Code §962 Election: One or Two Levels of Taxation?

Volume 6 No 1   |   Read Article

By Fanny Karaman and Nina Krauthamer

Code §962 allows an Individual U.S. Shareholder to apply corporate tax rates and offers relief from double taxation in certain situations, but where new provisions of the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act (“T.C.J.A.”) are involved, the application is murky. The T.C.J.A. introduced two provisions designed to limit the scope of deferral for the earnings of foreign subsidiaries operating abroad. One provision is the one-time deemed repatriation tax regime of Code §965, which looks backward to tax what had been permanently deferred earnings. The other provision is the global intangible low taxed income (“G.I.L.T.I.”) regime, which eliminates most deferral on a go-forward basis. Each provision limits deferral but, at the same time, imposes relatively benign tax on U.S.-based multinationals. Interestingly, it seems that it was only in the last days of the legislative process that Congress became aware that owner-managed businesses also operate abroad. While the provisions clearly apply to corporations, Congress may or may not have provided a benefit for the U.S. individuals who own of these companies. Sound cryptic? Fanny Karaman and Nina Krauthamer explain all.  See more →