Write a letter

A recurring theme in our visits to Capitol Hill over the years is the feedback we receive from many offices saying that they need to receive letters from their constituents before they can help us with our issues. Even when they understand that there are roughly six million of us abroad and that we therefore represent, on average, 2% of their constituency, they often tell us that they need to actually hear from some of those 2% directly in order to act. This make perfect sense and is arguably a positive reflection on the system -- they want to take orders from the people who elect them, not from an association that may or may not have actual members from that district. So we need you to contact your Senators and your Representative.

Along the same lines, we are sometimes told that we need companies to contact the Representatives representing their districts and the Senators representing their states, since they often represent a lot of jobs back home. In particular, they need to help make the connection between tax policy and trade promotion by telling Congress that double taxation is impeding their ability to send their people overseas to compete effectively in foreign markets.

Whether the message is coming from an individual or a company, there are a few key points I would suggest including. First, ask them to support the Working American Competitiveness Act (HR 1798). Similarly, we would advise that you ask them to oppose the provision of the Bipartisan Tax Fairness and Simplification Act of 2010 (S 3018) that eliminates the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. Finally, it would be useful to ask members of both the House and Senate to join the Americans Abroad Caucus.

If you would like a model letter to send to Congress (either from yourself or from a company you're affiliated with), just contact me by email at andy@aaro.org.