [email protected] so we know how the member's office responds.

Thank you so much for helping us with this very important work.

• If you have any questions on this action, please email us at [email protected].
• Feel free to share this webpage with anyone you think is interested in helping fix the tax problems for Americans abroad!

Below is a copy of the submission the Democrats Abroad Global Taxation Task Force submitted to the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations for hearing titled "Holding the Biden Administration Accountable for Wasteful Spending and Regulatory Overreach" that took place yesterday.

Click here to download a pdf of DA's submission to the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations in full.

Join Democrats Abroad UK (DAUK) for this webinar to discuss the basics of financial planning for Americans living in the UK. The aim of this event is to educate you on basic things you should know and commonly asked financial planning questions such as:

• How do you plan for the future under both the US and UK tax systems?
• How can I tax-efficiently save and invest as a US citizen in the UK?
• How do I manage finances and tax with a non-US spouse?
• How do I manage my US student loans while living abroad?
• How can I save for my dual US/UK citizen child's future?

This event is for you if:

• you just moved to the UK from the US and you're unsure how to plan for your future
• you've lived abroad for decades but not sure where to start
• you have children and want to better understand how to save for their futures
• you're concerned about the US/UK tax implications of financial planning, or
• you already know a lot but you just want a straightforward answer for a specific issue

Speakers:

• Brian Dunhill, International Financial Advisor @ Dunhill Financial
• David Treitel, Founder and Managing Director @ American Tax Returns

Agenda:

• 6:30pm Introductions
• 6:35pm Panel discussion
• 7:10pm Q&A
• 7:30pm End

Attendees are asked to please pre-submit any questions you have by emailing [email protected]. The more questions we get in advance, the better we can prepare and shape the program around the things you want to learn about the most!

Add event to calendar

The fine print:

• No refunds are available.
• We can't guarantee we will be able to answer all questions submitted before, during, or after the event, but we will try to answer as many questions as possible.
• This event is closed to the press.

If you are unable to attend this event you can buy a recording ticket.

Please email [email protected] to be added to the mailing list to keep up to date with the actions and upcoming events from the DAUK Tax Committee.

Disclaimer: Democrats Abroad UK cannot provide individual tax advice. We are not tax lawyers, accountants or advisers. Please consult a professional tax adviser/accountant/return preparer when addressing your personal tax matters.

We recommend the IRS Tax Return Preparer Directory to find a service provider who meets your needs and budget, though buyers need always beware. Democrats Abroad UK suggests Americans abroad in need of tax advice consult the IRS Tax Return Preparer Directory to find an advisor or tax return preparer near you or providing online services: https://irs.treasury.gov/rpo/rpo.jsf

Due to last month's overwhelmingly successful tax webinar, Democrats Abroad is proud to announce our Tax Webinar Series every Wednesday starting on February 15!

• February 15 How To File The FBAR (Americas/Europe Friendly Time)
• February 22 How To Get Caught Up On Filing US Taxes from Abroad (Asia/Europe Friendly Time)
• March 1 Investing For Americans Abroad and Dual Citizens (Asia/Europe Friendly Time)
• March 8 Taxes And Retirement For Americans Abroad (Americas/Europe Friendly Time)

Tickets for all events are a donation of $10 General Admission / $5 Retired/Student/Unemployed / $5 Recording Only

Tickets for each webinar in the series must be purchased separately.

All proceeds go to Democrats Abroad.

All webinars will take place on an online Zoom webinar. Read on for more info on each webinar.

How To File The FBAR

Tired of paying someone else to file the FBAR for you every year but not sure how to do it yourself? In this webinar, an expert will walk you through the process of filing the FBAR, which is free when you do it yourself. They'll show you the form, what information you need to provide, how to submit the FBAR online, and the filing deadline.

When: Wednesday, February 15 at 1:30pm EST view your time zone

Get your tickets now

How To Get Caught Up On Filing US Taxes from Abroad

Did you forget to file a US tax return since you moved abroad, or have you been living outside the US for a long time (decades even!) but you've not been filing a US tax return? Join us to go over the IRS Streamlined Filing Procedure - the process to get caught up on your US tax filings. The good news is that you don't have to file for all the years that you missed, you potentially won't owe any US tax, and you might even be eligible for some money from the IRS depending on your circumstances.

When: Wednesday, February 22 at 3:30am EST view your time zone

Get your tickets now

Disclaimer: Democrats Abroad cannot provide individual tax advice. We are not tax lawyers, accountants or advisers. Please consult a professional tax adviser/accountant/return preparer when addressing your personal tax matters.

We recommend the IRS Tax Return Preparer Directory to find a service provider who meets your needs and budget, though buyers need always beware. Democrats Abroad suggests Americans abroad in need of tax advice consult the IRS Tax Return Preparer Directory to find an advisor or tax return preparer near you or providing online services: https://irs.treasury.gov/rpo/rpo.jsf

The DAUK Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC) is excited to announce that we have several candidates running for office in the 2023 DAUK Leadership election.

The DAUK Nominations and Elections Committee is hosting three Town Halls in March to give candidates a chance to introduce themselves to DAUK voters and speak about their aspirations in serving our organization.

In the 2023 Democrats Abroad UK leadership election our members will elect multiple positions, including: Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, 8 At-Large Executive Committee Members, 21 DPCA Voting Representatives, 12 DPCA Non-voting Representatives (i.e. alternates) and the DAUK Council. At the Elections Meeting on April 16 DAUK will announce who has been elected.

The three Town Halls are scheduled as follows:

• March 16 for DPCA Voting Representatives RSVP HERE
• March 23  for the 8 Executive Committee Members-at-Large RSVP below
• March 30 for the 4 Officers Positions (Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer and Secretary) RSVP HERE

If you cannot make the hustings the NEC will provide means for candidates to submit statements and for voters to watch a recording of the events. 

If you have any questions, or need help nominating a candidate, please email [email protected] 

The DAUK Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC) is excited to announce that we have several candidates running for office in the 2023 DAUK Leadership election.

The DAUK Nominations and Elections Committee is hosting three Town Halls in March to give candidates a chance to introduce themselves to DAUK voters and speak about their aspirations in serving our organization.

In the 2023 Democrats Abroad UK leadership election our members will elect multiple positions, including: Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, 8 At-Large Executive Committee Members, 21 DPCA Voting Representatives, 12 DPCA Non-voting Representatives (i.e. alternates) and the DAUK Council. At the Elections Meeting on April 16 DAUK will announce who has been elected.

The three Town Halls are scheduled as follows:

• March 16 for DPCA Voting Representatives RSVP HERE
• March 23  for the 8 Executive Committee Members-at-Large RSVP HERE
• March 30 for the 4 Officers Positions (Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer and Secretary) RSVP below

If you cannot make the hustings the NEC will provide means for candidates to submit statements and for voters to watch a recording of the events. 

If you have any questions, or need help nominating a candidate, please email [email protected]

Join Democrats Abroad UK (DAUK) for this special hybrid (in-person and online) event to discuss the basics of US tax filing requirements for Americans living in the UK. The aim of this event is to educate you on your basic tax filing obligations and commonly asked tax questions such as:

• When is the tax filing deadline for Americans living outside the US?
• How much do I need to earn to file?
• Can I open a UK pension as a US citizen?
• Do I have to pay capital gains tax to the IRS when I sell my UK home?
• How much do I have to earn in order to be double taxed?
• Do I get double taxed if I'm self-employed in the UK or have a UK Limited Company?

This event is for you if:

• you just moved to the UK from the US and you're unsure of your tax obligations
• you haven't filed for decades
• you're scared to face your tax filing obligation or don't know what questions to ask to get started
• you've filed for years but you're not sure if you're doing it right, or
• you've filed every year but you've wanted a straightforward answer for a specific issue

Speakers:

• Migle Kuzmaite, US Tax Lead @ MyExpatTaxes
• Liz Zitzow, MD @ British American Tax
• Tim Johnson, Managing Director @ American UK Tax Solutions

Agenda:

• 6:30pm Doors open
• 7:00pm Start and introductions
• 7:10pm Speaker presentations
• 7:45pm Panel discussion
• 8:00pm Q&A
• 8:30pm Networking with speakers
• 9:00pm End

Attendees are asked to please pre-submit any questions you have by emailing [email protected]. The more questions we get in advance, the better we can prepare and shape the program around the things you want to learn about the most!

Add event to calendar

The fine print:

• No refunds are available.
• In-person seating is limited in capacity so please only purchase an in-person ticket if you are able to attend. Otherwise, please purchase a webinar ticket.
• If you have booked an in-person ticket and can no longer attend in-person, you can transfer your ticket to attend online or to receive the recording. In this case, please email [email protected] to request a ticket transfer. You must do this at least 24 hours in advance as in-person seating capacity is limited and there could be a waitlist for in-person tickets.
• For those unable to attend in person or online on this date, you have the option to purchase an on-demand ticket to view the recording after the event takes place.
• For those attending in person, no food or drink will be served. You are welcome to bring a bottle of water for your own personal consumption. Please eat before arriving. Food is not allowed inside the lecture theatre.
• We can't guarantee we will be able to answer all questions submitted before, during, or after the event, but we will try to answer as many questions as possible. Speakers are encouraged to network with attendees after the panel discussion but, we can't guarantee you will be able to meet with specific speakers.
• Democrats Abroad UK follows LSE's on-campus COVID measures for this event.
• This event is closed to the press.

Please email [email protected] to be added to the mailing list to keep up to date with events and actions from the DAUK Tax Committee.

Disclaimer: Democrats Abroad UK cannot provide individual tax advice. We are not tax lawyers, accountants or advisers. Please consult a professional tax adviser/accountant/return preparer when addressing your personal tax matters.

We recommend the IRS Tax Return Preparer Directory to find a service provider who meets your needs and budget, though buyers need always beware. Democrats Abroad UK suggests Americans abroad in need of tax advice consult the IRS Tax Return Preparer Directory to find an advisor or tax return preparer near you or providing online services: https://irs.treasury.gov/rpo/rpo.jsf

A guest post originally published here.

The IRS tax season just opened on Monday and with that, people are scrambling to get their US tax return in before the deadline. For Americans abroad, this can be a very anxiety provoking and stressful process because it is well documented that filing taxes for Americans abroad is more difficult for Americans outside the US than inside the US. According to American Citizens Abroad, it is estimated that return preparation fees for Americans abroad is between $2,000 and $3,000 and significantly higher for small business owners, while the average fee in 2021 was $323 for a return with itemized deductions and $220 for a return without itemized deductions.

The fact that Americans abroad are liable for filing and paying tax both in the country they live in as well as in the US, it is difficult for Americans abroad why they are subject to tax in two countries since their immigrant counterparts don’t face the same tax filing or liability from their home countries. The United States is unique in that its citizens are liable for US tax on non-US sourced income. The US tax code is completely unique and out of step with the tax system experienced in the rest of the world, which makes it difficult for Americans abroad to remain in compliance with their US tax filing obligations, but not impossible.

On top of this, the IRS makes it difficult for Americans abroad to remain compliant with their tax filing obligation for many reasons, but one of them is that online tax preparation software options aren’t American abroad friendly, hence why remaining in compliance with the IRS is so challenging for many. This article attempts to review the online US tax preparation software options for Americans abroad in 2023. I will try to clarify the options available in the market including free, low cost, and paid options.

A guest post originally published here.

One of the things I hear from Americans abroad all the time is that they feel very alone and lost when they discover that they’re supposed to be filing a US tax return. The part of the IRS website for international taxpayers is difficult to find and understand, especially for someone that’s new to filing US taxes from outside the US, has lived abroad for a long time, or never lived in the US at all. The US State Department pulled Tax Attaches from Embassies around the world in 2013 due to lack of funding. I’ve heard anecdotally that some embassies will tell you about your tax filing obligation when you renew your passport, but other embassies don’t say anything. It’s clear there’s no consistent message going out from the embassies, if there’s any messaging at all.

Depending on what country and where you live in the world, there might be a local American club in bigger cities to converse with fellow Americans (and most people aren’t there to talk about taxes!) but for people living in remote villages or in the countryside, it’s rare to encounter other Americans or have anyone to talk to or seek help from for fulfilling their complicated US tax filing obligation. So, more often than not, Americans abroad turn to online communities to connect and seek answers to the labyrinth that is US taxes for Americans abroad. This article attempts to summarize the online communities on Reddit and Facebook available for local accountant recommendations, help with filing, and other issues relevant to an American abroad and dual citizens’ US tax obligations.

A guest post originally published here.

As the international member of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP) I am frequently contacted by international taxpayers requesting information on how to contact the IRS to ask questions or to resolve an issue. Most issues with the IRS can and should easily be resolved with a phone call. This article attempts to explain how taxpayers with a U.S. tax obligation can best go about contacting the IRS by phone from outside the U.S.

How the IRS Communicates with Taxpayers

It’s first useful to review how the IRS will not communicate with you.

The IRS will never contact you by:

• e-mail
• social media
• text message

The IRS can contact you by:

• mail
• phone
• fax

For people living internationally, the most common form of contact from the IRS is by regular mail. Generally, the IRS will send you several letters in the mail about the same issue. However, mail is not always a reliable source of communication for people living outside the U.S. and so one of the most frequent complaints I hear is that people don’t receive a letter that the IRS said was sent to the taxpayer. It is frequent for letters to get lost or are delivered after a deadline the IRS is asking the international taxpayer to meet in the letter itself.

It is unfortunate that the IRS has not improved its technology infrastructure to support e-mail or video calling customer support for international taxpayers, because these are much more reliable and more frequently used methods of communication for people living internationally these days. The good news is that the IRS is looking at options and trialing e-mail and online customer service options, but there isn’t a set date for when these communication options will be made available. In the meantime, we have to rely on current methods of communication with the IRS.

Taxpayers can contact the IRS by 3 different means:

• phone
• mail
• fax

It was highlighted in the 2022 National Taxpayer Advocate’s Most Serious Problems report that “Unlike domestic taxpayers who have access to a variety of toll-free lines, the IRS provides one telephone line for taxpayers outside of the United States, and it is not toll-free.”

I have received reports from international taxpayers who have tried to call the International Taxpayer Service Call Center who were unable to get through only to be hung up on or cut off after waiting on hold for hours. Keep in mind though that this feedback is consistent with feedback about calling the IRS in general, not just with people calling internationally, so it’s not an issue specific to international callers but it does exacerbate the problems people internationally experience with communicating with the IRS. Making calls to the IRS from outside the United States can be costly for people and so the following tips will hopefully reduce your costs and wait time if you need to call the IRS.

We need your help this week. You can really make a difference!

Step 1: Find your two Senators’ and one Representative’s phone numbers

• Click here and search for your last US address or your US voting address, or your parents last US address if you have never lived in the US.
• Grab the Washington D.C. phone numbers (area code 202) for all three members.

Step 2: Call their offices!

• Call first, in order to identify the correct person to send your email to.
• When receptionist answers, read the following script:

Hi, my name is [name], I am a constituent and I would like to send a copy of a recently released report on tax problems for Americans abroad to the person in charge of tax on the Congress[wo/man]'s legislative team. This is an issue that matters to me since I live abroad in [country]. Could you tell me his or her email address so I can send a copy of the report?

• Call during Washington D.C. office hours (9am to 5pm ET, weekdays) to increase your chances of success.
• Do not leave voicemail. After three unsuccessful attempts, email us at [email protected] and we'll see if we can help.
• Call your House representative first if you don’t have time for all three.
• Minimum credit (usually about $5) can get you connected through any internet device to reduce costs if you cannot make an international call.

Step 3: Send a separate email to each Member’s tax staff

If you do not receive a reply within 24 hours, send a follow-up email.

• Ask for confirmation that they received your email for their records (1-2 minutes of your time).
• Message them on their social media platforms to help bump your email up to the top of their inbox.
• If the Congressional staff requests additional information or wants to speak to you about the report but you're not confident in doing this, reply that writers of the report will be happy to speak with them (forward us the email and then we'll advise you on next steps)
• If you receive any reply, please forward it to [email protected] so we know how the member's office responds.

Thank you so much for helping us with this very important work.

• If you have any questions on this action, please email us at [email protected].
• Feel free to share this webpage with anyone you think is interested in helping fix the tax problems for Americans abroad!

On Friday, December 30, 2022, the IRS issued Notice 2023-11, which provides temporary relief from the FATCA reporting rules for non-U.S. banks (known as FFIs, “foreign financial institutions”) in about 90 countries (known as Model 1 Jurisdictions). The notice specifically provides relief for reporting of U.S. TINs (Social Security or ITIN numbers) for 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Democrats Abroad is encouraged by the recognition by Treasury and the IRS that modifications to the FATCA-reporting regime are necessary. Although temporary relief for non-U.S. banks is a positive step, the temporary relief is provided to FFIs rather than directly to Americans abroad. We would prefer permanent relief that resolves the core problem caused by FATCA: loss of access to non-U.S. bank accounts for Americans abroad.

In 2022 the Democrats Abroad Taxation Task Force met with IRS and Treasury officials to raise awareness of the ongoing tax and financial-access issues experienced by our constituency. We are pleased to see some of our views are recognized in this IRS notice. We look forward to an ongoing productive dialogue with these government agencies and Congress in order to resolve the tax and financial-access issues that severely impact the daily lives of Americans abroad.

Highlights from the notice that are relevant to Americans abroad include:

• Treasury and the IRS acknowledge that foreign countries, non-U.S. banks, and U.S. citizens (including for Americans living abroad) are concerned about account closures when a U.S. TIN has not been provided.
• Treasury and the IRS acknowledge notification that some non-U.S. banks are refusing to open or maintain accounts for Americans abroad, or are “otherwise providing access to accounts on less favorable terms than apply to other account holders, even if the U.S. citizen provides a U.S. TIN.”
• One of the requirements for FFIs to receive relief is for the relevant country to encourage its banks not to discriminate against Americans abroad who do provide a U.S. TIN.
• Even though Americans abroad and FFIs had up to 6 years to provide U.S. TINs for FATCA reporting, TINs were still not provided.
• Relief to FFIs is limited to reporting on accounts opened before a certain date and is conditional upon the bank providing U.S.-citizen customers with information on how to come into tax compliance and/or renounce citizenship.
• Relief also obliges banks to take steps to encourage tax compliance by U.S. citizens like providing links to the IRS and U.S. State Department’s websites.

Announcing the release of the 2022 report on tax and financial access issues for Americans abroad!

Click here to read the report

Share the report with your Members of Congress

Thank you to all that participated in the tax survey earlier this year! This report is a summary of what you shared about your tax and financial access issues. Overall, your feedback confirmed the compounding effect of tax discrimination, unintended consequences, and banking rules and regulations impose a substantial burden on Americans abroad.

We encourage you to read the report and share it with your Members of Congress, who are the ones with the power to change the tax laws.

A BIG thank you to the 40+ volunteers who contributed both big and small to this report. This report is nearly 2 years in the making, and we're very excited that it's now publicly available for all to read. Our hope is that this report will be an effective advocacy tool for the upcoming 118th Congress, and we look forward to engaging in productive conversations with Congress in 2023 to further our advocacy efforts for tax reform.

Please send any questions or feedback on the report to [email protected]

A 2022 Update on Tax and Financial Access Issues of Americans Abroad
ONCE UNCOMFORTABLE, NOW SUFFOCATING

The Tax Survey of Americans Abroad was open for responses in April 2022. It was designed to collect up-to-date information on how Americans living outside the U.S. experience U.S. taxation and financial access. The report analyzed the survey responses and presents our findings.

Report one page summary (pdf)

2 page executive summary (pdf)

Download the full report (pdf)

View interactive data graphics here (website)

The 3 most important things you can do to help resolve the tax problems for Americans abroad

1. Share this report with your Members of Congress. Click here for instructions on how to do this.
2. Join Democrats Abroad, it's free! Click here to sign up now.
3. Donate to Democrats Abroad to help us get out the vote and support our tax advocacy work. Click here to donate now.

Have you been impacted by Americans abroad tax and financial access issues and you'd like help?

We want to hear your stories. Click here to tell us about the problems you've experienced. We especially want to hear from you if you've experienced any of the following problems:

• Were unfairly double taxed on your income
• Had a bank account closed on you for being a U.S. citizen in your country of residence
• Refused to open or had a bank account closed in the U.S. due to not having a U.S. address
• Asked to return the 2021 Child Tax Credit
• Have been hit by the GILTI tax and/or Transition tax as a business owner

Want to get involved?

• Sign up for the tax mailing list to stay up to date. Click here to join.
• Donate to Democrats Abroad to help us get out the vote and support our tax advocacy work. Click here to donate now.
• Volunteer to join the Taxation Task Force, we need more people like you to help! Click here to find out more.

Looking for more information?

• Check out the Taxation Task Force website and mission here.
• Read the Taxation Task Force blog here.
• Read the Taxation Task Force library here.
• Find an upcoming tax event near you here.

Your help is needed this week! Contact your Members of Congress and ask them to read the 2022 Update on Tax and Financial Access Issues of Americans Abroad. This report is based on the 7,000 Americans abroad who filled in the tax survey in April this year, so this is helping your voice be heard in Congress! Now that the report is available, your help is needed to make sure that all Members of Congress are made aware of it and receive a copy.

This action will only take *20 minutes* and will greatly help us advance our advocacy goals!

Click here to watch a quick video on how to participate in this campaign to help you save time.

Follow these 3 Steps -

1. Find your 2 Senators and 1 House Representative's Washington D.C. office phone numbers

• Click here and search for the last address you lived at in the U.S. or your U.S. voting address (if you've never lived in the U.S., use the last address your American parent(s) lived).
• The page should list the Washington D.C. phone numbers for all three of your Members of Congress (they will start with area code 202).

2. **CALL** their offices

We want you to call, not email, because calling is generally more effective than emailing to get the correct name.

• When the receptionist answers the phone read the following script:

Hi, my name is [insert your name here], I am a constituent and I would like to send a copy of a recently released report on tax problems for Americans abroad to the person in charge of tax on the Congress[wo/man]'s legislative team. This is an issue that matters to me since I live abroad in [country]. Do you know who would be the best person to send a copy of the report to?

Tips:

• If you don't have a usual method of calling the US, we recommend adding the minimum credit (usually about $5) to a Skype account so you can call through any device connected to the Internet. This will greatly reduce your costs to make an international call.
• You'll need to call during Washington D.C. office hours to increase the chances of you getting a person to answer the phone, between 9am to 5pm ET on weekdays.
• The person on the phone should then give you the email address for the correct person of staff in charge of tax legislation.
• If when you call, the phone goes to voicemail or no one answers, try again another time, don't leave a voicemail. If you call up to 3 different times and you don't have any luck email us on [email protected] and we'll see if we can help.
• If you don't have time to call all 3 and you only want to make 1 call, then call your House representative.

3. Now send 3 separate emails!

• Copy, paste, and customize the following email (send the same email to each Member of Congress, do not just send one email to all 3).
• And attach to each email the one page summary and report here.

To: Tax staff email
Cc: [email protected] (this is very important, don't forget to cc us so that we know that you contacted your reps! This helps us track who contacted whom.)

Dear [Tax staff's first and last name],

My name is [your name], I am a proud constituent living in [city and country you live in].

[Please add your own personal story about how you've been impacted by tax and financial access issues. The more personal, the better.]

Solutions to these issues of concern to the estimated nine million(!) Americans abroad are non-controversial and bipartisan. With the 118th Congress just around the corner, fixing these problems could garner bipartisan support.

Please find attached a one pager and copy of a recently released report on Americans abroad tax and financial access issues. Can you please add this report to your records? Can you also include this in the briefing material for the Congress[wo/man] for the next Congress?

Thanks,

[Your name]

If you do not receive a reply in 24 hours, send a follow-up email asking for them to confirm that they received your email for their records (which will only take 1-2 minutes of your time):

• If the Congressional staff requests additional information or wants to do a call with you about the report but you're not confident in doing this, reply and cc in [email protected] and say that someone in Democrats Abroad will be happy to speak with them.
• If you receive any reply, please forward it to [email protected] so Democrats Abroad knows how the member's office responds to your request.
• Don't be afraid to message them on all their social media platforms to ask if they saw your email too - offices are very busy and get hundreds of emails a day so this helps bump your email up to the top of their inbox.
• If you can't send an attachment to your email, use these links to share the report:
  • For the report: https://www.democratsabroad.org/taxreportpdf
  • And for the one pager: https://www.democratsabroad.org/taxreportonepagerpdf

Click here to watch a quick video on how to participate in this campaign to help you save time!

That's it! Thank you so much for helping us with this very important work. If you have any questions on this action, please email us at [email protected].

Feel free to share this website page with anyone you think is interested in helping fix the tax problems for Americans abroad!

About the Indiana 2nd Congressional District

The Indiana 2nd District House election is on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, along with other important elections for the Midterms this year. Due to redistricting, the new Indiana 2nd district boundaries include part of Randolph and Kosciusko counties and all of LaGrange, Steuben, Noble, DeKalb, Whitley, Allen, Huntington, Wells, Adams, Blackford, and Jay counties. Click here to see a detailed map to see if you're an Indiana 2nd district voter. Every vote from abroad matters! The more of us that vote, the more Congress will prioritize Americans abroad issues. This is why it's so important for everyone living abroad to vote. To read more about this race click here.

Paul Steury

Once elected, will you:

Join the Congressional Americans Abroad Caucus?

Yes

Co-sign these bills that will help Americans abroad?

• H.R.5799 - Overseas Americans Financial Access Act

Yes

• H.R.5800 - Commission on Americans Living Abroad Act of 2021

Yes

• H.R.6057 - Tax Simplification for Americans Abroad Act

Yes

• H.R.5723 - Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust

Yes

Medicare portability: Would you support a pilot program allowing Americans currently receiving all or the majority of their Medicare benefits in the US to have the option of receiving these benefits overseas?

Yes

Residency-based taxation (RBT): A majority of Americans abroad are working and middle class but are subject to excessively complex filing requirements and tax treatment more punitive than if we lived in the US. We suffer from unfair and outdated stereotypes that we are moving abroad to evade paying US taxes, when research confirms that most Americans move abroad to marry a non-US spouse or for work. Would you support adjustments to the tax code that align tax residency with physical residency, provided that they are resilient against abuse and are beneficial to the Internal Revenue Service? Such a change is commonly known and used in the rest of the world as “residency-based taxation.”

Yes

Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR): The reporting threshold of $10,000 has not been adjusted for inflation since its introduction in the 1970s. Would you support creating a higher reporting threshold for Americans living abroad and indexing the reporting threshold for inflation?

Yes

Global Intangible Low-taxed Income (GILTI) & Repatriation: Will you support an exemption for small American business owners from the erroneous filing and double taxation from the GILTI tax and retrospective relief from the repatriation tax?

Yes

Overall: Will you keep Americans abroad in mind when passing all legislation to ensure no further unintended consequences negatively impact Americans living outside the United States?

Yes