The U.S. State Department, which last year jumped the fee for giving up U.S. citizenship from $460 to $2350, has now said it will drop it back to $450 after protests and a lawsuit that is pending in Federal court in Washington, DC.
While there may be some individuals who want to renounce citizenship for political reasons, it is mostly done by ‘Accidental Americans,’ born in the US and therefore American citizens, even though they have little or no connection to the U.S. and are citizens of their parents’ countries.
There is even an Accidental Americans group that is behind the lawsuit. People in the category face a double financial bind: The U.S. is one of the few countries that tax the earnings of citizens no matter where they work and live, and the complications of financial laws also make it difficult for them to open bank accounts in the countries where they actually live.
Photo: Demonstration in Paris by Accidental Americans association
