Audio By Carbonatix
A record number of people are giving up their US citizenship, new research published on Sunday found.
More than 5,800 Americans gave up their citizenship in the first six months of 2020 compared to the 2,072 Americans who renounced their citizenship in all of 2019, according to Bambridge Accountants, a New York-based firm specializing in US expat tax, UK expats, actors and other creatives in the US and the UK.
The firm said it examined public data, published by the US government every three months, of the names of all Americans who give up their citizenship.
"These are mainly people who already left the US and just decided they've had enough of everything," Alistair Bambridge, a partner at Bambridge Accountants, told CNN.
"What we've seen is people are over everything happening with President Donald Trump, how the coronavirus pandemic is being handled, and the political policies in the US at the moment."
While many people who renounced their citizenship complain of being unhappy with today's current political climate in the US, another reason for their decision is often taxes, according to Bambridge.
US citizens living abroad are still required to file tax returns every year, report their foreign bank accounts, investments, and pensions, he said.
While these citizens were able to claim the $1,200 stimulus checks and $500 for each child, for many, the annual US tax reporting "is just too much."
Americans who want to relinquish their citizenship must pay $2,350 and appear in person at the US embassy in their country if they are not in America.
Despite the risks that come with giving up a US citizenship, Bambridge predicts that the trend will only continue going up.
"A lot of people are waiting for the November election to see what's going to happen," he said.
"If President Trump is reelected, we believe there will be another wave of people who will decide to renounce their citizenship."
Latest Stories
-
Twelve killed as Polish bus veers off Hungarian motorway
48 minutes -
Building Ghana better: Why architects must be at the heart of national development
3 hours -
GMet warns of severe rainstorm across northern Ghana
4 hours -
Semenyo eyes bigger targets after breaking Yeboah’s Ghanaian Premier League record
4 hours -
Health Ministry reviews NDC manifesto commitments
5 hours -
Mfantsipim School @ 150 and Creech’s Mfantsipim Diaries: My First Shock
6 hours -
Labour backs proposed IPEC but demands full involvement in pay reforms
7 hours -
Ashaiman, parts of Accra to face a 15-hour power outage today
7 hours -
Mohammed Baantima Samba retains NPP Northern Regional chairmanship
8 hours -
Qatar denies capturing three Iranian pilots after downing fighter jets
8 hours -
Jeff Konadu Addo retains NPP Eastern Regional chairmanship
9 hours -
Peru cracks down on illegal gold mining in Amazon reserve with military show of force
10 hours -
NPP polls: Makafui Woanya re-elected as Volta Regional Chairman
10 hours -
NPP polls: List of newly elected NPP regional chairmen
10 hours -
Eleven killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, authorities say
10 hours