International Tax Provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA)

Foreign Tax Credits (FTCs)

  • Increased Deemed Paid Credits: The Section 960 haircut has been reduced from 20% to 10%, increasing the available credits to 90%.
  • Limited Sourcing Rule: Up to 50% of income from U.S.-produced inventory sold abroad through foreign branches can be treated as foreign-source income.
  • No Change for Business Owners Abroad: The fundamental FTC system remains unchanged unless a Section 962 election is made.

Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (GILTI)

  • Renamed to Net CFC Tested Income (NCTI): The GILTI regime is now called Net CFC Tested Income (NCTI).
  • Reduced Section 250 Deduction: The deduction is reduced to 40%, resulting in a higher effective U.S. tax rate of 12.6% on NCTI.
  • Elimination of Deemed Tangible Income Return (DTIR): DTIR is removed from the calculation, simplifying the process.

Foreign-Derived Intangible Income (FDII)

  • Renamed to Foreign-Derived Deduction Eligible Income (FDDEI): FDII is now called Foreign-Derived Deduction Eligible Income (FDDEI).
  • Reduced Section 250 Deduction: The deduction is reduced to 33.34%, leading to an effective tax rate of 14% on FDDEI.
  • Exclusions from Deduction Eligible Income (DEI): Clarifies and expands exclusions, including income from outbound transfers under Section 367(d) and gains from sales of depreciable property.
  • Limited Deductions: Deductions for FDDEI calculations are limited to those directly related to qualifying income, excluding interest and R&E expenses.
  • Elimination of Return on QBAI: The return on Qualified Business Asset Investment (QBAI) is eliminated for FDDEI calculations.

Base Erosion and Anti-Abuse Tax (BEAT)

  • Permanent Rate: The BEAT rate is set at 10.5%.
  • Preserved Credits: Credits against the BEAT include R&D credits, low-income housing credits, renewable electricity production credits, and Section 38 credits.

Controlled Foreign Corporation (CFC) Rules and Subpart F

  • Downward Attribution Eliminated and Section 951B Introduced: Reinstates Section 958(b)(4) and introduces Section 951B to address policy concerns.
  • Permanent Look-Through Rule: The Section 954(c)(6) look-through rule is made permanent.
  • Modified Pro-Rata Share Allocation Rules: Income is allocated to U.S. shareholders owning CFC stock at any time during the tax year.

Proposed Section 899 ("Revenge Tax") – not included

  • The proposed Section 899, which would have increased taxes on governments and residents of countries enacting "unfair foreign taxes," is not included in the final Act.

Other International Tax-Related Provisions

  • Section 367(d) Transfers: Income from outbound transfers under Section 367(d) is excluded from deduction eligible income.
  • Expense Apportionment: Limited to directly allocable deductions, excluding interest and R&E expenses.