Avoiding US goods and services – from tech to whisky to air travel – has forced many to find a new way of living
This week the US imposed 50% tariffs on US$20bn (£15bn) of Canadian goods, and Mark Carney, the country’s prime minister, has vowed to match them “dollar for dollar” after the collapse of trade talks between the two countries last weekend. Donald Trump retaliated on Thursday by ordering the federal government to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America.
Such actions have added fuel to a widespread boycott of US products and services by Canadians that began early last year in response to the president’s trade war and threats to annex his northern neighbour.
More than 3,500 people from across Canada shared with the Guardian via an online callout how they have made changes to their lives in response to the US administration’s political and economic stance. Many expressed deep anger and sadness, but remained resolute that this was now a new way of living.
Moving to a new nation with a family, restricting yourself to a specific job is always going to be difficult; regardless where you are from.
I am aware of the problem with US taxation on foreign income. In fact I know many people who move away from the US while retaining a job in the US. In many places this allows them to mostly only pay taxes in the US.
However, the statement is correct in my opinion: if you don’t like your country you can leave. It is indeed not easy, but definitely possible.
I know plenty of people where I live who came with their whole family without money and without a job, now they have a job and their family living here.
Plenty people moved with one year contracts, plenty people moved with contracts of just a few months, plenty people moved with a tourist visa and then found a job.
I have met people who have done this from many different countries to many different countries. In many cases it was difficult, in others it was simpler.
I know plenty Americans who moved to other countries and live well and were able to fix any bureaucratical problem in-between.
Are you saying that US citizens are impossibilitated to move due to the double taxation? Is that such a huge problem as to make it unfeasible? It surely does not make it easier, but plenty people before you were able to.
Oh and just wanted to check, you are I assume american? I don’t want to make the assumption incorrectly. I am not an american but do know ex pats of american and other nations.
No, I am not American. But I do know plenty Americans living where I live.
No I am saying if you dislike your nation you can leave in most cases, but the one that is always brought up is the states where no you can’t leave in the same way. Americans can leave but they can’t stop being american so no, if they don’t like it they don’t get to “leave it”. The whole statement does not work the way it does for other nations, americans can’t start a new life else where and leave america behind.
If you where say from new Zealand and for some reason took deep umbrage with the nation you could (with a lot of effort and drive) leave and move to say south Africa. With enough gumption you can get residency and maybe even citizenship. The issue is americans see this process into their nation all the time but seem to miss that they can’t do the same from the states. And the odd part is that this is not a normal thing outside of your rogue states but americans always seem to miss the significance of the difference. Its like the hotel California song, you can check out but never leave.
I don’t know a single county which you can leave and by doing that you terminate your citizenship. You leave your country and get residency in another country while keeping your own citizenship. Americans can indeed do the same and get residency in another country.
I do not live in my country of birth. I have residency where I live, but still have my original citizenship. I do not want to change my citizenship, it is something I may do with time; but those processes take quite a while. This means I still have to do paperwork in my country of origin. My paperwork does not involve double taxation on my salary, but I assure you it can become quite annoying at times; often I do have to spend considerable amounts of money in order to comply with such paperwork.
The only difference I see with the US is the double taxation, which is indeed an extra difficulty, but I don’t understand why you say Americans can not move to other countries. They indeed can and they do.
Yes, you can. You will face some difficulties that you will have to overcome in order to do that. Same if you’re from the US.
Taxation without representation is more the point. Most places don’t demaind a cut if you are no longer using the services.
Edit: oh and yeah the extra 30 ish % off your income is very much a deturent. Not impossible to live elsewhere but like you said most try to get paid from america to avoid this (thereby cheating the local government of the taxes). The phrase however is just flat wrong and americans can’t leave america behind like every other nation. You have dual citizenship but also little or no demand from your birth nation for example.
Sure it’s not nice. Still, does not make it impossible to leave. Moreover, why do you say without representation? Are Americans living abroad not allowed to vote?
That’s not leaving the states behind is it? Its being american but away. And yes there are a lot of issues with american ex pats getting to vote (this is a more recent issue however).
The issue boils down to an assemtrical set of expectations that is not seen in the rest of the world. You or I are far more fortunate and wierdly it’s the americans that mostly fight that fact.
Yes, it is leaving the US behind. You go leave somewhere else and you have some paperwork to do in your original country unless you eventually decide to change citizenship.
You could decide to still stay very connected to the US, or to avoid it as much as legally possible.
I don’t see how this is much more different than moving away from any other country. Unless you change citizenship you’ll still have to deal with your country of origin.
I’m not sure what this asymmetrical set of expectations you mention is.
If an American does not want to live in America, they can go live somewhere else. They’ll still be Americans, but won’t be living in America. If they don’t want anything to do with the US, they may try to stop paying taxes in the US; however I can imagine problems with that, as possibly their passport may be revoked.
I do not think it is possible to stop being from a country, unless you leave it very young. An American may change their citizenship and integrate very well into another nation, but that does not take away the fact that they are American.
You can’t change citizenship, that’s my point.
What do you mean? American citizens can indeed change citizenship. Where did you get the idea that a US citizen can not change their citizenship?
How would even the US be able to prevent someone from becoming a citizen in another nation?