London Mayor Hit With Huge US Tax Bill

Many Londoners might not know their mayor has an American passport as well as a British one—but Uncle Sam is certainly aware of it. Boris Johnson was born in New York, and as an American citizen, he's liable to pay American taxes, which he has reluctantly agreed to settle before he visits the US next month, reports the Telegraph. A few months ago, he insisted that he wouldn't cough up. "I think it's absolutely outrageous. Why should I?" he said. "I haven't lived in the United States since I was 5 years old. I pay my taxes in full in the United Kingdom, where I live and work."

When asked why he didn't just relinquish his American citizenship, Johnson said it was "very difficult to give up." The capital gains tax bill the mayor has settled related to the sale of a London home in 2009, and while some tax experts estimate it was around $150,000, the Financial Times puts it closer to $65,000. The mayor, who will be visiting New York, Boston, and Washington, DC, on his American trip, is still pursuing the US Embassy for around $12 million he says it owes for London traffic congestion charges, reports the Guardian. (More Boris Johnson stories.)