Plenty of reasons: Increasing taxes, increasing regulation, decreasing property rights, and decreasing benefits to being a citizen. Worldwide taxation—a policy that is globally almost unique. Unequal treatment under the law—e.g., alien traffic violators are often just let go—citizens are fined.
Here’s the problem....having lived in Germany for twenty-odd years, I’ve come to view both sides of the mess.
Both the US and the Germans want to tax the US guy sitting in Germany. The Germans want the income earned in Germany, along with stock sales in the US, and all the various little items of US residency. The US wants all the German income, the sale of German property, etc, etc.
You end up with some high-priced US accountant and a high-priced German accountant, and nothing ever comes to a clean or happy ending. You feel ripped off by the American government for grabbing money that was entirely earned beyond their borders.
If you ran a successful bar in Frankfurt.....IRS wants part of that income. If you had part-ownership in some Heidelberg hotel....same deal.
The regulations? They get deeper each single year. Both the German and American tax guys are idiots at this whole thing...never grasping the pains involved or just how much paperwork is generated.
In the end, an American will evaluate the mess, and just admit he can’t do it anymore. He’s a success because his American background, ideas, and tendency to be aggressive. Sadly, the US government thinks they’ve got a line on all that success, and the German IRS thinks the same thing.
I’ll predict in ten years....that half the Americans living in Germany and running businesses....will give up. It’s a sad part about the mess....being successful....gets you no real leverage.
it is because EVERYTHING “President” Muhammad Al-Obama DOES is illegal.
I talked about this with my Canadian GF and it’s the same in canada except for the “we’ll tax your ass out if you are out of the country”. They kill you with taxes over there but it’s not as draconian as overseas revenue here. That’s why she wont apply for US citizenship. (and because Romney lost too)