America is the world’s only developed nation to impose tax on its citizens that live and work abroad — even though they already are subject to taxation by the foreign country where they reside. As the Wall Street Journal notes, China has decided to adopt this foolish policy:

The U.S. is the only developed nation to tax its citizens abroad. Now China has picked up on Mr. Grassley’s grand idea. From March 31, all mainland citizens working abroad will be taxed on their world-wide income. That might give some comfort to U.S. protectionists worried about China’s labor competitiveness, even though mainland employees aren’t so far a huge force abroad. But as America is now discovering, punitive taxation is an export that comes with a high price.

Not surprisingly, French socialists are intrigued by this self-destructive form of double-taxation. A column in The American comments on Segolene Royal’s interest in extending bad French tax laws to those who have escaped to friendlier jurisdictions:

…a report recently prepared for Royal’s camp floated a creative proposal—a “citizen contribution” (read: tax) for all French citizens residing abroad. The “contribution” would be designed to collect revenues from all French people residing abroad, irrespective of their reasons for leaving France: businessmen, families, retired workers, successful artists, etc. would all be affected. Former finance Minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn laid out the rationale: “It is no longer acceptable that French citizens be able to escape taxes by installing themselves outside of France. We propose to define a citizen contribution that will be paid in accordance with contributive capacities by each Frenchman residing abroad who does not pay taxes in France.” … If she implements her Socialist rhetoric, like Mitterrand in the early 1980s, financial forces beyond her control will quickly force her to change. For France’s sake, it is a situation she would do well to avoid.