It seems like the left and the right have entered into a competition as to which side can make the silliest tax observation. The New York Times came out strong for the left as its team of reporters was handed fragments of Trump’s 1995 tax filings. They proceeded to “explain” flow-through entities and net operating losses, fairly mundane tax concepts, as if they were tools of Satan. It did not take long for the right to strike back at least as imprudently.
State Tax Planning with the “80/20 Company” Exclusion
Ted Stotzer
Many multinational groups find that foreign-source dividends and other income earned by domestic affiliates are fully or partially subject to state income taxation, even where the federal system provides an exemption. This state-level “leakage” can be material – particularly in high-tax jurisdictions – and is often overlooked because the income appears sheltered at the federal level. For groups with predominantly foreign operations, a starting structure or a restructuring that causes one or more domestic affiliates to qualify as an “80/20 company” can substantially reduce or eliminate state taxation on that income.
