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S. 863Senate115th Congress (2017-2019)In Committee

Offshoring Prevention Act

Sponsored by Sheldon WhitehouseSen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Introduced April 6, 2017

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 15, 2026 at 2:34 PM UTC

The Offshoring Prevention Act would change U.S. tax law so that a controlled foreign corporation (CFC) must pay U.S. tax on income that comes from property it imports into the United States. It creates a new category called “imported property income” and makes sure that foreign tax credits are limited for that income. The changes affect U.S. shareholders of CFCs and the foreign corporations themselves.

Key Provisions

  • Adds a new definition of “imported property income,” covering profits, commissions, fees, etc., earned from manufacturing, selling, leasing, or licensing property that is imported into the U.S.
  • Specifies what counts as “imported property,” including property the CFC imports directly or sells to an unrelated buyer who is expected to import it, with exceptions for property later exported or certain agricultural commodities.
  • Amends the rules for calculating a CFC’s taxable income so that imported property income is included in the amount subject to U.S. tax.
  • Modifies the foreign tax credit limitations to treat imported property income like other foreign base company income, ensuring credits can’t fully offset the new tax.
  • Makes technical adjustments to several sections of the Internal Revenue Code to insert the new terms and ensure consistency.
  • Sets the changes to take effect for foreign corporation tax years that begin after the law is enacted and for U.S. shareholders’ tax years that include those foreign years.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action
SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Finance Committee

April 6, 2017

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

April 6, 2017

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Finance Committee

April 6, 2017

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued April 6, 2017

II

115th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 863

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

April 6 (legislative day, April 4), 2017

Mr. Whitehouse introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

A BILL

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for the taxation of income of controlled foreign corporations attributable to imported property.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Offshoring Prevention Act.

2.

Taxation of income of controlled foreign corporations attributable to imported property

(a)

General Rule

Subsection (a) of section 954 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking the period at the end of paragraph (5) and inserting , and, by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (4), and by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

(5)

imported property income for the taxable year (determined under subsection (j) and reduced as provided in subsection (b)(5)).

.

(b)

Definition of Imported Property Income

Section 954 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

(j)

Imported Property Income

(1)

In general

For purposes of subsection (a)(5), the term imported property income means income (whether in the form of profits, commissions, fees, or otherwise) derived in connection with—

(A)

manufacturing, producing, growing, or extracting imported property;

(B)

the sale, exchange, or other disposition of imported property; or

(C)

the lease, rental, or licensing of imported property.

Such term shall not include any foreign oil and gas extraction income (within the meaning of section 907(c)) or any foreign oil related income (within the meaning of section 907(c)).
(2)

Imported property

For purposes of this subsection—

(A)

In general

Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, the term imported property means property which is imported into the United States by the controlled foreign corporation or a related person.

(B)

Imported property includes certain property imported by unrelated persons

The term imported property includes any property imported into the United States by an unrelated person if, when such property was sold to the unrelated person by the controlled foreign corporation (or a related person), it was reasonable to expect that—

(i)

such property would be imported into the United States; or

(ii)

such property would be used as a component in other property which would be imported into the United States.

(C)

Exception for property subsequently exported

The term imported property does not include any property which is imported into the United States and which—

(i)

before substantial use in the United States, is sold, leased, or rented by the controlled foreign corporation or a related person for direct use, consumption, or disposition outside the United States; or

(ii)

is used by the controlled foreign corporation or a related person as a component in other property which is so sold, leased, or rented.

(D)

Exception for certain agricultural commodities

The term imported property does not include any agricultural commodity which is not grown in the United States in commercially marketable quantities.

(3)

Definitions and special rules

(A)

Import

For purposes of this subsection, the term import means entering, or withdrawal from warehouse, for consumption or use. Such term includes any grant of the right to use intangible property (as defined in section 936(h)(3)(B)) in the United States.

(B)

United states

For purposes of this subsection, the term United States includes the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

(C)

Unrelated person

For purposes of this subsection, the term unrelated person means any person who is not a related person with respect to the controlled foreign corporation.

(D)

Coordination with foreign base company sales income

For purposes of this section, the term foreign base company sales income shall not include any imported property income.

.

(c)

Separate Application of Limitations on Foreign Tax Credit for Imported Property Income

(1)

In general

Paragraph (1) of section 904(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking and at the end of subparagraph (A), by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (C), and by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following new subparagraph:

(B)

imported property income, and

.

(2)

Imported property income defined

Paragraph (2) of section 904(d) of such Code is amended by redesignating subparagraphs (I) and (K) as subparagraphs (J) and (K) respectively, and by inserting after subparagraph (H) the following new subparagraph:

(I)

Imported property income

The term imported property income means any income received or accrued by any person which is of a kind which would be imported property income (as defined in section 954(j)).

.

(3)

Conforming amendment

Clause (ii) of section 904(d)(2)(A) of such Code is amended by inserting or imported property income after passive category income.

(d)

Technical Amendments

(1)

Clause (iii) of section 952(c)(1)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended—

(A)

by redesignating subclauses (II), (III), (IV), and (V) as subclauses (III), (IV), (V), and (VI), and

(B)

by inserting after subclause (I) the following new subclause:

(II)

imported property income,

.

(2)

The last sentence of paragraph (4) of section 954(b) of such Code is amended by striking subsection (a)(5) and inserting subsection (a)(4).

(3)

Paragraph (5) of section 954(b) of such Code is amended by striking and the foreign base company oil related income and inserting the foreign base company oil related income, and the imported property income.

(e)

Effective Date

The amendments made by this section shall apply to taxable years of foreign corporations beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act, and to taxable years of United States shareholders within which or with which such taxable years of such foreign corporations end.