Though the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has been supportive of the efforts in Congress to overhaul our outdated tax code, we are discouraged to find provisions in the bill that impose foreign taxes on Puerto Rico.
|
|||
The newly released tax bill includes an excise tax of 20% on products manufactured outside of the U.S. as well as a 12% tax on income derived from intellectual property by American companies outside of the U.S. Under the new tax bill, Puerto Rico is to be subject to these additional taxes. Put simply, Puerto Rico is to be taxed as a foreign country.
We cannot say this enough: The Puerto Rican people are American citizens, and they deserve to be treated as such. In the context of tax reform, this means that Puerto Rican families, entrepreneurs and businesses should be taxed at the same rate as any American family, entrepreneur or business.
The U.S. Constitution states that all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States. Not only is this tax increase unconstitutional given Puerto Rico’s status as a U.S. territory, it is a disservice to impose higher taxes on American businesses on the island as they recover from Hurricane Maria, the natural disaster that devastated the island only three months ago.
This is a call to action. The tax bill is to be voted on tomorrow, and, due to the pace at which the bill was pushed through Congress, many of our Congressional leaders are unaware of this harmful provision. We ask that, as our legislators work to pass meaningful tax reform this week, they amend the final tax bill to exempt Puerto Rico from burdensome foreign taxes. The tax bill that has been designed explicitly to boost American business must not stifle the recovering Puerto Rican economy.
Contact your Congressional and Senatorial representative TODAY.
Find Your Congressional Representative
About the USHCC
The USHCC actively promotes the economic growth, development and interests of more than 4.4 million Hispanic-owned businesses, that combined, contribute over $700 billion to the American economy every year. It also advocates on behalf of 260 major American corporations and serves as the umbrella organization for more than 200 local chambers and business associations nationwide. For more information, visit ushcc.com. Follow us on Twitter @USHCC.
Attachments:
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5fad2c51-1c4f-4a74-9a81-896bd10c24b3
Communications Team United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce [email protected]


Standard Chartered Names Peter Burrill as Interim Group CFO Following Diego De Giorgi’s Exit
AST SpaceMobile Joins MSCI ACWI Index as Largest New Addition, Boosting Market Visibility
Moderna Stock Drops After FDA Declines Review of mRNA Flu Vaccine
DBS Expects Slight Dip in 2026 Net Profit After Q4 Earnings Miss on Lower Interest Margins
Alphabet Plans Rare 100-Year Sterling Bond to Fund AI Expansion
Canadian Airlines Suspend Cuba Flights Amid Jet Fuel Shortage and U.S. Sanctions
Russia Signals Further Restrictions on Telegram Amid Ongoing Regulatory Disputes
Anta Sports Expands Global Footprint With Strategic Puma Stake
Salesforce Workforce Reduction Affects Fewer Than 1,000 Roles Amid Ongoing Restructuring
xAI Co-Founder Jimmy Ba Departs as Elon Musk’s AI Startup Faces Turbulence
Treasury Wine Estates Shares Surge After U.S. Dispute Settlement and Earnings Upgrade
Lyft Shares Slide After Weak Q1 Profit Forecast and Surprise 2025 Operating Loss
Cloudflare Forecasts Strong Revenue Growth as AI Fuels Cloud Services Demand
Innovent Biologics Shares Rally on New Eli Lilly Oncology and Immunology Deal
FAA Confirms $1.5 Billion Peraton Contract as U.S. Air Traffic Control Overhaul Accelerates
CBA Shares Surge After Record Half-Year Profit as Rate Outlook Improves
Samsung Electronics Sees Sustained AI-Driven Demand for Memory Chips Into Next Year 



