News & Events

Just the FACTs: October 18, 2016

There’s been a lot of talk recently about how the tax system is rigged.  More and more we are seeing that wealthy individuals and powerful multinational companies are able to play by their own set of rules.  According to a new report by FACT members Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ), the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), and U.S. PIRG, Fortune 500 companies are now holding $2.5 trillion offshore. By shifting their profits to tax havens, these U.S. companies have been able to avoid $718 billion in taxes. The legal loopholes that allow these companies to avoid their taxes are simply unavailable to average taxpayers and small businesses, who can’t afford to hire the lawyers and accountants to move money through shell companies created in tax havens.

The U.S. Treasury Department took a modest step toward countering corporate tax avoidance Thursday night by issuing a new rule aimed at preventing a tax dodging technique known as “earnings stripping.” While FACT members are still in the process of reviewing the 518-page measure, the rule is estimated to close about $600 million per year in offshore tax avoidance loopholes.

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Treasury Department

Coalition Welcomes Rule to Stem Multinational Corporate Tax Avoidance

Treasury Finalizes Anti-Inversion Rules Tackling “Earnings Stripping”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of the Treasury finalized a long-awaited rule Thursday aimed at countering multinational tax avoidance, in a move welcomed by the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency Coalition (FACT Coalition).

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Tax Notes Op-Ed: What Apple Teaches About How Not to Reform Corporate Taxes

In this article—originally published in Tax Notes—FACT Executive Director Gary Kalman uses the recent Apple tax ruling by the European Commission to identify problems with proposals for a territorial tax system in the United States. He argues that policymakers should instead focus on ending deferral, requiring public country-by-country reporting, and adopting provisions of the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act.

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New Report: Multinationals Dodging $718bn in U.S. Taxes on Profits Booked Offshore

New Analysis Underscores Need to End Deferral, Boost Transparency of Companies’ Offshore Tax Practices
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The largest American companies have stashed nearly $2.5 trillion in profits offshore allowing them to dodge $718 billion in U.S. taxes, according to a new report released Tuesday by Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ), the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund—all members of the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency Coalition (FACT Coalition).

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Groups Push Accounting Body on Multinational Tax Transparency

Broad Alliance Calls for Accounting Standards to Require Country-by-Country Tax Reporting in Comment Letter
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A broad alliance of organizations and coalitions submitted comments to the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) today—urging the body to require multinational companies to be more transparent about their tax practices.  FASB, the private body which sets financial accounting and reporting standards in the United States, has suggested a number of changes to increase the disclosure of foreign tax and income information by companies in their public filings.

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Coalition Welcomes New Tax Transparency Bill

Corporate Transparency and Accountability Act Would Better Inform Investors on Tax Risks Associated with Multinational Companies
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) today introduced a new bill, which would shine a light on the offshore tax practices of multinational companies.  The Corporate Transparency and Accountability Act of 2016 would require publicly-traded multinational companies to report in their disclosure statements to investors information about revenues, profits, taxes, and certain operations on a country-by-country basis.

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