Trump Administration shuts down annoying Corporate Transparency Act

WASHINGTON – A law that was passed during the first Trump administration requiring business owners to tell the federal government all about themselves has been neutered by the new Trump administration, striking a blow for corporate rights.

The Trump Treasury Department announced today that, with respect to the Corporate Transparency Act, not only will it not enforce any penalties or fines associated with the beneficial ownership information reporting rule under the existing regulatory deadlines, but it will further not enforce any penalties or fines against U.S. citizens or domestic reporting companies or their beneficial owners after the forthcoming rule changes take effect either. The Treasury Department will further be issuing a proposed rulemaking that will narrow the scope of the rule to foreign reporting companies only. Treasury takes this step in the interest of supporting hard-working American taxpayers and small businesses and ensuring that the rule is appropriately tailored to advance the public interest.

The Corporate Transparency Act of 2019 required business owners to report about themselves to the federal government. It requires certain new and existing small corporations and limited liability companies to disclose information about their beneficial owners. A beneficial owner is an individual who (1) exercises substantial control over a corporation or limited liability company, (2) owns 25% or more of the interest in a corporation or limited liability company, or (3) receives substantial economic benefits from the assets of a corporation or limited liability company.

Specifically, if certain entities apply to form a corporation or limited liability company, they must file beneficial ownership information with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Furthermore, certain existing corporations and limited liability companies must file this information with FinCEN two years after the implementation of final regulations required under this division.

The division imposes a civil penalty and authorizes criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term for up to three years, or both—for providing false or fraudulent beneficial ownership information or for willfully failing to provide complete or updated beneficial ownership information.

But this law in not to be enforced, the Treasury Department said.

“This is a victory for common sense,” said U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “Today’s action is part of President Trump’s bold agenda to unleash American prosperity by reining in burdensome regulations, in particular for small businesses that are the backbone of the American economy.”