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HR 1265 111th Congress House Taxation Administrative law and regulatory procedures Currency Department of the Treasury Financial services and investments Foreign and international corporations Income tax deductions Interest, dividends, interest rates Tax administration and collection, taxpayers Taxation of foreign income

Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act

Introduced: March 3, 2009 Introduced by: Doggett, Lloyd Democratic · Texas See on congress.gov
This bill died when the 111th Congress ended
It never became law before the 111th Congress (2009–2010) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 6 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 16, 2009
Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy.
Mar 3, 2009
Referred to House Judiciary
Mar 3, 2009
Referred to House Financial Services
Mar 3, 2009
Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Mar 3, 2009
Referred to House Ways and Means
Mar 3, 2009
Introduced in House
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to tax shelter activities to: (1) establish legal presumptions against the validity of transactions involving offshore secrecy jurisdictions (i.e., foreign tax havens identified in this Act and by the Secretary of the Treasury); (2) impose restrictions on foreign jurisdictions, financial institutions, or international transactions that are of primary money laundering concern or that impede U.S. tax enforcement; (3) treat certain foreign corporations managed and controlled primarily in the United States as domestic corporations; (4) increase the period for Internal Revenue Service (IRS) review of tax returns involving offshore secrecy jurisdictions; (5) require tax withholding agents and financial institutions to report certain information about beneficial owners of foreign-owned financial accounts and accounts established in offshore secrecy jurisdictions; (6) disallow tax advisor opinions validating transactions in offshore secrecy jurisdictions; (7) subject dividend equivalents and substitute dividends to the 30% tax on foreign income; and (8) impose reporting requirements for transactions involving a passive foreign investment company.

Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and other federal enactments to impose a penalty for failure to disclose holdings or transactions involving a foreign entity.

Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to publish a final rule requiring unregistered investment companies, including hedge funds or private equity funds, to establish anti-money laundering programs, and to submit suspicious activity reports.

Modifies requirements for certain third party summonses used to obtain information in tax investigations that do not identify the person with respect to whose liability the summons is issued (John Doe summons).

Increases penalties for promoting abusive tax shelters and for aiding and abetting the understatement of tax liability.

Prohibits the patenting of tax planning inventions.

Prohibits tax advisor contingent fee agreements for obtaining tax savings or benefits.

Allows increased disclosure of tax information for enforcement purposes.

Directs the Secretary to impose standards for written tax opinions by tax practitioners.

Denies tax deductions for certain fines and penalties for violations of law and for interest paid on certain understatements of tax.

Sets forth rules for the application of the economic substance doctrine and imposes penalties for underpayments of tax due to transactions lacking economic substance.

What's happening now March 16, 2009

Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy.

 Related & companion bills 2
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 4
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 1265: Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act. 111th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/111-HR-1265/
MLA
"H.R. 1265: Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act." 111th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/111-HR-1265/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 1265, 111th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/111-HR-1265/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 1265: Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/111-HR-1265/)
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