The biggest companies in the world are excited about one of Trump's key economic plans
Trump has proposed lowering the statutory tax rate on US corporations to 15% from the current 39%. While few companies actually pay the full 39% (the average effective tax rate for S&P 500 companies is around 29%), the possibility that the rate could drop even further has executives pretty jazzed up.
According to FactSet's John Butters, of the 42 S&P 500 companies that reported earnings through January 18, 11 of them have brought up Trump's tax proposal. It is also the most cited policy of Trump's by these firms.
Firms from across many sectors have all said the drop in the tax rate would be good for business.
"I think when you say indirect and direct, you mean direct, obviously, we've been a relatively high taxpayer. And so to the extent to which tax rates come down, we're a beneficiary," said Goldman Sachs Co-COO Harvey Schwartz. "But obviously, changes in tax policy can be a huge catalyst for how all of our clients think about deploying their capital, strategic decisions."
Delta Airlines also touted the benefits of a tax cut on their business.
"And then the other item that I mentioned is the tax reform that's being discussed," said executives on Delta's earnings call. "I see Delta certainly being a beneficiary of that, though it's hard to speculate as to the form it will take, given its very early."
Following taxes, regulation was the second most mentioned policy with eight companies mentioning the possibility of reforms, followed by trade policy (6), fiscal stimulus or infrastructure spending (4), and healthcare (4).
Trump touted the possibility of a tax cut in a meeting with top business executives on Monday, saying that he wants a rate of "15% to 20%."
