That’s exactly want this law is stopping. Companies will always try to reduce their tax burden which is why this initiative, a tax floor, is global. The law is an effective way of increasing the minimum tax - what you said doesn’t really apply.
Global tax is complicated. A reprisal tariff regime would be way way way more complicated. The US doesn’t want to be in a position where it’s levying 50% tariffs on Guinness because Ireland’s corporate tax rate is 12.5%. How do you know that tariff is fair and would the WTO even recognize uneven tax rates as a sanctionable offense?
It’s embarrassing you’re an accountant and yet indulge in conspiratorial thinking. I’ve worked in and audited small, medium and large companies. Public companies have the strictest controls around personal spending of company resources. All public companies have to comply with SOX. I’ve never seen a private company voluntarily comply with that standard.
Germany approves global minimum corporate tax (www.reuters.com)
Multinational firms will have to pay a minimum of 15% tax on all of the profits they make worldwide, regardless of where the profits are generated.