Barack Obama might back territorial tax system: business chief
seen as having a chance of winning approval in Congress only if it were to be coupled with a major budget deal, where Obama could win some of his priorities.
The Business Roundtable is composed of chief executives from marquee companies ranging from mega-retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc to Wall Street's JPMorgan Chase & Co.
TAX REVAMP UNCERTAIN
Lawmakers in Congress have been working on a tax code overhaul for more than a year, though its prospects are unclear given a crowded legislative agenda and disputes over revenue.
Obama last year pitched a corporate tax revamp that included cutting the top corporate tax rate to 28 percent from 35 percent and closing a number of business tax breaks to pay for the cut.
Pam Olson, assistant treasury for tax policy under Republican President George W. Bush and now chief of PricewaterhouseCooper's Washington tax practice, said Obama's plan carefully opposed a "pure" territorial tax system, but left the door open for hybrid systems that might, for instance, exempt some but not all offshore profits from US taxation.
"The use of the term 'pure' I think, was a signal that they were willing to consider it," Olson said.
Critics of moving to a territorial system say it will cause further US jobs and business to move offshore.
A report by the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan think tank for lawmakers, this month said US-based global companies are increasingly shifting profits into tax havens like Bermuda and Switzerland. [See: IDnL1N0AXJZJ]
Critics say this proves companies are aggressively skirting the law to avoid
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