Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

U.S. Senate Democrats float stock buyback tax as part of $3.5 trillion bill

Published 09/10/2021, 02:03 PM
Updated 09/10/2021, 04:07 PM
© Reuters. An aerial view of the construction of the Sixth Street Viaduct replacement project, adjacent to a rail yard and a rooftop covered in solar panels, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., August 11, 2021.  REUTERS/Bing Guan

© Reuters. An aerial view of the construction of the Sixth Street Viaduct replacement project, adjacent to a rail yard and a rooftop covered in solar panels, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., August 11, 2021. REUTERS/Bing Guan

By David Lawder and Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Two senior U.S. Senate Democrats on Friday unveiled a proposal to impose a 2% excise tax on corporate stock buybacks as lawmakers scrambled to find ways to finance President Joe Biden's $3.5 trillion domestic investment plan.

Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden and Senate Banking Committee Chair Sherrod Brown said the "Stock Buyback Accountability Act" would encourage large corporations to invest in their workers rather than enriching investors executives by boosting stock prices.

The proposal is among several floated by Wyden to boost government revenues, including imposing additional taxes on corporations that give out CEO pay that exceeds a certain multiple of the company's average worker wages.

Biden and congressional Democrats have already been pushing to raise taxes on the wealthy and corporations to help pay the $3.5 trillion bill.

But resistance from moderate members of the party, including some who represent states or districts that supported former Republican President Donald Trump, have prompted Democrats to search for a new mix of revenue-raisers.

Republicans are attacking Democrats over the bill as both parties position themselves for the 2022 mid-term elections which will determine control of Congress.

Representative Kevin Brady, the senior Republican on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said Democratic tax hikes "could kill a million U.S. jobs, raise fuel prices and leave America more dependent on foreign oil."

Democrats portray their effort as a "once-in-a-generation" chance to improve the lives of the elderly and disadvantaged children, address climate change and reform immigration.

Multiple House committees this week began considering amendments to the $3.5 trillion bill. Ways and Means has defeated several Republican amendments aimed at limiting its scope.

Next week, that panel is expected to debate the politically-charged issue of tax increases in the bill, which also contains some tax breaks for those earning less than $400,000.

WORKERS

The 2% stock buyback tax seeks to address Democrats' frustrations with an increase in stock buybacks by publicly traded companies in 2018 after a massive corporate tax cut passed by Republicans at the end of 2017 that allowed firms to repatriate profits held overseas at low rates.

"Instead of spending billions buying back stocks and handing out CEO bonuses, it’s past time Wall Street paid its fair share and reinvested more of that capital into the workers and communities who make those profits possible,” said Brown, who is also a Senate Finance Committee member.

The Brown-Wyden legislation would prohibit companies from deducting the cost of the excise tax from their income but would exclude stock repurchases to fund an employee pension plan or employee stock plans.

In the face of strong Republican opposition to the legislation, Democrats in both houses of Congress aim to craft a bill that they can pass on their own.

That is particularly important in the Senate because under special budget "reconciliation" rules Democrats would not need the 60 votes in the 100-member chamber normally required to advance legislation.

© Reuters. An aerial view of the construction of the Sixth Street Viaduct replacement project, adjacent to a rail yard and a rooftop covered in solar panels, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., August 11, 2021.  REUTERS/Bing Guan

The Senate currently is split 50-50 between the two parties.

House committees are expected to complete their work next week, which would leave leading Democrats in the House and Senate working on revisions to bring down the $3.5 trillion price to give it a better chance of passing.

Latest comments

buyback this. u *****
Democrats can only take money from someone else
For every transection - 0.50 cents transection fee would be apropriate to fund
Howvaboit a 5% dales tax on ANY STOCK purchase and drop Capital Gains/Loses. If you can buy it, you cannpay tax on it. Simple to figure. Even George Jetsen and Fred Flintstone can figure it out.Better: Get rid of the Income Tax. Have 5 to 10%,sales tax. No exceptions except for maybe medical. No non profit exceptions. Everybody from the super rich to panhandlers have to pay. Today there is no such a thing as a non-profit. Then all have skin in the game.
Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.