Welcome!
Welcome to the launch of Republicans Overseas’ new website. We look forward to providing you with news about our activities to repeal FATCA and to replace citizenship based taxation with territorial taxation, and we hope that you will return often to stay informed and to share your opinions with us.
While Republicans Overseas is not a new organization, it may be new to you. So let me take the opportunity of this website launch to introduce ourselves.
Republicans Overseas (RO) is a political organization designed to represent and advocate the unique concerns of overseas Americans. RO is also a product of smart political entrepreneurship and good political strategy. In 2013, a group of prominent Republican National Committee (RNC) leaders recognized that the nine million Americans working and living abroad had no representation at the RNC level. In order to address this lack of representation and to provide a global home for Americans who share core Republican values, those committed RNC leaders founded Republicans Overseas.
In the past three years, Republicans Overseas has focused on two issues that severely affect overseas Americans: FATCA/FBAR reporting and citizenship based taxation. We have been fighting to eliminate FATCA and FBAR through a combination of judicial and legislative actions, while working closely with the House Ways and Means Committee to develop a comprehensive plan for territorial taxation.
On the judicial front, Republicans Overseas sued the IRS on behalf of all overseas Americans over FATCA’s eight-count constitutional violations. FATCA not only violates overseas Americans’ privacy rights, but it also deprives overseas Americans of their constitutionally guaranteed protections such as probable cause, the use of search warrants to gather sensitive personal information, the presumption of innocence, due process, and the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment.
On the legislative side, Republicans Overseas has coordinated ‘repeal FATCA’ legislation introduced into the House by Congressman Mark Meadows and into the Senate by Senator Rand Paul . RO has also helped to find witnesses to testify at the House committee hearings on FATCA’s constitutionality.
To replace citizenship based taxation for overseas Americans, Republicans Overseas developed and submitted a proposal on Territorial Taxation for Individuals to the House Ways and Means committee to be included in President Trump’s tax reform package. It is consistent with President Trump’s Executive Order (d) to “enable American companies to be competitive with foreign firms in domestic and foreign markets.”
Our Territorial Taxation for Individuals proposal will enhance American firms’ competitiveness in foreign markets by reducing the cost of expatriate American employees, thus allowing companies to hire more American professionals and managers to work overseas. Overseas Americans are the most effective advocates for and exporters of American-made goods and services, and increases in American exports will create more jobs within the U.S.
Along with strong issue advocacy, Republicans Overseas also gives a voice within the Republican Party to Americans living abroad. RO chapter leaders and other Ambassador and Advisory Committee level members can attend RNC meetings throughout the year, and the RO Worldwide President provides updates at the RNC Conservative Steering Committee meetings.
RO officers have been the chief sponsors of three RNC resolutions that directly address the concerns of overseas Americans: the resolution to repeal FATCA, the resolution to replace citizenship based taxation with residency based taxation (now ‘territorial taxation’), and the resolution to oppose OECD Global FATCA Common Reporting Standards. The 2016 GOP Platform included the RNC resolution opposing FATCA and promoted the switch to territorial taxation for individuals.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, RO arranged teleconferences with several of the Republican presidential candidates, including Senators Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio. These teleconferences included short speeches by the candidates, followed by open Q&A sessions.
Looking forward, the mission of Republicans Overseas is to inspire the nine million Americans living overseas to engage more fully in the U.S. political process through the provision of briefings, policy research and advocacy. We will continue to fight for overseas Americans’ constitutional rights by working to repeal FATCA and FBAR and to implement Territorial Taxation for Individuals. We will also support efforts to get out the vote and to protect our majorities in the House and Senate.
Will you join us in fighting for overseas Americans’ rights? Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed and become a member of RO to support our advocacy efforts.
We look forward to an exciting 2017 for Republicans Overseas and hope that you will be a part of it.
Bruce Ash
Chairman