Obama plans to close overseas tax loop holes

04 May 2009 @ 04:18 pm EDT

The Obama Administration detailed on Monday its plan of raising more than $200 billion over the next 10 years by curbing what it says are corporate loopholes.



U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about tax reform at the White House in Washington May 4, 2009. Flanking Obama are Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner (L) and IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman (R).
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With such loopholes, companies investing overseas gain an unfair advantage over companies that invest in the U.S., mainly by deferring taxes on profits earned overseas.

President Barack Obama said the proposals were designed to meet a promise he made during the presidential campaign.

According to Obama, some companies are shrinking tax obligations.

The plan aims to narrow a provision that allowed U.S. companies to defer paying U.S. taxes on the profits they make on their overseas investments and also to eliminate a loophole that allows companies to make foreign subsidiaries disappear for tax purposes.

Obama said the loophole "let subsidiaries of some of our largest companies tell the IRS that they are paying taxes abroad, tell foreign governments that they are paying taxes elsewhere, and avoid paying taxes anywhere."

The companies argue that Obama's plan will leave U.S.-based companies vulnerable overseas because foreign rivals won't have to pay the 35% U.S. corporate tax rate—instead paying the tax rates, in effect, overseas, where they are generally considerably lower.

According to executives, the new plan will leave them vulnerable to foreign takeovers and cause even more U.S.-headquartered companies to move abroad.

The White House also wants to cement additional rules for Americans opening offshore bank accounts.

Monday’s proposal would also give the Internal Revenue Service new tools and money to combat international tax-fraud.

This article is copyrighted by International Business Times.

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