Rangel prefers no international tax in healthcare bill

By Kim Dixon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives said on Thursday he wants to keep President Barack Obama's international tax proposals out of any effort to fund healthcare reform.

Representative Charles Rangel said he wants to deal with issues like limiting tax deductions for U.S. multinational companies with operations overseas in the context of a broad tax reform bill to come later.

Fortune 500 companies are worried that U.S. lawmakers will eventually look to some of Obama's proposals to help pay for an estimated $1 trillion healthcare reform package.

Rangel, the chairman of one of three committees working on healthcare legislation in the House, said the panel will come up with revenue raisers for the bill "soon, very soon."

He made the comments in the hallways of a House office building.

The Democrat from New York said he wants to see what Republicans have to offer before the majority puts forth its options for funding. "We want to share with them our outline" and see what the two sides can agree on, he said.

The lawmaker would not tip his hand on whether a consensus is building at the daily meetings of the Ways and Means panel.

Possible revenue raisers include a cap on the tax-free status of employer-sponsored healthcare and Obama's suggestion of capping itemized deductions for high earners.

(Reporting by Kim Dixon, editing by Matthew Lewis)