 | |
| Formation | 2013 |
|---|---|
| 46-3677880 | |
| Headquarters | Terre Haute, Indiana, U.S.[1] |
Chairman | Bruce Ash |
Vice Chairman and CEO | Solomon Yue |
General Counsel and Vice President, MENA | Marc Zell |
| Website | republicansoverseas.com |
Republicans Overseas (RO) is apolitical organization created in 2013 forUnited States citizens who are living outside of theUnited States. RO is recognized by theRepublican National Committee (RNC), and by other affiliated groups, such asCollege Republicans. It operates in the majority of countries around the world where there are large numbers of United States citizen residents. Similar topolitical action committees (PAC) andSuper Pacs; RO is a527 political organization that operates as a corporation with specific interests[2] of repealing theForeign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and of generally representing Republicans living overseas.
The Republican Party does not organize a specific presidential primary for Republicans living overseas, so Republicans Overseas does not send any delegates to theRepublican National Convention. This is in contrast to theDemocrats Abroad, which runs theDemocrats Abroad presidential primary.[3]
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Republicans Overseas was established on September 18, 2013, as a527 political organization and incorporated as a (C4)NPO on January 1, 2014.[4][5] RO has no connection to the formerRepublicans Abroad, though, globally, many of its chapters have migrated from it to Republicans Overseas, following the 2013 demise of its international organization. Significant events in the history of the organization include:[6]
On January 24, 2014, the RNC passed a resolution to repealFATCA which had been authored by Republicans Overseas.
On September 10, 2014, RO hosted GovernorRick Perry in Beijing.
In the summer of 2014, RO hosted SenatorMike Lee in London.
TheRNC passed a "resolution opposing OECD's global reporting standards" on January 16, 2015, authored by RO.
On April 14, 2015, RO proposed a repeal of FATCA and an end to citizen-based taxation to theSenate Finance Committee, then, on July 14, filed lawsuitCrawford v. U.S. Department of Treasury with theU.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio to repeal FATCA. On September 26, plaintiffs demonstrated outside of the U.S. Embassy in London.
RO submitted a proposal to repeal FATCA and to replace CBT with (since named) Territorial Taxation for Individuals to the House Ways and Means Committee, on March 22, 2016.
On April 26, 2016, JudgeThomas M. Rose dismissed the RO's FATCA lawsuit on the grounds that the plaintiffs lacked legal standing to pursue the suit.
RO Israel hosted a major rally in support of theDonald Trump 2016 presidential campaign on October 26, 2016, known as the Jerusalem Forever Event.
On January 6, 2017, RO submitted a proposal on Territorial Taxation for Individuals to theHouse Ways and Means Committee.
RO UK hosted an inauguration event for President Trump on January 20, 2017.
On April 26, 2017, the United States Congressional Oversight Committee held hearings on "Reviewing the Unintended Consequences of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act."[7] SenatorRand Paul appeared alongside Republicans Overseas' Jim Bopp and Mark Crawford as well as fellow co-plaintiffs in the FATCA lawsuit, Daniel Kuettel and Donna-Lane Nelson, to give testimony before the Committee.
In the summer of 2017, RO hosted SenatorRand Paul in Rome.
In March 2019,Marc Zell met with MayorMoshe Lion for RO's formal proposal of holding its October annual international conference forGOP representatives residing in 62 countries atJerusalem.[8]
In 2023, RO launched the Worldwide Freedom Initiative (WFI),[9] the brainchild ofSolomon Yue,Kerry McQuisten, and Randy Yaloz.[10] The first WFI Summit is scheduled to be held in Paris, France, in November 2023.[needs update]
Republican Overseas is advised by its advisory committee, and operates under a board of governors, which includes:[11]
Executive team:
AmbassadorMichael G. DeSombre – Worldwide President (2013–2020)
RepealingFATCA is the leading priority for Republicans Overseas. Supporting this focus, the RNC, during their January 2014 RNC Winter meeting, passed a resolution to repeal FATCA with overwhelming support.[12] Additionally, in August 2014, the RNC unanimously passed a resolution supportingResidence Based Taxation,[13] and another resolutionOpposing OECD's Global FATCA Common Reporting Standards in January 2015.[14]
RO views FATCA as violating fundamental constitutional rights of overseas U.S. citizens.[15] The law was passed by aDemocratic controlled Congress in 2010, lacking a single House Republican vote,[16] and only 11 Senate Republican votes. The United States being the only country that taxes its citizens living abroad indefinitely,[17] many Americans are now denied banking privileges throughout the world because foreign financial institutions cannot justify enduring increased compliance costs due to new regulations, and refuse to be proxy agents for theInternal Revenue Service (IRS).[18] FATCA has facedconsiderable criticism, including fromDemocrats Abroad,[19] the official expatriate wing of theDemocratic Party. A lawsuit fighting against FATCA,Crawford v. U.S. Department of Treasury, with eight counts of constitutional violations, was filed on July 14, 2015, by Republican Overseas Action (ROA), a501(c)(4) organization of RO.[20] The lawsuitplaintiffs included ex-2016 presidential candidate SenatorRand Paul.[20][21] Democrats Abroad condemned ROA's FATCA lawsuit, specifically Senator Paul andJames Bopp Jr., the lawsuit's lead attorney.[22] The RNC released a statement supporting RO and this legal undertaking.[23] On April 26, 2017, the House Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations held a hearing to review theunintended consequences of FATCA, which included testimony from Paul and Bopp, as well as Mark Crawford, Daniel Kuettel, Elise Bean and video testimony from Donna-Lane Nelson.[24] After initially condemning the Republican Overseas challenge of FATCA, Democrats Abroad shifted its position to support the repeal of FATCA.[25]
Although Republicans Overseas, as an organization, focuses primarily on the repeal of FATCA, some of its members, including chairman Bruce Ash and vice chairman Solomon Yue, serve on the rules committee of theRepublican National Committee (RNC). In that capacity Ash and Yue have advocated positions that go beyond the primary mission of Republicans Overseas, for example advocating for the candidacy of presidential candidateDonald Trump. Ash, in particular, is not only the chairman of Republicans Overseas, but also the chairman of the rules committee of the RNC.[26]
The Tax Fairness for Americans Abroad Act of 2018 (TFFAAA) was introduced just prior to the closing of the 115th Congress byCongressmanGeorge Holding (R-NC). Slated to be read in 2019 by the 116th Congress; the bi-partisan bill proposes a change from citizenship-based to residency-based taxation for nonresident citizens by amending the IRS Code of 1986. Republicans Overseas has been a key supporter of the TFFAAA, hosting Congressman Holding on April 24, 2019, in the UK, at a members' informational seminar led by Holding and Solomon Yue.[27] RO co-founder Yue is quoted as saying that "The TFFAAA will amend the Internal Revenue Code by offering overseas Americans a status similar to that enjoyed by corporations where foreign-sourced income is taxed in the country where it is earned."[28]
Republicans Overseas has numerous chapters worldwide.[29]
The Republican Party doesn't give its overseas members a specific primary vote, although they can lodge absentee ballots for their home states. "I've seen some chatter from our members, but I haven't seen any strong opinions [on a Republicans Overseas primary]," Republicans Overseas Hong Kong secretary Tariq Dennison said.