IC-DISC
IC-DISC stands for interest charge domestic international sales corporations. These have become favored as a result of the lower tax rate on dividends received from domestic corporations at the 20% capital gains rate.
Taxation of IC-DISC
Congress designed IC-DISC as a mean by which U.S exporter could borrow funds from the U.S treasury. An IC-DISC has to be a domestic corporation with a simple class of stock that has a minimum par value of $25,000.
IC-DISC is not subject to the regular U.S corporate income tax rate. IC-DISC is not a taxable entity itself.
U.S shareholders of an IS-DISC are subject to tax on both actual and deemed dividend distribution from the IC-DISC.
An IC-DISC allows a U.S shareholder to defer paying U.S tax on the income derived from up to $10 million of qualified export receipts each year.
If a U.S shareholder fails to take dividend at the favorable 20% tax rate, the U.S share holder must pay an interest charge on its IC-DISC related deferred tax liability.
A U.S shareholder must continue to pay interest on deferred IC-DISC income until that income is distributed or deemed distributed by the IC-DISC.
IC-DISC shareholders complete the interest rate on form 8404.
Tests to qualify as an IC-DISC
To qualify as an IC-DISC, the domestic corporations must pass gross receipts and export assets test.
Gross receipts test
It states that 95% of the gross receipts of the IC-DISC must constitute qualified gross receipts of the following:
- Gross receipts from the sale, exchange, or other disposition of export property.
- Gross receipts from the lease or rental export property for use outside the United States.
- Gross receipts for services that are related in or are subsidiary to any exchange of property.
- Interest on any obligation that is qualified export asset.
- Gross receipts for engineering or architectural services for construction projects located outside of the United States.
- Gross receipts for the managerial services for furtherance of production or other qualified export receipts.
- Commissions received for any of the transactions listed above.
Export Asset Test
It states that 95% of the assets of the corporation must be qualified export assets. Following is a list of qualified assets.
- Accounts receivable.
- Temporary investments.
- Export property.
- Assets used primarily in connection with the production of qualified export receipts. Loans to producers.
References:
Practical Guide to US Taxation of International transactions 9th Edition
Robert J. Misey Jr.
Michael S. Schadewald
Publishers: Wolter Kluwer, CCH Incorporated.