Frequently Asked Questions

We want very small government, too small for most people's taste. New Hampshire secession would enable the small government we want, while letting the other 49 states keep the big government they prefer.

No. We're first going to propose a US constitutional amendment to make secession legal. Our amendment would allow a state to secede when the federal government no longer has the consent of the governed in that state.

No, we don't think the idea of consent of the governed is un-American.

We know it's a long shot, but there's hope. Recently there's been some mainstream discussion of national divorce, and polls indicate the American people are at least open to the idea of secession.

We'll carefully craft a media campaign to help people overcome their fear of secession. We'll point to Brexit and the Velvet Divorce of Czechoslovakia as examples showing that peaceful secession can be a good, healthy thing. Ultimately, we'll be posing this question to the American people: What purpose does it serve to force a state to remain in the union, if its residents want out?

This campaign is going to take years. It may be a long shot, but we're committed to this approach because we're determined to follow the law, and this is the only legal way we can get the small government we want.

No, we're not. Giving up implies changing your mind. It's a subtle point, but it's worth mentioning because it highlights one of the key differences between divorce and secession.

When you get a divorce, you really are giving up on the marriage. When you got married, you took a vow till death do us part. Now you're changing your mind. You're reneging on that vow.

A secession is different. We're not reneging on anything. We never took any vow. We were just born here. We had no choice in the matter. We're not changing our mind, so it's inaccurate to say we're giving up on the country.

Not at all. The United States is a fine country. We're grateful that we were born here rather than in some other country like North Korea or Myanmar.

We want secession because we greatly prefer small government. But we sincerely hope to maintain good relations with the United States afterward.

Yes, there are immigrants in our group. So yes, it's accurate to say they're giving up on America.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with that. They're entitled to change their mind. They want small government for the same reasons as the rest of us.

We want our government to be small enough that it can be funded without any income tax. We plan to turn New Hampshire into a sovereign state with no income tax at all, like Monaco.

As a result of not having to pay federal income tax, most people with annual income of $75,000 or more will save thousands of dollars a year.

You're probably referring to this article by ProPublica. Yes, investors aren't taxed on their assets until they sell. And yes, if they die before selling, their heirs get a stepped up basis that reduces their tax liability. This is all perfectly legal, and has been well understood for decades, contrary to what the article insinuates. If the folks at ProPublica feel it's unfair, they should talk to their Congressman, not to taxpayers following the law.

Those with ultra-high income are still paying a lot of income tax. Table 1.1 in IRS Publication 1304 for tax year 2019 shows that people with adjusted gross income of $5,000,000 or more constitute 0.04% of taxpayers, but they're paying 13% of all federal income tax.

More to the point of our efforts, none of the billionaires listed in the ProPublica article opted out in the sense we mean. George Soros may have paid no income tax for 3 years in a row, but he still filed tax returns, and in later years he did pay some income tax. In contrast, now that Eduardo Saverin has renounced his US citizenship, he never again has to pay any US income tax, or deal with the IRS at all. And it's all fully legal. That's what we mean by opting out.

Also, there is no loophole that would allow someone like Alice to save $1,000,000 a year in taxes legally without leaving the United States.

Positive rights will be limited to those who were already living here and opposed secession. By positive rights, we mean rights that cost the government money, like welfare and free education.

Those of us advocating for secession will be explicitly opting out of positive rights. Our manifesto has a section that elaborates on this further.

Probably not. A majority of New Hampshire residents likely consent to federal government today.

That's why we're reaching out to people across the country who want to opt out of income tax, encouraging them to move to New Hampshire. Our target demographic is people making $75,000 or more. But anyone who doesn't like income tax, perhaps for philosophical reasons, is welcome to join us as long as they're also willing to opt out of positive rights.

Once we make up two thirds of New Hampshire voters, we'll be ready for secession.

Of course our opponents think it's unfair. But even they acknowledge that a political migration like this is legal, and they're not proposing to make it illegal.

In every secession, there are people who remain loyal to the parent country. For example, in 1776 there were about 400,000 Loyalists who wanted to stay under British rule. Our manifesto includes a section discussing the Loyalists in our secession. They'll be grandfathered into the positive rights they have now. Or if they prefer to move to one of the other 49 states, we'll pay for their relocation.

There are millions of people across the country who would benefit from opting out of income tax. And there are millions more around the world. We're building this new country for all of them.

So no, we don't think it's unfair. A political migration followed by secession is the only legal path to our goal.

Sorry, but Somalia has a government now, including an income tax.

In all seriousness, there are very few countries where people who don't like income tax can avoid it. That's because income tax benefits the majority at the expense of a minority, not just in the United States, but almost everywhere. There's a section in our manifesto that explains this further.

Monaco is an excellent choice for millionaires, but it's not a realistic option for the rest of us. There are four countries with no income tax that might be large enough to accommodate a million new immigrants: Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. But anyone other than a straight Muslim is going to feel out of place in any of those countries.

So if you say we're not allowed to secede, you're effectively saying only millionaires can opt out of income tax.