欧洲企业担心美国打击税收倒置

欧洲跨国公司在华盛顿发起自卫努力，以防自己成为美国打击以避税为目的的国际并购的受害者。
在奥巴马政府敲定打击“税收倒置”交易的计划之际，雀巢(Nestlé)、荷兰皇家壳牌(Royal Dutch Shell)、空客(Airbus)、巴斯夫(BASF)等通常不碰美国政治的大型欧盟企业，都在担心各自美国业务面临的风险。
美国企业纷纷利用税收倒置交易，将自己的注册地转移至税率较低的国家，以减少它们在美国的应纳税额，让美国政府无法对它们在美国以外获得的利润征税。
欧洲跨国公司并未参与税收倒置。但它们担心，旨在限制此类交易的经济效益的举动，可能增加它们在美国的税收金额和借款成本，因为它们的结构跟采用税收倒置的企业相同，都是由一家海外注册的母公司控制一家美国子公司。
一名知悉会议情况的人士表示，那些企业的高管们直接向奥巴马政府官员和议员们表达了他们的担忧。
税收倒置被一些民主党和共和党人谴责为“逃跑”行为，巴拉克•奥巴马(Barack Obama)预计最早将于本周公布旨在限制此类行为的行政措施。
美国财政部长杰克•卢(Jack Lew)昨日表示，虽然白宫想要彻底改革整个公司税体系，“但有一个漏洞是应该立即补上的，那就是税收倒置”。
然而，雀巢美国高级税务高管亚历克斯•斯皮策(Alex Spitzer)表示，设计不佳的行政措施或法律可能让这家瑞士食品集团不敢在美国投资于工厂和工作岗位。
“令人担忧的是，在打击税收倒置的时候，会产生一些意外后果，导致企业不愿对美国投资，而投资对我们的经济非常重要。”他向英国《金融时报》表示，“这是个洗澡水和孩子的问题。”
无党派智库——税收政策中心(Tax Policy Center)副主任埃里克•托德(Eric Toder)表示，欧盟企业应该感到紧张。“一旦人们开始关注企业用税收倒置来避税，企业总部位于海外、运作方法相同的企业也必然会受到关注。”
荷兰皇家壳牌和巴斯夫表示，他们支持了对这个问题的游说。空客补充表示：“任何立法和其他行为在设计时都必须小心，注意确保不会阻碍对美国的投资，这很重要。”
Dealogic数据显示，自2013年初以来，已有13笔税收倒置交易公布，总价值达1780亿美元，其中包括汉堡王(Burger King)以114亿美元收购加拿大咖啡店连锁提姆霍顿(Tim Hortons)。(更多全球资讯请关注中国进出口网) European multinationals have launched a rearguard effort in Washington to ­prevent them becoming unintended ­victims of a US clampdown on tax-driven international mergers.
As the US administration finalises plans to curb “tax inversion” deals, big European companies that typically stay out of US politics – including Nestlé, Royal Dutch Shell, Airbus and BASF– are alarmed at the risk to their own US divisions.
US companies are using inversions to shift their addresses to countries with lower tax rates, reducing their US tax bills and putting their non-US earnings beyond the reach of the American authorities.
European multinationals have played no part in inversions. But they are concerned that moves to limit the economic benefits of the deals would increase their US tax and borrowing bills because they have the same structure as inverters: a foreign-domiciled parent controlling a US subsidiary.
Executives have voiced their concerns directly to administration officials and lawmakers, according to a person with knowledge of the meetings.
Inversions have been condemned by some Democrats and Republicans as acts of “desertion” and Barack Obama’s administration is expected to unveil executive action to curb them as early as this week.
Jack Lew, the US Treasury secretary, said yesterday that while the White House wanted to overhaul the whole corporate tax system, “there is one loophole that should be shut down immediately – inversions”.
However, Alex Spitzer, a senior tax executive at Nestlé in the US, said badly-designed executive action or legislation risked deterring investment by the Swiss food group in US factories and jobs.
“The concern is that when they are going after inversions it will have unintended consequences, creating disincentives for inbound investment, which is important for our economy,” he told the Financial Times. “It’s a baby and the bathwater issue.”
Eric Toder, co-director of the Tax Policy Center, a non-partisan think-tank, said European companies should be nervous. “once there’s a focus on how inverted companies are avoiding tax, there will inevitably be a focus on other foreign-based companies doing the same thing.”
Shell and BASF said they backed lobbying on the issue. Airbus added: “It’s important that any legislation or other action be carefully crafted with an eye to ensuring investments in the US are not discouraged.”
Thirteen inversion deals have been announced since the start of 2013 – including Burger King’s $11.4bn acquisition of the Canadian coffee shop chain Tim Hortons – with a combined valuation of $178bn, according to Dealogic.

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