The Voice of Americans Overseas
ACA is the premier advocacy organization for Americans overseas
FATCA
What is it and how might it impact me?
Taxation
US tax legislation its complicated, burdensome, unfair and makes Americans uncompetitive
Banking
US legislation is resulting in denial of financial services to Americans residing overseas
Citizenship
All Americans should have the right to transmit US citizenship to their children
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ACA Writes to Congressional Panel on Tax Abuse
ACA has written to the Congressional Panel Investigating recent IRS abuse about the 2009 Overseas Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) and the targeting of Americans overseas for penalties who were simply ignorant of their filing responsibilities and were not hiding assets or involved in criminal tax evasion. Many of these benign actors were assessed criminal tax evasion penalties for simply having forgotten to report accounts on annual FBARs. This when the IRS had discretion to review cases and determine those who were acting willfully and non-willfully. The ACA Press Release is here as well as a copy of the letter to the Congressional Panel. Read more...
(4 June 2013)
Latest Updates
RBT on the Table in Washington
Residency-based taxation (RBT) for overseas Americans is "on the table." ACA has been working for over 18 months (as of May 2013), meeting with legislators and key offices in Washington, DC -- Senate Finance, Ways & Means, Joint Committee on Taxation. Our efforts have paid off. Residency-based taxation has been cited in two key reports. The first is the Joint Committee of Taxation report summarizing submissions sent to the Ways & Means Working Groups on Tax Reform. The second report is one in a series of white papers by the Senate Finance Committee, this one discussing International Competitiveness. Read more...
Meanwhile, Americans abroad can contribute to the on-going tax debate by submitting their input to the bipartisan taxreform.gov website. Read more...
Being Heard as Overseas Americans
House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) have launched a new website and Twitter handle asking for comments on tax reform. The new site – taxreform.gov – and Twitter handle, @simplertaxes, gives the average taxpayer input into the tax reform process and allows them to send their input, talk about their concerns and tell their stories. This opens another avenue for Americans living overseas to be heard in Washington, so use it today! More...
FATCA to be Discussed in the Senate
ACA is pleased to see that legislators in Washington are becoming aware of the very damaging and destructive Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) passed in 2010. ACA fully supports the US government's efforts to combat tax evasion. However, ACA believes that the FATCA legislation has gone too far and elements of the legislation are seriously damaging the US economy and the lives of Americans working overseas. Read more...
ACA Town Hall seminar on US taxes (May 2013)
Power point presentations:
PDF version of all four presentations
“Quiet Disclosures” – The Jig is Up?
Certain findings and recommendations by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) about offshore tax evasion and the IRS efforts to combat it have many taxpayers worried. This article by ACA Country Contact Virginia La Torre Jeker points out potential problems with so-called "Quiet Disclosures" of past due tax obligations. Read more...
Supporting the Presidential Commission on Americans Living Abroad Act (H.R. 597)
Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (pictured) of New York introduced H.R. 597 which proposes the establishment of a Presidential Commission to study how Federal laws and policies affect United States citizens living abroad. Help support this legislation and Carolyn Maloney’s efforts to put focus on the concerns and interests of Americans living and working overseas.
Learn more about how you can support H.R. 597.