Washington (AFP)

The United States wants to push its international partners to find an agreement on a minimum tax rate for companies, regardless of the country in which they are located, at a time when they themselves want to finance an investment plan by increasing taxes. corporate taxes.

"We are working with the G20 countries to agree on a minimum corporate tax rate," Joe Biden's Economy and Finance Minister Janet Yellen said Monday during a speech at Chicago.

The objective: "to put an end to this race to the bottom", in which the countries are engaged, which, to attract businesses to their territory and guarantee them a competitive environment, offer companies ever lower tax rates .

"Together, we can use minimum global corporate taxation to ensure that the global economy thrives on a more level playing field in the taxation of multinationals," said Janet Yellen.

If the United States is so inclined to harmonize corporate taxation, it is because they themselves have planned to make companies pay more, to finance the ambitious investment plan of 2,000 billion dollars over eight years in transport, industry and internet networks, presented on March 31 by President Joe Biden.

He wants to increase the corporate tax, which would go from 21% to 28%.

And if a minimum tax rate is adopted internationally, this would prevent the country from being deserted by companies, in favor of more generous neighbors.

- "Not a cent of tax" -

The subject could be raised on Wednesday, at a meeting of the G20.

The organization hopes to reach an agreement by the meeting of finance ministers and central bankers of member countries on July 9 and 10.

Faced with fears, Joe Biden repeated Monday to reporters that this tax hike should not lead American companies to move abroad.

"We are talking about a 28% rate that seems fair to everyone," he said.

He was also offended that the United States has "51 or 52 groups" among the 500 richest "who have not paid a single penny in tax for three years".

Defeating criticism of the negative consequences for businesses of such legislation, Janet Yellen also said that it could on the contrary "(stimulate) innovation, growth and prosperity".

- "Stable tax systems" -

"Competitiveness is not just about how companies headquartered in the United States stack up against other companies in global mergers and acquisitions tenders," the secretary said. Treasure.

Indeed, she continued, "it is about ensuring that governments have stable tax systems that generate sufficient revenue for essential public investments and to respond to crises, and that government funding is shared equitably among citizens ".

Janet Yellen, during a Senate hearing a few days earlier, had already said she was in favor of increasing U.S. corporate taxes as part of a global deal negotiated at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD).

The draft agreement discussed at the G20 concerns all sectors of activity, but it is particularly acute for digital multinationals, which pay taxes often unrelated to the amount of their profits and have been the big winners in 2020 of the Covid-19 pandemic.

During her speech on Monday, Janet Yellen also insisted on the need to see all countries recover from the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic: "for the United States to prosper, our neighbors must also prosper" , she stressed.

She also mentioned the United States' commitment to the fight against climate change, "after being on the low side for four years."

© 2021 AFP