TFA doesn't really explain this, but for the majority of people affected, it's not the amount of taxes but the hassle that matters most. The USA has squandered a lot of goodwill, driving many of those "accidental Americans" to renounce their US citizenship. The people supporting the current policy, like the Notre Dame prof quoted in TFA, are so focused on sticking it to the rich, they ignore the effects on average people.
It is also the amount of taxes in that many retirement savings plans in different countries are not recognized in the US, as American retirement savings plans are not recognized elsewhere, creating an impossibility of tax deferred retirement savings plans. This affects average people much more so than the rich.
Setting aside the lack of trust in anything Trump says, this is something everyone should read:
> What Trump means by double taxation remains uncertain, and campaign officials offered no additional details about exactly what policy change he would try to push through Congress.
First of all (naturalized American who lived abroad on-and-off) there is no 'double taxation' for a lot of countries, because of treaties. It's only the hassle of filing taxes, as most other countries have a higher tax rate than the US for the average Joe, so this may only affect rich(er) people who want to reside in tax heavens.
Second, someone needs to pay for this possible deficit. Who and how? Are we doing another time-bomb like the 2017 fiscal 'reform'?
Honestly I think there's a higher chance of cutting social security benefits for Americans living abroad than eliminating tax returns for them.
Getting tired of this Trump sanewashing. He's letting lose a firehose of bullshit and it's like the media has some sort of tripwire for something relatively sane or 'of interest' and they just run with it (if you search online for Trump and americans abroad, EVERYONE is publishing this story, as if Trump finally said something which makes sense), even when he doesn't substantiate it with actual plans (concepts of a plan don't count).
