Senate Democrats Eye Taxes on Stock Buybacks, Excess CEO Pay

  • Senate Finance panel is assembling raft of tax-hike proposals
  • Tax increases would go to pay for higher social spending
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, center, speaks to members of the media at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg
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Senate Democrats are discussing a wider range of tax proposals than President Joe Biden has proposed, including levies on stock buybacks, carbon emissions and executive compensation, as part of a package of measures to help fund a ramping up in social spending.

One idea is applying an excise tax on stock buybacks or treating them as taxable dividends to shareholders, according to two people familiar with Senate Finance Committee discussions. Corporate deductions for executive compensation could also be limited, and companies could face an excise tax if their chief executive officer’s pay exceeds that of an average company worker by a certain ratio, the people said.