America was not where I was raised, and I can’t truly call it my home.

I have, and am, considering renouncing my citizenship if I move abroad post-St. Edward’s University. I am considering this along with another 5.5 million Americans, according to a new survey from Forbes.

My passport states United States of America, but I don’t hold much nationalism. I was born in Australia and have lived the majority of my life overseas in South East Asia.

This idea of seceding from the nation is not uncommon. W. E. B. Du Bois, Max Ernst, and Eduardo Saverin, co-founder of Facebook, all relinquished their U.S. nationalities. In the months of July, August and September, 776 Americans renounced citizenship, making this year’s total up to 2,353. By the end of this year, it will exceed last year’s total of 2,999, showing a 221% increase in 2013.

“I’m planning on moving to Holland to raise my family when I’m older and renouncing my citizenship. The political, educational, and health issues here are just too strong, and the only thing that ties me to America is my parents,” says junior Danielle Zayas.

Reasons for these renouncements involve home loans, basic banking, and taxes. Over the past two years, the number of expatriates have increased exponentially. Senators Chuck Schumer and Bob Casey even introduced a bill that doubled the exit tax to 30 percent, should anyone be leaving the U.S. for tax reasons.

It’s more complicated than one would think to leave America. You must prove five years of tax compliances, give up a your Green Card (if you have one) and you may have to pay an exit tax if you were a long-term resident. To renounce your citizenship, the fee is now $2,350, up from the previous $450.

However, complications arise due to these taxes. In 2010, the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) was enacted, targeting tax non-compliances by U.S. taxpayers with foreign accounts. This came from the rule Americans must comply to a worldwide income tax despite not getting the perks for American expatriates.

FATCA requires foreign banks to reveal Americans with accounts over $50,000; if they do not prove compliant, the institutions face being frozen out of U.S. markets.

In 2009, the IRS had a deal with UBS for $780 million in penalties and American names. Most recently, Swiss bank Credit Suisse paid a $2.6 billion fine and took a guilty plea. 100 other banks settled, according to Forbes.

The act also threatens to cut companies from the U.S. markets if they do not pass along the American data – over 77,000 banks from around the world have complied with this demand.

Despite these issues, many Americans just want to escape America for the sake of travel.

“I definitely want to move out of the country when I’m older, but it’s not based off the flaws of America, just a culture change” explains junior Sofia Wong. “I want to move to Spain someday just because it is different than what I know.”