Introduction
.@SenateFinance @SenWhitehouse – please educate yourselves on the harmful effects of #FATCA by reading the submissions by the Democrats Abroad Taxation Task Force. https://t.co/s54uGoQQ2X
We're not FATCATs – we're just average American citizens living abroad.#RBT not #CBT https://t.co/2oqFpj3xKu
— Democrats Abroad Belgium (@demsabroadbe) May 24, 2021
The discussion of tax reform for Americans abroad is increasing in intensity. Whether through amendments to the Internal Revenue Code or a “Regulatory Fix To Citizenship-based Taxation“, Americans abroad are in desperate need of change. The US tax system as it impacts Americans abroad is forcing renunciations of US citizenship.
The language in the discussion for change reflects a desire (on the part of individuals and organizations) to move from the US system of “citizenship-based taxation” to a system of “residence-based taxation”. Various individuals and groups describe the goal using the language of “residence-based taxation” AKA RBT. It would be a mistake to assume that RBT means the same thing to different people. The purpose of this post is to describe definitions of RBT and and how those definitions may be defined for different individuals or groups.