The TCJA generally eliminated taxes on dividends, or repatriated earnings, to U.S. multinationals from their foreign affiliates. Dividends of $776.5 billion in 2018 exceeded earnings for the year, which led to negative reinvestment of earnings, decreasing the investment position for the first time since 1982. Tables 3 and 4 provide information on the country and industry breakdown of dividends.
By country, nearly half of the dividends in 2018 were repatriated from affiliates in Bermuda ($231.0 billion) and the Netherlands ($138.8 billion). Ireland was the third largest source of dividends, but its value is suppressed due to confidentiality requirements. By industry, U.S. multinationals in chemical manufacturing ($209.1 billion) and computers and electronic products manufacturing ($195.9 billion) repatriated the most in 2018.
Right and at no point are you saying that earnings/profits were impacted by the tax amnesty and money being brought back on shore.
Your link says that the most predictable thing happened- all that money sitting over seas was given back to its owners (shareholders).
Absolutely none of this affected profits for that year.
Mind you, that money was not being used for R&D anyways - it was sitting in bank accounts or bonds waiting for a moment like this to come back and be handed out to shareholders.
https://www.bea.gov/news/2019/direct-investment-country-and-industry-2018
Right and at no point are you saying that earnings/profits were impacted by the tax amnesty and money being brought back on shore.
Your link says that the most predictable thing happened- all that money sitting over seas was given back to its owners (shareholders).
Absolutely none of this affected profits for that year. Mind you, that money was not being used for R&D anyways - it was sitting in bank accounts or bonds waiting for a moment like this to come back and be handed out to shareholders.
That’s literally what I’m saying.
Are you being semantic?
They realized the revenue as dividends, which is exactly what the link says.