As far as I know when talking with US citizens in Thailand (retired) and in Japan (technicians, average Japanese income), they are mostly angry about the complicated paperwork and the controlling behavior of their own country against them - it is true, no other country I know is so intrusive and is asking so many details about its citizens living abroad.Winston wrote: ↑May 16th, 2019, 9:06 pm..... I've never known a poor American citizen to be hounded by the IRS. Ask any guy here, especially those living with parents, if they get audited or threatened by the IRS. Not unless they have high income and assets and are tax evaders. I never known any low income people to be hounded by the IRS. Have you?
However payment of taxes are rarely mentioned by them, for this year 2019 there is an allowance of USD 105.000,- or so for US citizens - this is not so little money.
You have to report all and everything - merely routine paper work - which is however so complicated that you need sometimes professional help to do it correctly and it has to be done on time, but it seems required payment of US-taxes is not such a big issue for US-citizens living outside of the USA.