December 21, 2017

Rep. Dina Titus Supports Americans Abroad Tax Reform


Democrats Abroad is honored to have received the support of Rep. Dina Titus in our fight for fair taxes for Americans abroad. Remarks by Rep. Titus, placed December 19th in the Congressional Record, demonstrate her strong opposition to the Republican Tax Bill H.R. 1 and note the harm it will cause the majority of her constituents.

Notably, Rep Titus advocates not only for her constituents at home, but those abroad as well. She states: "...the Republican tax bill callously demonstrates a lack of concern for the average American that has been left largely out of the conversation [...] the taxation of our citizens living abroad."

"It is discouraging that the tax-writing committees would rather prioritize tax cuts on the foreign income of U.S. corporations than provide assistance to individual citizens abroad with tax reform."

We gratefully applaud Rep Titus for her advocacy and attention to a matter which is of serious concern for the nine million Americans who live outside the United States. Democrats Abroad continues to fight for fair treatment of Americans abroad and tax reform that benefits the 99% over the 1%.

----Complete Remarks----

MILLIONS OF AMERICANS NEGLECTED UNDER TAX BILL

______

HON. DINA TITUS

of nevada

in the house of representatives

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 1, the Republican tax scam. I voted against this bill a few weeks ago and again when it was brought before the House on December 19.

This bill was crafted behind closed doors, without regular order, and without thorough public input. The result is legislation that would dismantle our health care system, add significant complexity to the tax code, and harm my district's seniors, students, and virtually every middle-class family.

Many of my constituents suffered great economic hardship and are just beginning to recover from the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. This tax bill is not a way to bolster the recovery effort; it is a red herring that relies on the myth of trickle-down economics in order to give top earners more breaks.

Another way the Republican tax bill callously demonstrates a lack of concern for the average American that has been left largely out of the conversation, is the taxation of our citizens living abroad. I often hear from my overseas constituents and American expats I meet around the world about the burdens they face with the American citizenship- based taxation system. Like my constituents in Las Vegas, many of our citizens residing overseas are teachers, small business owners, and middle-class and working families who would be excluded from the benefits of the tax bill. They discuss being dually taxed under the current system: first by the local tax authority where they currently reside and again by the United States. This is a legitimate problem and unfair for the roughly 9 million Americans living abroad. No other developed nation has such a system.

As a member of the Americans Abroad Caucus, I have continued to support taking action so that U.S. citizens living abroad are not left with the choice of being drained of savings or having to renounce their citizenship due to unfair double taxation. Unfortunately, Congress has neglected to help this minority constituency for far too long. It is discouraging that the tax-writing committees would rather prioritize tax cuts on the foreign income of U.S. corporations than provide assistance to individual citizens abroad with tax reform.

I condemn my colleagues who voted for the tax scam conference report that will shift money from hard working families in Nevada and around the globe to the wealthiest in the nation.