Earlier this year, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury expressed concerns regarding the Pillar 2 rules agreed upon by the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS. The United States proposed a 'side-by-side' solution where U.S. parented groups would be exempt from the Income Inclusion Rule (IIR) and Undertaxed Profits Rule (UTPR), acknowledging existing U.S. minimum tax rules.
Discussions were held to analyze respective minimum tax regimes, considering changes to the U.S. international tax system based on Senate amendments to H.R. 1, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). These discussions also considered the removal of section 899 in the Senate version of OBBBA and evaluated the impact of Qualified Domestic Minimum Top-up Tax (QDMTT) implementation.
There is a shared understanding that a side-by-side system could preserve gains made by jurisdictions in tackling base erosion and profit shifting, providing greater stability and certainty in the international tax system.
This understanding is based on several principles:
- A side-by-side system would exclude U.S. parented groups from UTPR and IIR for both domestic and foreign profits.
- It would include a commitment to address substantial risks related to level playing fields or base erosion.
- Work towards this system would coincide with simplifications in Pillar 2 administration and compliance.
- Changes to Pillar 2 treatment of substance-based non-refundable tax credits would ensure alignment with refundable tax credits.
The goal is to stabilize the international tax system further, facilitating dialogue on digital economy taxation while preserving countries' tax sovereignty.
The issues are relevant to various jurisdictions, and discussions will continue within the Inclusive Framework to reach an acceptable solution for all parties involved. The removal of section 899 is deemed crucial for these discussions.
