CFP Lobbies Senate Against Deposit Interest Taxation

Tax-News.com, Washington

07 November 2001

The Centre for Freedom and Prosperity has told the US Senate that the IRS should not help foreign governments tax income earned in the US by non-resident aliens.

The Center, joined by 39 other major organizations, sent a letter to the Senate calling for the immediate withdrawal of a proposed IRS regulation that would force American banks to report bank deposit interest paid to nonresident aliens. The letter, which urges lawmakers to adopt market-based tax policy, states, "this proposed regulation could drive hundreds of billions of dollars of capital out of the American economy - with no increase in revenue to the US Treasury. This regulation was a bad idea before September 11; it is an even worse idea today."

Andrew Quinlan, President of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity, stated, "The Bush Administration should withdraw this Clinton-era regulation. U.S. banks and financial institutions benefit greatly from the deposits of nonresident aliens. These deposits, in turn, help every American by creating jobs, financing small business loans and improving the general welfare of all Americans."

Dan Mitchell, Senior Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, explained why the IRS regulation is bad tax policy and bad economic policy: "Only the United States government should have the right to tax income earned in America.
Helping other governments tax U.S.-source income would drain capital from the U.S. economy, undermine American financial institutions, and interfere with international commerce."

The text of the letter is below:

November 1, 2001

Dear Senator:

The economy is performing below its potential. Workers are losing jobs,
families are watching investments drop in value, and businesses are losing
money. These developments require a response. Many proposals for new
spending are irresponsible and would do nothing to stimulate long term
recovery. Fortunately, there are a number of tax reforms that could help
restore growth and boost job creation. A "stimulus" package based on the
following principles would benefit America's workers, investors, and
entrepreneurs by improving incentives to work, save, and invest:

All of the tax rate reductions currently scheduled for 2004 and 2006 should
take effect immediately - and certainly no later than January 1, 2002.
Investors, entrepreneurs, and small business owners should not be hamstrung
by needlessly punitive tax rates.
Enhanced depreciation for business investment should be permanent. Temporary
tax cuts have almost no effect on long-term behavior. Instead, they mostly
encourage businesses to alter the timing of investments. On expiration, they
provoke an investment slump.
The corporate alternative minimum tax should be repealed, especially since
it imposes a higher tax burden on companies when their income falls.
Significant capital gains tax reduction should be part of the proposal. This
extra layer of tax on productive investment undermines U.S. competitiveness
in the global economy and also discourages risk-taking and entrepreneurship.
It also is important to block initiatives that would hinder economic
recovery. One sensible action would be the immediate withdrawal of the IRS
regulation proposed in the waning days of the last administration. Dealing
with the reporting of bank deposit interest paid to nonresident aliens, this
proposed regulation could drive hundreds of billions of dollars of capital
out of the American economy - with no increase in revenue to the U.S.
Treasury. This regulation was a bad idea before September 11; it is an even
worse idea today.

Better tax policy will help the economy recover. That is why it is important
to reduce the tax penalties on productive behavior. A stimulus package that
reduces tax rates on workers, investors, and business will mean more jobs,
higher incomes, and a stronger America.

Sincerely,

Edwin J. Feulner - The Heritage Foundation
M. Gene Aldridge - New Mexico Independence Research Institute, Inc.
Paul Beckner - Citizens for a Sound Economy
David Burton - Prosperity Institute
Jon Caldara - Independence Institute
Stephen Entin - Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation
Robert Funk - 'American Shareholders Association
Michael Gilstrap - Tennessee Institute for Public Policy
Tom Giovanetti - Institute for Policy Innovation
John Goodman - National Center for Policy Analysis
Grant Gulibon - Commonwealth Foundation
Kevin Hassett - American Enterprise Institute
John Hood - John Locke Foundation
Gordon Jones - Association of Concerned Taxpayers
Jeff Judson - Texas Public Policy Foundation
David Keene - American Conservative Union
Jack Kemp - Empower America
Karen Kerrigan - Small Business Survival Committee
James Martin - 60 Plus
John McClaughry -Ethan Allen Institute
Edwin Moore - James Madison Institute
Steve Moore - Club for Growth
Ronald Nehring - 'Project for Californias Future
Grover Norquist - Americans for Tax Reform
Duane Parde - American Legislative Exchange Council
Mitchell Pearlstein - Center of the American Experiment
Andrew Quinlan - Center for Freedom and Prosperity
Don Racheter -Public Interest Institute
Richard Rahn - Discovery Institute
Lawrence W. Reed - Mackinac Center for Public Policy
Alan Reynolds - Cato Institute
Gary Robbins - Fiscal Associates
Terrence Scanlon - Capital Research Center
Tom Schatz - Council for Citizens Against Government Waste
Eric Schlecht - National Taxpayers Union
Forest Thigpen - Mississippi Policy Institute
Lew Uhler - National Tax Limitation Committee
Brian S. Wesbury - Griffin, Kubik, Stephens & Thompson, Inc
Paul Weyrich - Free Congress Foundation
Bob Williams - Evergreen Freedom Foundation

.

Recommended

Write a comment