In: Accounting
what is "base erosion" and what provisions has the U.S. enacted to mitigate it?
Base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) refers to corporate tax planning strategies used by multinationals to "shift" profits from higher-tax jurisdictions to lower-tax jurisdictions, thus "eroding" the "tax-base" of the higher-tax jurisdictions.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) define BEPS strategies as also "exploiting gaps and mismatches in tax rules.
US proposed regulations
On 13 December 2018, the United States (US) Treasury Department (Treasury) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued proposed regulations under Internal Revenue Code1 Section 59A (Proposed Regulations), providing guidance on the application of the base erosion and anti-abuse tax (BEAT). The Proposed Regulations include provisions addressing: