The Issue: Sen. Schumer’s plan to punish Americans who renounce their citizenship for tax purposes.
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Leave it to Sen. Chuck Schumer, the politician who wants to reach across the oceans to tax people who are no longer US citizens (“Schumer’s Shakedown,” Editorial, May 18).
Schumer never saw a tax he didn’t like.
Steve Becker
East Meadow
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Eduardo Saverin, the Brazilian-born billionaire, renounced his US citizenship ahead of Facebook’s public stock offering.
Schumer’s attempt to target the Facebook co-founder would allow the Obama administration to continue destroying the economy and industry.
Does he think that the government can raise taxes and not expect the rich to go to some place less tyrannical?
Saverin is voting with his feet.
Some people refuse to be made victims to this president’s economic agenda. I wish I could afford to be one of them.
Joseph DuPont
Towanda, Pa.
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The initial reaction of those who dislike where Obama and the Democrats are taking our country may look to this as further proof of our slide to socialism, and with this I cannot disagree.
However, my thoughts are that Saverin is a pathetic little man who, instead of standing up and fighting to keep the freedoms that enabled him to become a billionaire, simply bailed.
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Saverin.
Anthony Varriano
Staten Island
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I thought only authoritarian regimes penalized those who seek to avoid onerous mandates by emigrating.
Schumer’s measure would accelerate the exodus of talent and wealth we are currently experiencing.
I have a proposal: Schumer should resign his seat and leave the country immediately, taking with him all the wealth he has accumulated as a “public servant.”
I volunteer to pay any and all expenses associated with his departure, providing there’s an agreement that he never return.
Lee Klein
Poughkeepsie
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I find Schumer to be absolutely laughable.
Sen. John Kerry docks his expensive yacht in another state to avoid paying taxes.
Rep. Charlie Rangel is a blatant tax cheat, and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner “forgot” to pay his taxes.
Jon Corzine, President Obama’s buddy, lost over a billion dollars and has not been held accountable to this point.
Jamie Dimon, also an Obama acquaintance, made a $2 billion blunder for JP Morgan yet still gets a fat pay check.
Where is the outrage in all this? And why isn’t Vice President Joe Biden screaming about these guys?
Billy Mussari
Vandling, Pa.
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Schumer’s plan to bar re-entry into the country for anyone who renounces citizenship to avoid a crushing tax burden escalates class warfare to a nuclear exchange.
Here’s a news flash for Schumer: As he waves illegal aliens across the border to stuff ballot boxes, retiring Americans will flee with their life savings.
Schumer has made it patriotic to avoid paying taxes.
Paul Izzo
Milford, Conn.
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Saverin’s relocating to a more favorable tax environment is no different from people moving from high-tax states like New York and California to Texas.
The government also needs to monitor the hostile business environment.
Would you blame Boeing for building its next plant overseas after dealing with the NLRB and the unions?
Instead of trying to punish individuals, Schumer and his friends should try to make the United States more attractive for individuals and businesses.
For a long time, politicians who wanted to increase taxes never believed that this would happen.
Now that they have been given notice, what are they going to do to fix the real problem to prevent the entire United States from becoming like California?
Jim Glaab
Elmsford