The Foreign Sales Corporation (“FSC”) is one of the few great tax benefits left in the U.S. tax code. And it’s available to most U.S. exporters. Surprisingly, the FSC remains underutilized, leaving untapped the opportunity for exporters to pay less income tax.
Many businesses mistakenly believe that the FSC has become obsolete, or was at some point statutorily abolished. In fact, the opposite is true. In 1997, Congress explicitly expanded the definition of qualified export property to include computer software licensed for reproduction abroad.
The sole purpose of the FSC legislation is to promote United States exports in a manner compatible with GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade). Congress advisedly elected to give up tax revenue when it enacted the FSC provisions in the mid-1980s.
Basic FSC concept
Even though the statutory rules surrounding the FSC are somewhat complex, the FSC idea is simple: The U.S. exporter sets up an offshore subsidiary—the FSC—in an approved foreign jurisdiction. The savings is achieved by “pushing” a portion of export income to the FSC and exempting a portion of that export income from U.S. tax.
This can be done two ways:
1. The U.S. parent could sell its product to its FSC under regulated pricing rules, with the FSC then reselling to the ultimate customer.
2. The U.S. parent could pay the FSC a commission based on the amount of the FSC’s export sales.
Under either structure, a portion of the export profit is attributable to the FSC—not the U.S. company. Without the FSC legislation, this type of profit, simply shifted offshore, would be immediately subject to U.S. tax. The FSC exceptions are codified in Sections 921 through 927 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.
Export Property
The U.S. exporter must sell, lease or otherwise dispose of “export property” to benefit from an FSC. Generally, “export property” is defined as property manufactured, produced, grown or extracted in the U.S. by someone other than the FSC (not more than 50 percent of the fair market value of the property can be attributable to articles imported into the U.S.). It’s also held primarily for sale, lease or other disposition in the ordinary course of business for direct use or disposition outside the U.S.
The actual calculations necessary to determine the exemption amount are complex. But the amount on which the exemption is based revolves around “Foreign Trading Gross Receipts.” FTGRs are gross receipts of the FSC resulting from the sale or other disposition of “export property.”
Foreign management factor
The FSC can have FTGRs—and therefore qualify for the exemption—only if the FSC meets two additional requirements: (1) the “foreign management” requirement and (2) the “foreign economic processes” requirement.
The “foreign management” requirement is met if: (a) all meetings of the board and all meetings of the shareholders are outside the U.S.; (b) the principal bank account of the FSC is maintained outside the U.S. at all times during the taxable year; and (c) all dividends, legal and accounting fees, and salaries of officers and members of the board of directors disbursed during the taxable year are disbursed out of bank accounts of the FSC maintained outside the U.S.
The foreign economic processes generally require testing to make certain that activities performed by or on behalf of the FSC take place outside the U.S.
Pricing rules
Finally, the pricing rules included with the FSC provisions are critical to the use—and to reaping the benefit—of the FSC. The pricing between the parent and its FSC subsidiary will determine the profit that can be shifted offshore.
Under the pricing regulations, two different pricing “standard” schemes are considered:
- 23 percent of Combined Taxable Income Method (“the administrative pricing method”). Under this method, 23 percent of the combined taxable income of the FSC and its supplier from the export transaction will be considered the FSC’s income from that transaction.
- 1.83 percent of Foreign Trade Gross Receipts Method (“gross receipts method”). Under this method, the FSC’s profit derived from the export transaction is equal to 1.83 percent of the foreign trading gross receipts from the transaction.
U.S. exporters with export revenue of $1 million or more should evaluate the potential savings opportunity offered by the FSC. Generally, by using an FSC, a U.S. exporter can lower its effective tax rate on its export income from 35 percent to just under 30. The tax savings are immediately measurable.
Julie E. McGuire is a shareholder, tax attorney and state-licensed CPA in the Pittsburgh law firm of Hull McGuire, P.C. This article is presented for informational and opinion purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal advice. Reach McGuire at (412) 261-2600.