Blueprint for Tax Reform

Now that Trump is officially the Chief of Executive, many people are expecting a significant tax reform legislation would be signed into law in 2017. We have previously shared Trump’s tax proposals promised during his presidential campaign. http://www.kyjcpa.com/news-updates/trumps-tax-policy/ Although not all of his proposals will be signed into law, we can expect he will have a significant influence in shaping a new tax reform bill. Let’s first understand the legislative process of turning a bill into law. We will then talk about where we are and what to expect.

As you may know, the United States Congress is consisted of the Senate and House of Representatives. Generally, a tax reform bill is originated from the House. The proposed bill goes through the House’s and Senate’s review and mark-ups. Before legislation could be sent to the president, both the House and Senate would need to pass identical versions of the legislation. A conference committee composed of members of the House and the Senate may be convened to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate bills. The House and Senate then would vote on the conference agreement and send it for the president’s signature. Unless the president exercises his veto right, the bill gets signed into a law.

Currently, the House Republicans published a “blueprint” reflecting much of the Trump’s tax policy and it is getting ready for the House and Senate’s review and mark-ups. With Republicans’ domination over the House and Senate, we can expect many of Trump’s tax policy would be reflected in the tax laws. During the course of the presidential campaign, Trump modified certain elements of his tax proposals to correspond more closely with the blueprint, and some of significant tax proposals contained in the blueprint is summarized below:

Corporate Tax Rate Reduction from 35% to 20% – During the presidential campaign, Trump introduced a single corporate federal tax rate of 15% to all businesses. However, the proposed rate included in the blueprint is 20%. The blueprint also contains a special tax at 25% for business income earned by passthrough entities. This could adversely affect S-corporations and partnerships, currently not subject to entity level taxes.

Repatriation Holiday – under present law, the U.S. tax on foreign earnings of foreign corporate subsidiaries is deferred until it is distributed back to the U.S. shareholders, generally. Trump introduced during his campaign, a special corporate tax repatriation holiday rate of 10% in order to bring the money stashed offshore back into the U.S. The blueprint contains a similar proposal which provides a mandatory repatriation tax at 8.75% for cash and 3.5% for non-cash assets. If enacted, multinational companies would be greatly impacted and a careful planning is advised.
Coupled with the repatriation holiday, the blueprint contains a 100% foreign dividend-received-deduction provision on post-enactment foreign earnings, and proposes to repeal the subpart F regime. If enacted, multinational businesses would have no reason to stash earnings and cash offshore.

Pro-U.S. Manufacturing – the blueprint and Trump’s tax policy contain a provision to allow firms engaged in manufacturing in U.S. to elect to expense capital investment in liu of taking deduction for interest expense. Under present tax law, companies tend to structure their capital with debt rather than equity to avoid double taxation. However, the blueprint contains a provision limiting interest deduction up to interest income. Coupled with full expensing of capital investment, interest deduction limitation provision will likely to shift capital structure of companies from debt to equity and encourage capital purchase rather than lease.

Destination-Based Tax – so called ‘border adjustment tax’ is one of the more interesting features included in the blueprint. The new tax system is intended to have the same effect as a value-added tax in that it would have the effect of taxing imports of goods and services and exempting exports. Under this new tax system, tax is levied on where the goods and services were consumed or rendered, rather than where they were produced or originated. In other words, all out-bound sales of goods and services would be exempt from taxation, and in-bound purchase of goods and services would be disallowed as deduction. If enacted, such provision would eliminate much of the complex international tax rules but it could add a complex task to businesses in allocating revenues and costs across borders. The proposal contained in the blueprint lacks in detail and we need to continually monitor how it develops through the legislation process. Trump has expressed that he is not in favor of incorporating this new destination based tax system in the tax reform.  Accordingly, it is reasonably possible that this new taxing system would not be included in the bill.

Individual Taxation – much of what Trump proposed during the presidential campaign related to individual tax reform is included in the blueprint, including reduction of marginal tax rate for individuals from 39.6% to 33%, repeal of 3.8% net investment tax, repeal of AMT tax regime, and repeal of estate tax.

The House Republican Blueprint is a starting point of tax reform and it mirrors Trump’s tax reform prosed during his campaign. With Republicans’ domination over the House and Senate, significant tax reform reflecting what Trump promised during the campaign is expected. Taxpayers are recommended to continually monitor the tax legislation process and plan in advance to minimize adverse impact of the tax reform.

To see Korean version of this article, go to: http://www.kyjcpa.com/news-updates/blueprint-for-tax-reform-korean/

IRS Hires Private Debt Collection Agencies

연방국세청(IRS)이 민간 채권 추심업체를 통해 미납 세금을 걷는 ‘민간 채권 추심(Private Debt Collection) 프로그램을2017년 봄부터 실시 한다고 발표하였다. IRS의 인력 부족으로 인하여 찾을수 없는 체불 납세자의 미납세금을 민간업체가 대행한다는 취지이다. 여기에는 IRS와 사전조율없이 체납기 간이 365일 지난 미납세금도 포함된다.

IRS는 다음과 같은 4개의 채권 추심업체와 계약을 맺었다.

• Conserve Fairport (New York)
• Pioneer (New York)
• Performant Livemore (California)
• CBE Group (Iowa)

특별히 IRS는 납세자들에게 사기성 전화를 주의하라고 경고하였다.
IRS는 납세자에게 채권 추심업체가 IRS를 대신해 수금을 진행한다는 안내문을 보낼것 이며, 또한 채권 추심업체들도 납세자에게 별도로 수금에 대한 절차 안내문을 보낸다. IRS에 따르면, 채권 추심업체들이 납세자들에게 납부 방법들을 자세히 알려주지만, 모든 수표는 채권 추심업체가 아닌 미국재무부 또는 IRS로 직접 송금해야 한다. IRS는 미납 세금 납부 요구 전화를 갑작스럽게 납세자에게 절대 하지 않으며, 전화를 하기전에 반드시 우편으로 여러 번에 걸쳐 통지서를 보낸다.

미납 세금이 한번 채권 추심업체들에게 넘겨지면 이에 대한 내역을 따지기가 힘들어 진다는 것을 명심해야 한다. 채권 추심업체들은 납세자 개개인의 상황은 고려하지 않는다. 필자의 과거 경험상, Pennsylvania주의 추심업체인Pioneer에게 넘어간 미납 세금을 해결하는데 있어서 굉장히 불쾌하고 힘들었던 기억이 있다.

납세자들의 미납 세금이 채권 추심업체들에게 넘어가기 전에IRS로부터통지를 받으면, 전문가들과 상의 하여 능동적으로 대응하기를 권고한다.

더 자세한 내용은 아래 링크에서 확인하시면 됩니다.

https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/private-debt-collection

IRS Hires Private Debt Collection Agencies

The IRS announced that it will engage private debt collection companies to collet overdue tax liabilities in spring 2017. The tax debts that will be assigned to these private debt collection companies include any tax receivable that have been written off due to a lack of resources or an inability to track down the taxpayer or tax debt in collection that is outstanding more than 365 days without interaction with the taxpayer.
The IRS selected the following four companies as agencies for tax debt collection:

• Conserve Fairport
• Pioneer
• Performant Livemore
• CBE Group

The IRS urges taxpayers to be on the lookout for scam phone calls. The IRS will give taxpayers and their representative written notice that the accounts are being transferred to the private collection agencies. The agencies will send a second, separate letter to the taxpayer and their representative confirming this transfer. According to the IRS, the private collection agencies will inform taxpayers about electronic payment options on irs.gov/payments. In addition, any check payment should be made payable to the U.S. Treasury and sent directly to the IRS, not to the private collection agency. Taxpayers shouldn’t receive unexpected phone calls from the IRS demanding payment. When people owe tax, the IRS always sends several collection notices through the mail before making phone calls.

Please note that once the debt gets assigned to these private collection agencies, it becomes a daunting task to discuss the nature and amount of debt. For them, it is just a debt to collect and they have no interest in listening to your side of story. Pennsylvania is one of the states that outsources tax debt collection to a private collection company, Pioneer. Our experience working on the tax debt cases that have been transferred to Pioneer has been unpleasant and very difficult. So our recommendation is that taxpayers should be responsive and proactive to the IRS notices and communication so that your case does not get assigned to one of these collection agencies.

For additional detail, please click on the below links:

https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/private-debt-collection

트럼프의 세금 정책

미국 제 45대 대통령 선거가 공화당 후보 도날드 트럼프의 당선으로 끝났다. 트럼프는 “Make America Great Again”이라는 그의 선거 공약과 함께, 오는 2017년 1월 20일부터 미국 제 45대 대통령으로 취임하게 된다.

공화당이 상원의원과 하원의원 또한 독점하게 되면서, 트럼프의 대통령 취임후 그가 내세운 세금 정책이 우리의 삶에 큰 영향을 미칠 것으로 예상된다. 트럼프가 대통령 공약으로 내세운 세금 정책은 아래와 같다.

I. 법인세 세율 15%로 인하 – 미국은 현재, 세계에서 39.1%로 세번째 높은 법인세 세율을 가지고 있다 (연방정부 세율 35%와 주정부 세율). 트럼프는 모든 사업체에 15%의 단일 연방 세율을 적용하여 사업체의 자금력을 높이고 일자리를 창출을 도모한다는 공약을 내세웠었다. 이 공약이 실현된다면, 국제 시장에서의 미국 사업체들의 경쟁력은 더 높아질 것으로 예상된다.

II. 해외 미국 회사들의 수익을 미국으로 반환 - 현 미국 세법상, 미국 회사의 해외 자회사의 해외 유보이익에  부과되는 미국 세금은 관련 이익이 미국 주주들에게 배당 될때까지 연기되는 것이 일반적이다.  미 정부는 2015년, 약 $ 2.6 trillion 상당의 해외 자회사의 해외 유보이익이 미국 주주들에게 배당 되지않아, 법인세가 부가되지 않았다고 발표하였다. 이에, 트럼프는 해외 자회사의 배당되지 않은 유보이익에 단 10% 정도의 세금만 부과 함으로써 해외 자회사의 자금을 미국으로 귀환시키는 방안을 소개하였다. 이를 통해,  미국의 일자리 창출과 사업체들의 번창에 큰 기여를 할 수있을 것으로 보인다.

III. 미국 제조업 회사에 주어지는 세금 혜택 - 트럼프는 미국 제조업 회사의 자산 (기계,장치,차량 등.) 투자를 전액 비용처리 할 수 있는 방안을 공약으로 내세웠다. 덧붙여, 트럼프는  미국 현지 육아 관련 세금 공제 한도를 올리고, 회사가 피고용인들에게 보조하는 육아 관련 지출을 과세 소득에서 제외 시킬 수 있도록 하겠다고 하였다.

IV. 개인 세율에 관한 혜택 – 현재, 미국은 개인에게 39.6 %의 최대 한계 세율과 3.8%의 순수 투자 이익에 관한 세금을 부과하고 있다. 트럼프는 현재의 7개의  세율 계층을 3개로 줄이고 ( 12%, 25%, 33%), 순수 투자 이익 관련 세금 (3.8%) 을 폐지하겠다고 하였다. 또한, 그는 AMT 세금 제도도 없애겠다고 공약하였다.

V. 유산세 폐지 – 현 미국 세법은 $ 5.45 million 을 초과하는 유산에 한하여 40%의 유산세를 부과하고 있다. 트럼프는 세금 개혁을 통해, 이와 같은 유산세를 폐지하고, 수혜자들은 추가적인 세금없이 유산을 상속받을 수 있게 하겠다고 하였다.

VI. 오바마 케어 폐지 – 트럼프는 오바마 케어라고도 불리우는 “Affordable Care Act” 에 관해 부정적인 의견을 가지고 있다. 그는 오바마 케어를 폐지하고, “절대적으로 적은 비용”이 요구되는 건강보험제도로 이를 대체하는 방안을 추천한다. 선거 유세 동안, 그는 오바마 케어에 대한 대안으로, 비용부담이 훨씬 적은 건강 보험 제도를 설립하기 위한 정책을 몇 가지 소개해 왔었다. 이러한 정책은 비과세 건강 보험 계좌 설립, 높은 공제 금액을 적용할 수있는 건강 보험, 그리고 건강 보험 회사들에게 각 주별 차이를 두지 않고, 보험 상품을 팔게함으로써 건강 보험 회사들간의 경쟁을 높이는 방법 등이 있다.

트럼프가 위와 같은 세금 정책들을 공약으로 낸 것은 사실이나, 아직 이 정책들이 확정된 것은 아니다. 그러나 차후 그가 대통령으로 취임했을 때, 위와 같은 세금 정책이 실현 될 가능성이 농후해보이며 이에따라서 우리는 그가 공약한 세금 정책들에 대한 알맞은 정보를 바탕으로 계획을 준비 할 필요가 있다.

Trump’s Tax Policy

The 58th U.S. presidential election of 2016 is over. The Republican Party nominee, Donald Trump, defeated the Democratic Party nominee, Hillary Clinton. Trump is expected to take office as the 45th President on January 20, 2017 and he promises to ‘Make America Great Again!’

With Republicans’ domination over the House and Senate, we can expect many of Trump’s tax policy will have big impact to our lives shortly after his administration takes off. Here are some major tax reform Trump promised during his presidential campaign:

Corporate Tax Rate Reduction to 15% - the United States has the third highest general top marginal corporate income tax rate in the world at 39.1 percent (consisting of the 35% federal rate and a combined state rate). Trump vowed to introduced a single corporate federal tax rate of 15% to all businesses in an effort to put more money into the hands of businesses to create more jobs and investments in the U.S., which would allow U.S. businesses to be more competitive in international market.

Repatriation Holiday - under present law, the U.S. tax on foreign earnings of foreign corporate subsidiaries is deferred until it is distributed back to the U.S. shareholders, generally. The government estimates as of 2015, approximately $2.6 trillion of earnings of foreign corporate subsidiaries has not been taxed and is undistributed. Trump plans to introduce a special corporate tax repatriation holiday rate whereby corporations with money stashed overseas would be able to pay a tax rate of 10% on that income in order to bring the money back into the U.S. The repatriated cash would then be reinvested in the U.S. creating jobs and expansion of U.S. businesses.

Pro-U.S. manufacturing – Trump plans to allow firms engaged in manufacturing in U.S. to elect to expense capital investment in lieu of taking deduction for interest expense. Additionally, Trump promised to increase cap on business tax credit for on-site childcare and allow businesses that pay a portion of employee childcare expenses to exclude those contributions from income.

Individual Tax Rate – currently, individuals are subject to top marginal tax rate of 39.6% plus 3.8% of net investment income tax. Trump plans cutting the current seven brackets down to three: with 12%,25%, and 33% rates, and would repeal the net investment income tax. Additionally, he plans to eliminate AMT tax regime.

Elimination of Estate Tax – currently, the U.S. government charges death tax or estate tax of 40% on estate with value in excess of $5.45 million. Trump’s tax reform would eliminate death tax. Rather, the beneficiaries of an estate take the assets with a tax-free, with no “stepped-up” basis. For rich, best time to die is during Trump’s presidency for estate tax planning purposes.

Obamacare – Trump believes the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare,” is a total “disaster” and has failed on cost and quality of health care. He proposed to repeal and replace Obamacare with “something absolutely much less expensive.” During his campaign, Trump proposed a series of measures that would allow people to buy affordable health insurance policies outside of the Obamacare exchanges. These measures include promoting tax-free health savings accounts, high-deductible health plans and health savings accounts, and boost competition in health insurance market by allowing insurers to sell policies across state lines.

Unilateral APA Application by Maquiladoras

The IRS announced in IR-2016-133 that US taxpayers with maquiladora operations in Mexico will not be exposed to double taxation if they enter into a unilateral advance pricing agreement (APA) with SAT through a “Fast Track” program introduced by SAT in October 2016.

Currently, the SAT has over 700 pending unilateral APA applications filed by maquiladoras covering tax years 2014 through 2018. The IRS and SAT entered into an agreement adopting the Fast Track program to timely address the current inventory of pending APA applications.

The new maquiladora framework is an election that SAT would offer to qualifying taxpayers with pending unilateral APA requests with the SAT. The program excludes (1) maquiladoras with annual revenue in excess of 1.2 billion pesos and (2) maquiladoras with a principal company located outside of the United States. The program offers the following options:

• Qualifying taxpayers may elect to apply the new maquiladora framework in a unilateral APA with the SAT. Because the transfer pricing framework adopted under SAT’s program was discussed and agreed upon with the U.S. competent authority in advance, the transfer pricing results set forth in unilateral APAs executed between SAT and the maquiladora will be regarded as arm’s-length for US tax purpose.

• Qualifying taxpayers that decline to elect to apply the new maquiladora framework may either:
  • Continue applying for a unilateral APA using traditional approach.
  • Use safe harbors provided in the 1999 agreement; or
  • File a request for a bilateral APA with the US and Mexican competent authorities.

It is expected that qualifying taxpayers with pending unilateral APA with the SAT will receive an election notice shortly (Unofficial source indicates that the SAT will contact the current APA representative or consultant first). The notice will include details on the steps the taxpayer must take regarding its pending unilateral APA request. Qualifying taxpayers should contact their APA representatives for further detail.

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-news/ir-16-133.pdf?_ga=1.134315953.1959233956.1449872249