Washington—The IMF and United States on Wednesday gave a boost to the international campaign to raise taxes on wealthy firms that have done well during the pandemic in order to finance recovery efforts.
The renewed support for tax changes comes as G20 finance ministers said they would continue work on a minimum corporate tax aimed at undermining the use of tax havens internationally, with a deal possible by July.
The plan also has the support of France and Germany but US President Joe Biden’s administration on Wednesday took the first step by announcing it intended to raise domestic corporate taxes and clamp down on loopholes to ensure US companies making huge profits, at home or overseas, pay a minimum amount to the government.
“Destructive tax competition will only end when enough major economies stop undercutting one another and agree to a global minimum tax,” US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.
Yellen this week also said she wants the G20 to reach a global agreement on taxation to prevent firms from evading levies by establishing headquarters in countries with lower rates—a practice prevalent among tech companies.
The IMF backs that idea and also argues that higher taxes on wealthy firms and individuals, even if temporary, could finance policies needed to ensure recovery from the pandemic.
“The IMF has been calling for a minimum, global corporate income tax rate as a way to interrupt the race to the bottom in corporate income taxation,” said Vitor Gaspar, head of the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department.
US President Joe Biden last week announced plans to raise corporate taxes to pay for a massive $2-trillion infrastructure and jobs program.
The US proposal “is in the context of an effort at the global level to combat tax avoidance and evasion and to make sure that large multilateral, multinational corporations pay their fair share in taxation,” Gaspar told reporters during the fund’s spring meetings.
The powerful US Chamber of Commerce, however, expressed opposition to raising taxes, saying it would “hurt American businesses and cost American jobs.”
Irish finance minister Paschal Donohoe on Tuesday also expressed “reservations” over the global proposal.
Ireland is considered a major tax haven, but Donohoe rejected the notion the country has sought a “race to the bottom.”
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has been leading the charge on reaching a global tax agreement, and its chief Angel Gurria said there is a “unique opportunity” this year to advance the issue and “ensure the fair taxation of multinational companies, including digital companies.”
In his statement to the IMF meeting, he said such a deal could increase global corporate income tax revenues by up to $100 billion a year.