The groups wrote:
“Many of these agreements were signed by the U.S. Department of Treasury several years ago. The protracted period of ratification could send a signal, inadvertently, to all U.S. tax treaty partners that the U.S. does not value the benefits of tax treaties and that the expansion, improvement and modernization of the U.S. bilateral tax treaty network is not a priority. Given the unilateral actions that many foreign governments are considering as a consequence of issues raised in the OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting process, this sends the wrong signal at the wrong time.
“For more than 80 years, income tax treaties have played a critical role in fostering U.S. bilateral trade and investment and protecting U.S. businesses, large and small, from double taxation of the income they earn from selling goods and services in foreign markets. Tax treaties do so primarily by reducing foreign withholding taxes and otherwise restricting the ability of the foreign treaty partner to tax the income of U.S. taxpayers. On a reciprocal basis, tax treaties reduce U.S. withholding taxes to encourage foreign companies to invest in the United States. …
“Tax treaties help the U.S. economy by allowing U.S. companies to more efficiently conduct their businesses abroad and by making the U.S. more hospitable to foreign investment, which creates and sustains millions of American jobs.”
For the full text of the letter, click here.
In addition to the NFTC, the letter was signed by Business Roundtable, Financial Executives International, the Information Technology Industry Council, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Organization for International Investment, the Software Finance & Tax Executives Council, the Trans-Atlantic Business Council, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the United States Council for International Business.
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About the NFTC
Serving America’s Global Businesses Since 1914 – The National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org) is a leading business organization advocating an open, rules- based global trading system. Founded in 1914 by a broad-based group of American companies, the NFTC now serves hundreds of member companies through its offices in Washington and New York.
