The Deferral Effects of Passing Through Foreign Subsidiaries’ Passive Income

The immediate U.S. taxation of foreign subsidiaries' passive, but not active income is a scenario of increasing practical importance. This paper builds on Alvin Warren's recent analysis of this partially deferral-tempering case. It clarifies some of the legal and economic mechanics behind Warren's formula. It also makes several points de novo. It highlights the conceptual relationship between passive-income pass-through and delayed realization of accrued gains. It points out that delayed realization inside the subsidiary effectively deactivates passive-income pass-through. And it describes when it does and does not matter that the parent takes interim distributions from the subsidiary, as when it uses such distributions to pay its interim pass-through tax liability