Letter from 13 Senators Pushing FASB to Boost Tax Transparency
13 Senators sent a letter to the Financial Accounting Standards Board to urge them to boost tax transparency.
Letter to FASB on Proposed Accounting Standards Update for Income Taxes
The FACT Coalition filed a comment on May 31, 2019 with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) on Proposed Accounting Standards Update for Income Taxes, File Reference No. 2019-500. The full letter can be read below or downloaded here.
Investors Representing More Than $1 Trillion in Assets Under Management Sent A Letter to FASB Supporting Country-by-Country Reporting
A group of investors representing more than $1 trillion assets under management signed a letter to the Financial Accounting Standards Board, urging FASB to reconsider the Exposure Draft and support country-by-country reporting.
New Report: Corporate Tax Transparency Becoming the Global Norm
Investors, Businesses, and Policymakers Increasingly Take Steps Toward Public Country-by-Country Reporting of Tax Information
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Public disclosure of multinational corporations’ disaggregated profits and taxes is steadily progressing toward a global norm as investors, businesses, and policymakers have increasingly taken steps toward transparency, according to a new study published Tuesday by the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition.
Letter to Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Urging Them to Require Complete Country-by-Country Reporting
The FACT Coalition sent a letter to the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) to urge them to require companies to provide a complete picture of their offshore operations by requiring full disclosure of key financial, tax, and operational data on a country-by-country basis. The full letter can be read below or downloaded here.
Our Visit to a Little Known, but Highly Influential Body
Financial Accounting Standards Board Considers Shining a Light on Corporate Tax Practices
On March 17, Richard Phillips of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) and I traveled to Norwalk, Connecticut to participate in a roundtable discussion at the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). This is a little-known, but highly influential body that sets the accounting standards for U.S. companies. The morning discussion focused on a proposal to increase disclosures on corporate financial statements, including new disclosures on revenues and taxes on a country-by-country level. This information is critically important if we are to tackle the problem of offshoring profits in tax havens.
We heard several participants assert that, before any new disclosures are required, board members must ensure they know why it is being required and for what the users of the information will use it. Fair questions.
Unfortunately, I am not sure the discussion on tax disclosures adequately answered them. The focus was more theoretical and principle-based with a heavy reliance on accountant-speak. I greatly appreciated the opportunity to participate, but I confess that I did not fully take the opportunity to offer an alternative perspective. Since hindsight is 20/20, here is what I should have said.