The Law That Makes U.S. Expats Toxic

[DFW]

24. First, the candidate has to acknowlegde we exist at all

I have heard no such noises from any of them.

I hate the paperwork, but pay others to do it. Curiously, the Germans allow me to deduct those costs, The Americans do not. I am in the worst case scenario on health care. Since my employer and payout is in Texas, I enjoy zero health insurance from the Germans despite my max tax bracket. I checked out a quote from the "private" insurers here, and they said €2500 a month. That's $33,000 a year!! So I stick with my American Blue Cross and hope they are willing to reimburse my medical expenses abroad (the answer is usually no). Germany's health care is fine, but I have to pay for everything out of pocket. My wife is German, but took early retirement at age 60, so I pay €400 a month for her health insurance until she hits 65, when German Medicare kicks in. I make a gross of way more than $40,000, but still have a family and a house to maintain, and the cost of living in Germany is expensive. House transaction taxes run about 6% total, cars are full boat at 19%. If I were to start draining my savings and cash in my IRA (tax paid in the USA, but the Germans want the other half if I cash it in). I could supplement the 9% left over for a few years, but then be penniless at age 69. Either the Germans stop acting like "Enteignung" is still standard policy, or the USA adopts residence-based taxation, or I'll have to move, which would break my wife's heart. My bet is that options 1 or 3 are far more likely to happen before we join the rest of the world. Luckily, Holland is only 120 km from here, and Switzerland less than an hour by air.

Most people haven't the slightest idea why we live where we do, or what it is that brought us where we are. And if they can't be bothered to ask, then to them we are just privileged whining rich people because we live someplace they have only read about, and think we are all on extended luxury vacations. Republicans don't have a monopoly on ignorance.