9 thoughts on “It’s BACK: Passport REVOCATION!!!”

1. Except for entry into the US, for dual citizens a bloody ineffective tool for the USG. As long you hold a good visa waiver passport, you’re good despite this jerk Senator’s assault on ex-pats.

2. The right to leave and return to one’s country is considered by many rights codes as a necessary and fundamental human freedom. Revocation of a passport reduces one’s mobility rights to a farce. In fact, passports make mobility rights a joke. It is a boiled frog approach. First tell people they need passports–which violates their mobility rights. Then tell them if they don’t pay their taxes the passport can be revoked.

3. A friend of mine became a Canadian citizen and had his mobility rights revoked for nearly a week. He was told that he couldn’t even apply for a passport for two business days, while they uploaded his information to the system–and then it takes another 24 hours. Unfortunately, it was the weekend. Needless to say, he wasn’t counting on this delay and had to cancel his travel plans.

4. @ brockers… well this takes me back to the 2012 highways bill-relevant section deleted at some point in the legislative process- which just goes to show that a good congressional C******f*** is never wasted-only recycled !!!

5. WTF purpose is this supposed to serve, anyway?
   Does Wyden actually think people are using their passports to somehow avoid paying taxes?
   Like by becoming international fugitives or something?

   Show me the numbers. I smell BS.

6. Some people might not resist the temptation to join the millions of offshore tax evaders, aka everyday people living everyday lives in other countries.

7. Puhleeze, just cut right to the chase and actually make a lot of people a lot happier.

   WHAT DO WE WANT?

   We do not want passport revocation, WE WANT CITIZENSHIP REVOCATION!!!!!!

   Throw us into THAT tar patch.

   If you swear allegiance to HM QE II that should be it, no more blue book.

   Vote in a “foreign” election, loose the blue book!!

   The Supreme Court had it all wrong!!

   It is a fundamental human right to not simply get rid of an unwanted nationality but it is a fundimental right to discard that nationality.

   IF ANYTHING, you should have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it was your intent to keep it!!

8. http://americansabroad.org/issues/taxation/no-passport-revocation-if-you-owe-tax/
   It appears that for NOW, this is dead, (though like a zombie and other punitive issues that US politicians enact to pose special draconian jeopardy to those deemed US taxable, it is possible that it will get resurrected to haunt us again) see:

   ‘No passport revocation if you owe tax’
   “ACA, Inc. is relieved that a planned proposal for revoking US passports for those who owed back taxes is no longer part of the “Highways Act of 2014.”

   Read the July 21, 2014 letter that ACA, Inc. sent to the House and Senate committees:
   http://americansabroad.org/issues/taxation/no-passport-revocation-if-you-owe-tax/

9. Dead for now, but will it recur? The gravity of the punitive action if this type of legislation goes through is well stated by ACA:

   …Under such a passport revocation provision, any of the aforementioned could result in the denial of what for many Americans is their only U.S. identification document.

   The law is clear that all Americans are obligated to pay US taxes irrespective of where they live and work. These filings are complex, are often made without immediate access to pertinent information when made by Americans living and working overseas. When disagreements arise as to the determination of the tax due, negotiations and litigation between taxpayers and the IRS can span months and even years. A provision such as that contemplated could block honest, taxpaying Americans living and traveling overseas, intending to comply with the law, from exercising their profession and could have catastrophic consequences for a person’s financial and physical safety.

   Take for example the numerous cases that ACA received from overseas Americans who, out of error or ignorance, had not filed FBAR reports and were assessed penalties in excess to $50,000 only later to have them reduced and/or eliminated through mitigation with the Taxpayer Advocate Service or directly between the IRS and the individual. Under the provision discussed, these individuals could have found themselves denied passports during the disputed period when in actual fact, they were eventually deemed not liable for any taxes or penalties or had their obligations much reduced.

   A passport is the sole identity document allowing Americans the right of free movement and travel, a universal right, expressed in the U.S. Constitution and in U.S. law. These rights form part of a basket of liberties which have been defended at the price of American blood. These human rights are considered sacred and immutable.