Law Commons^™

Changing U.S. Tax Jurisdiction: Expatriates, Immigrants, And The Need For A Coherent Tax Policy, Jeffrey M. Colon

Faculty Scholarship

One of the most contentious tax legislative battles of the 104th Congress erupted over the Clinton administration's proposal to amend the U.S. tax rules applicable to expatriates. The administration proposed taxing the abandonment of either U.S. citizenship or long-term U.S. tax residency. The administration's proposal responded to a number of articles in the popular press that described the U.S. tax benefits of expatriation and divulged the names of well-heeled expatriates. Proponents claimed that Congress needed to revise the taxation of expatriates to prevent "billionaire Benedict Arnolds" from avoiding "their fair share" of U.S. income taxes. Opponents argued that the Clinton …