The effort to ensure that Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin pays his fair share of taxes now has bipartisan support.
House Speaker John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, said on Sunday that he may back legislation introduced last week by two Democratic senators designed to punish Mr. Saverin and anyone else who gives up their U.S. citizenship in order to dodge millions of dollars in taxes.
“This is outrageous that somebody would renounce their citizenship to avoid paying taxes,” Mr. Boehner said on ABC’s “This Week.”
Mr. Saverin now lives in Singapore and stands to make billions of dollars after Facebook went public last week.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat and co-author of the legislation along with Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania, estimated that Mr. Saverin could save as much as $100 million in taxes on his Facebook shares by renouncing his citizenship.
The proposed legislation would prohibit Mr. Saverin from ever returning to the U.S.
Mr. Boehner said that current law may adequately address the issue but that he’ll look into it more closely, and he remains open to backing the bill.
“I’m not sure it’s necessary. If it is necessary, I surely would support it,” Mr. Boehner said.
