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Comment by elgatonegro | Hacker News Reader

If you become a US citizen you have to file yearly IRS tax returns, calculate and pay taxes. There is no getting around this, it does not matter where you live.

The US has bilateral tax agreements with certain countries to avoid double taxation. So if you happen to be in one of these countries, you will normally pay taxes to your host country and if those are greater than the taxes owed to the US (which in many cases they will be), your US tax will be zero. You still have to file the US tax return and you still need to pay taxes on income derived in the US (such as dividends and interest) as that can not be eliminated by foreign taxes.

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Good reply. This is a cost of US citizenship and you are not forced to acquire citizenship. You could get permanent residency. I had to make this choice and chose citizenship 15 years ago. It’s a hell of a thing swearing that you’ll bear arms to defend a country you weren’t born in.

I have had many occasions to feel glad that I did. From military base tours to easier to entry/exit to Canada to buying a house or getting a loan. It generally makes paperwork much easier in this country and opens up a few doors.

If you think the tax filing requirement is a big deal, consider the restrictions and obligations that other countries have. Compulsory military service, restrictions on moving money, etc.

Not exactly a big deal I just did not think it was feasible but the exclusion is reasonable.

Kind of off point but I actually do have a compulsory military service in my country of birth as well.

Well I have another good news for you: Permanent residents still have to pay the IRS the same way citizens do even if they left or to renounce their green card.

Not only do you have to file tax returns, but you’ll get no help in doing it since you aren’t going to be issued W2s. At least you can e-file now, but doing taxes abroad is much harder than doing them here.

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