B.E.A.T.-ing Base Erosion: U.S. Subjects Large Corporations to Anti-Abuse Tax

Volume 5 No 2    |    Read Article

By Galia Antebi and Sheryl Shah

Cross-border payments to related parties have been an arrow in the quiver of cross-border tax planners since the time that income tax and global trade first intersected. The new Code §59A introduces the Base Erosion and Anti-Abuse Tax ("B.E.A.T.") on large corporations that significantly reduce their U.S. tax liability through the use of cross-border payments to related persons. It is structured as another form of the now-repealed corporate Alternative Minimum Tax rather than a disallowance of a deduction in computing regular taxable income. Banks that have significant interest payments and U.S. companies that pay significant royalties for trademarks, copyrights, and know-how are the targets of the tax to the extent full 30% withholding tax is not imposed. Galia Antebi and Sheryl Shah explain how the tax is computed. Is this another step towards a global trade war?    See more →