When did the US start taxing citizens abroad?
In 1864, Congress moved to citizenship-based taxation and passed a new law which taxed non-resident citizens on their non-U.S. income as well. The tax, both for residents and non-residents, was only in effect until 1872.
Why Do You Have to Pay Taxes If You Live Abroad? US taxes are based on citizenship rather than residence. This means that citizens are taxed by the IRS even if they live in another country. The only way to avoid this requirement is to renounce your citizenship, which can be a costly choice and is rarely wise.
1862 - President Lincoln signed into law a revenue-raising measure to help pay for Civil War expenses. The measure created a Commissioner of Internal Revenue and the nation's first income tax. It levied a 3 percent tax on incomes between $600 and $10,000 and a 5 percent tax on incomes of more than $10,000.
In response, Congress enacted the first iteration of the current U.S. exit tax with the passage of the Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax (HEART) Act, P.L. 110-245, in 2008.
Yes, if you are a U.S. citizen or a resident alien living outside the United States, your worldwide income is subject to U.S. income tax, regardless of where you live. However, you may qualify for certain foreign earned income exclusions and/or foreign income tax credits.
The US is one of the few countries in the world that taxes citizens regardless of where they live and work. Because of this, when a US citizen moves to another country with an income tax, they will have to report their income to both governments and face double taxation. This applies to “accidental Americans” as well.
- Mexico – 899,311 United States-born residents of Mexico (2017)
- European Union – 800,000 (2013; all EU countries combined)
- Canada – 738,203 (2011)
- India – 700,000 according to a press release from the White House on 12/06/2017.
- Philippines – 600,000 (2015)
- Germany – 400,000 (2020)
- Brazil – 260,000.
- Israel – 185,000.
Parliament passed the Stamp Act on March 22, 1765, to pay down a national debt approaching £140,000,000 after defeating France in the Seven Years War (1763). A year earlier, Parliament passed the Sugar Act, their first revenue-raising measure.
Furthermore, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the income tax laws enacted subsequent to ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment in Brushaber v. Union Pacific R.R., 240 U.S. 1 (1916). Since that time, the courts have consistently upheld the constitutionality of the federal income tax.
The top income tax rate reached above 90% from 1944 through 1963, peaking in 1944, when top taxpayers paid an income tax rate of 94% on their taxable income. Starting in 1964, a period of income tax rate decline began, ending in 1987.
Is an expat still a US citizen?
A Certificate of Loss of Nationality is prepared by the diplomatic or consular officer and submitted to the Department of State. Unless and until the Department of State approves the expatriation, the expat will remain a U.S. citizen, and will be subject to U.S. tax on worldwide assets.
History. Property taxes in the United States originated during colonial times. By 1796, state and local governments in fourteen of the fifteen states taxed land, but only four taxed inventory (stock in trade). Delaware did not tax property, but rather the income from it.

The current fee for renouncing US citizenship is $2,350, which must be paid at the time of your renunciation appointment at a US embassy or consulate.
Living abroad doesn't exempt U.S. citizens from their tax obligations to the U.S. government. Here's what you need to know about handling income earned abroad. File using Form 1040. U.S. citizens living aboard must report all worldwide income, including income earned abroad.
In most cases, expatriation tax is assessed upon change of domicile or habitual residence; in the United States, which is one of only three countries (Eritrea and Myanmar are the others) to substantively tax its overseas citizens, the tax is applied upon relinquishment of American citizenship, on top of all taxes ...
Limit on excludable amount
The maximum foreign earned income exclusion amount is adjusted annually for inflation. For tax year 2023, the maximum foreign earned income exclusion is the lesser of the foreign income earned or $120,000 per qualifying person. For tax year 2024, the maximum exclusion is $126,500 per person.
If you are a U.S. citizen or resident living or traveling outside the United States, you generally are required to file income tax returns, estate tax returns, and gift tax returns and pay estimated tax in the same way as those residing in the United States.
The exit tax, also known as the expatriation tax, is a provision under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 877A, which aims to tax certain individuals who decide to give up their US citizenship or green card status.
The United States ranked 32nd¹ out of 38 OECD countries in terms of the tax-to-GDP ratio in 2023. In 2023, the United States had a tax-to-GDP ratio of 25.2% compared with the OECD average of 33.9%. In 2022, the United States was ranked 31st out of the 38 OECD countries in terms of the tax-to-GDP ratio.
Canada is one of the easiest countries for Americans to move to with plenty of immigration pathways for skilled workers and those with close family ties. As the closest neighbour to the US, there are more opportunities for cross-border employment from US-based companies, making transfer a possibility.
How many US citizens have never left the country?
Roughly three-quarters of Americans (76%) have visited at least one other country, including 26% who have been to five or more. About a quarter (23%) have not traveled internationally, though most in this group say they would if they had the opportunity.
Most Americans moving abroad look north to Canada or across the Atlantic to Europe, where popular destinations include Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, and Spain, according to Henley & Partners.
The financial requirements of the Civil War prompted the first American income tax in 1861. At first, Congress placed a flat 3-percent tax on all incomes over $800 and later modified this principle to include a graduated tax. Congress repealed the income tax in 1872, but the concept did not disappear.
The four acts were the Boston Port Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, and the Quartering Act. The Quebec Act of 1774 is sometimes included as one of the Coercive Acts, although it was not related to the Boston Tea Party.
The Sugar Act 1764 was repealed in 1766 and replaced with the Revenue Act 1766, which reduced the tax to one penny per gallon on molasses imports, British or foreign. This occurred around the same time that the Stamp Act 1765 was repealed.