Results

At QGA, we are results driven and take great pride in helping our clients achieve success.

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

• If a U.S. firm conducts its foreign business through a foreign-chartered subsidiary corporation, its overseas earnings are not subject to U.S. tax as long as the income remains in the hands of the foreign subsidiary and is reinvested abroad. The income is subject to U.S. tax only when it is ultimately repatriated to the U.S. parent corporation as dividends or other intrafirm payments. At that point, U.S. taxes ordinarily apply, but through legislation passed in 2004 our client and other similarly situation firms received a one-time exemption on repatriated foreign dollars. For a major U.S. multinational firm, QGA successfully worked during the 108th Congress to pass a one-time exemption for foreign income repatriated to the U.S., saving this company the higher tax rate that otherwise would have been paid on $8 billion of repatriated foreign funds.
• On behalf of two of our foreign firm clients with extensive operations in the U.S. we worked closely with the House leadership and Chairman Rangel’s staff to narrow a proposed pay-for tax change that might have swept too broadly and adversely affected foreign company tax treatment. On July 27, 2007, the House of Representatives approved H.R. 2419, an omnibus farm bill. The bill's spending provisions exceeded the budget baseline for agriculture, and to comply with House pay-as-you-go budget rules, the bill included several revenue-raising tax provisions, in particular a proposal to restrict in certain cases the use of tax-treaty benefits by foreign firms with operations in the United States. QGA worked to narrow that provision successfully and are continuing to monitor the omnibus farm bill in conference so that our clients will not suffer adverse tax consequences.
• A trade dispute between the largest bilateral trading relationship in the world led a natural resources client to call upon QGA to advise on strategy. QGA represented this foreign industry on Capitol Hill to prevent congressional action that would harm the client’s negotiating posture and ultimately provided the path to communicate with U.S. policymakers. After years of negotiations, a long term trade agreement was reached in 2006.
• After 9/11, Congress enacted liability limits for the airlines, unintentionally shifting enormous liability to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the group holding the lease on the World Trade Center site. QGA worked with the parties to generate support within the Administration and the House and Senate leadership for liability parity for the World Trade Center. Ultimately, language limiting liability for the World Trade Center, as well as for airline manufacturers and the City of New York, was enacted into law as part of the Aviation Security Act.
• The world’s leading premium beverage company faced a proposed Department of Treasury regulation that jeopardized an entire product line and threatened to have a significant impact on the company’s bottom line. QGA worked closely with the company in presenting to Treasury policymakers a strong case that a more moderate approach would accomplish the Department’s objectives while saving jobs and preserving a broad array of product choice for consumers. After carefully and deliberately weighing the voluminous comments submitted on this controversial proposal, the Department of Treasury published a Final Rule representing a compromise from the proposed regulation and strongly supported by the QGA client.
• Lawsuit abuse in various state courts led the world’s largest not-for-profit business federation to call on QGA to manage the Class Action Reform Coalition and lead the consulting efforts in the House and Senate. After almost eight years and with QGA’s leadership, ground-breaking legislation was passed in early 2005 changing federal law to allow for interstate class action lawsuits to be moved from state to federal court and is considered a huge step in combating lawsuit abuse.
• After working for nearly 20 years to repeal an obsolete tax on insurance, a major mutual insurer enlisted QGA to bring a fresh approach to the problem. QGA was able to gain full repeal of the Section 809 tax by adding it to pension reform legislation.
• When the Northeast Dairy Compact expired in 2002, QGA was retained by a major processing organization to ensure that the compact was not reauthorized. QGA played a lead role in persuading Congress not to reauthorize the pact.
• A major national housing organization client had grave concerns regarding an evolving proposal at HUD, which would substantially alter the housing sales marketplace and have unintended adverse consequences on the market. After QGA presented empirical data corroborating these concerns, HUD and White House officials decided to withdraw the proposal and give it renewed consideration.
• When a major domestic industry faced possible extinction brought on by years of unfair foreign trade practices, QGA was hired to help devise and negotiate a solution with the U.S. government. In 2002, President Bush announced the imposition of temporary import tariffs to help this industry get back on its feet.
• A major technology company faced a well-financed, politically connected competitor that was lobbying Congress and the FCC to force the sharing of exclusive spectrum bandwidth — and to do so at no cost. Over the course of four years, QGA successfully defeated more than 10 attempts to include spectrum sharing language in various pieces of legislation. In the end, our client’s competitor was forced to give up in defeat.
• A major player in the airline travel industry was threatened with devastating new rules proposed by the Department of Transportation. Rather than tinker with the proposal, QGA suggested the client push for deregulation. The result: DOT’s final rule did indeed deregulate the industry after a six month transition.
• When a change in tax law resulted in Puerto Rico-based corporations paying a higher tax on dividends than Mainland-based corporations, a prominent Puerto Rican financial services company turned to QGA for help. Working with Senate and House tax writers and Department of Treasury officials, QGA successfully advocated the tax rate for corporations based in Puerto Rico be lowered to reflect the tax rate there. In the fall of 2004, this change, saving Puerto Rico-based companies million, was included in the FSC-ETI legislation and signed into law by the President.
• When a large energy and power company was faced with strong local opposition to the re-licensing of one of its nuclear power facilities, it turned to QGA for assistance. QGA successfully navigated the bureaucracies at FEMA and the NRC to win approval of a new safety and soundness plan.
• When home state politicians objected to an upper-Midwest Indian tribe’s bid for sovereignty, the tribe turned to QGA for help navigating the regulatory process. QGA helped the tribe successfully navigate the process and achieve Interior department approval of a new compact.

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COMMUNICATIONS

• A consortium of financial service and housing-related trade associations hired QGA to provide strategic communications in its pursuit of stronger regulation of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. QGA’s efforts helped yield dozens of editorials and op-eds favoring more robust regulation and in the Spring of 2004, the Senate Banking Committee approved legislation to create a stronger regulator.
• When a Fortune 100 company undertook a highly contested merger, QGA was called on to provide senior-level strategy and communications counsel. While industry analysts and pundits alike predicted defeat, company shareowners ultimately voted to approve the merger.
• A Fortune 25 company faces increasing global public relations and regulatory challenges to its business model. As a member of its worldwide issue management team, QGA has helped this company move from a defensive to offensive communications and government affairs strategy and, to date, prevent any adverse outcomes.
• When one of the country’s leading food processors was indicted by the Department of Justice, it needed to quickly tell its side of the story to the media and other stakeholders. QGA helped implement an aggressive communications strategy to defend the company against inaccurate claims and proactively make its case. Ultimately, the company won its case.
• QGA was retained to repeal the more than 100-year-old, three percent excise tax on telecommunications services that is added to every American household’s phone bill. Through an aggressive public relations and government relations campaign, both the House and Senate voted overwhelmingly to repeal the tax (though President Clinton vetoed the underlying vehicle for unrelated reasons).

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