Employee Ownership Blog

Corey Rosen, Scott Rodrick

Biden Tax Plan Would Spur Sales to Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs)

The tax provisions of the Biden administration’s American Families Plan would provide a substantial, if unintentional, boost to employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). The proposal would significantly increase capital gains taxes for wealthy individuals, marginally increase the top individual tax rate, and increase the top marginal corporate tax from 21% to 28%. Additionally, the step-up in basis at death would be removed. Whether the changes are good economic policy or not, or are likely to pass in any form, will be hotly debated. But their impact on ESOPs could be dramatic.

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Corey Rosen

Almost One in Eight of the Largest Private Companies Is Employee-Owned

Twenty-five of the largest private companies as ranked by Forbes (219 in all) are employee-owned. Twenty-one of these have ESOPs, two have profit sharing plans that work like ESOPs, one is owned by a trust for employees, and one provides phantom stock to all employees. The companies are ranked by sales. Nine of the companies are supermarket or convenience store chains, and six are in construction. Companies had to have $2 billion or more in sales to be in the list.

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Corey Rosen

Sample ESOP Plan Administration Charter Now in NCEO Document Library

ESOP plan administration committees are set up by companies to oversee ESOP operations. Depending on the committee's charter, it can appoint and monitor the ESOP trustee; resolve questions concerning allocations, vesting, eligibility, distributions, and other plan operational issues; make sure appropriate records are kept and passed on to the third-party administrator (TPA); and interpret plan provisions, among other possibilities. Not all ESOPs have these committees. These functions may be performed by the board of directors.

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Corey Rosen

Canada Moves Forward on Employee Ownership

The Trudeau government has proposed a new budget that contains an important provision to look at ways for Canada to set up employee ownership trusts following the models of US ESOPs and UK Employee Ownership Trusts. The budget states that: “Employee ownership trusts encourage employee ownership of a business, and facilitate the transition of privately owned businesses to employees. Both the United States and the United Kingdom support and encourage employee ownership through these types of arrangements. Budget 2021 announces that the government will engage with stakeholders to examine what barriers exist to the creation of employee ownership trusts in Canada, and how workers and owners of private businesses in Canada could benefit from the use of employee ownership trusts.”

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Loren Rodgers

The State of Employee Ownership in Europe

On March 31, the European Federation of Employee Share Ownership (EFES) reported on the state of employee ownership in Europe in 2020 in its annual report on employee ownership in European countries. Author Marc Mathieu notes that “the upward trend in the number of employee shareholders continues,” but also that it may be in danger in Europe as it becomes “less and less democratic.”

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Loren Rodgers

Six Ways to Get the Most from the April 16 Preconference Sessions

On April 16, the NCEO’s preconference sessions will give you a chance to dig in and make headway on one single employee ownership issue. You can go into more depth than in a conference sessions without devoting a whole workday. The preconference sessions are 2.5 hours, which is a quick way to get a block of continuing education credit, and each preconference includes an integrated set of presentations to move you from point A to point B, whether you are starting from scratch or are a “regular” at our conferences.

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