The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release December 17, 2009
Executive Order — Amending Executive Order 12425
EXECUTIVE ORDER
- – - – - – -
AMENDING EXECUTIVE ORDER 12425 DESIGNATING INTERPOL
AS A PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION ENTITLED TO
ENJOY CERTAIN PRIVILEGES, EXEMPTIONS, AND IMMUNITIES
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 1 of the International Organizations Immunities Act (22 U.S.C. 288), and in order to extend the appropriate privileges, exemptions, and immunities to the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), it is hereby ordered that Executive Order 12425 of June 16, 1983, as amended, is further amended by deleting from the first sentence the words “except those provided by Section 2(c), Section 3, Section 4, Section 5, and Section 6 of that Act” and the semicolon that immediately precedes them.
BARACK OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE,
December 16, 2009.
OBAMA’S EO 12425 AMENDMENT CAN BE FOUND HERE.
(If you wish to view the original United States International Organizations Immunities Act of 1945, you can view the PDF by clicking HERE.)
This amendment change mentioned above is the amending to EO 12425 that Ronald Reagan had signed on June 16, 1983:
By virtue of the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and statutes of the United States, including Section 1 of the International Organizations Immunities Act (59 Stat. 669, 22 U.S.C. 288), it is hereby ordered that the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), in which the United States participates pursuant to 22 U.S.C. 263a, is hereby designated as a public international organization entitled to enjoy the privileges, exemptions and immunities conferred by the International Organizations Immunities Act; except those provided by Section 2(c), the portions of Section 2(d) and Section 3 relating to customs duties and federal internal-revenue importation taxes, Section 4, Section 5, and Section 6 of that Act. This designation is not intended to abridge in any respect the privileges, exemptions or immunities which such organization may have acquired or may acquire by international agreement or by Congressional action.
Signature of Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
The White House,
June 16, 1983.
REAGAN’S EO 12425 AMENDMENT CAN BE FOUND HERE.
NOTE: Just to put all the changes to EO 12425, Bill Clinton made one other small change September 15, 1995:
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to extend the appropriate privileges, exemptions, and immunities upon the International Criminal Police Organization (‘‘INTERPOL’’) it is hereby ordered that Executive Order No. 12425 be amended by deleting, in the first sentence, the words ‘‘the portions of Section 2(d) and’’ and the words ‘‘relating to customs duties and federal internal-revenue importation taxes’’.
Signature of William J. Clinton
William J. Clinton
The White House,
September 15, 1995.
CLINTON’S EO 12425 AMENDMENT CAN BE FOUND HERE.
Here are the actual sections of the United States International Organizations Immunities Act of 1945 that Obama removed on the 16th:
Section 2(c).
Property and assets of international organizations, wherever located and bywhomsoever held, shall be immune from search, unless such immunity be expressly waived, and from confiscation. The archives of international organizations shall be inviolable.
Section 3.
Pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Commissioner of Customs withthe approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, the baggage and effects of alien officers and employees of international organizations, or of aliens designated by foreign governments to serve as their representatives in or to such organizations, or of the families, suites, ands ervants of such officers, employees, or representatives shall be admitted (when imported inconnexion with the arrival of the owner) free of customs duties and free of internal-revenue taxes imposed upon or by reason of importation.
Section 4.
The Internal Revenue Code is hereby amended as follows:
(a) Effective with respect to taxable years beginning after December 31, 1943, section116 (c), relating to the exclusion from gross income of income of foreign governments, is amended to read as follows:
“(c) Income of Foreign Governments and of International Organizations. The income of foreign governments or international organizations received from investments in the United States in stocks, bonds, or other domestic securities owned by such foreign governments or by international organizations, or from interest on deposits in banks in the United States of moneys belonging to such foreign governments or international organizations, or from any other source within the United States.”
(b) Effective with respect to taxable years beginning after December 31, 1943, section116 (h) (1), relating to the exclusion from gross income of amounts paid employees of foreign governments, is amended to read as follows:
“(1) Rule for Exclusion. – Wages, fees, or salary of any employee of a foreign government or of an international organization or of the Commonwealth of the Philippines (including a consular or other officer, or a non-diplomatic representative), received as compensation for official services to such government, international organization, or such Commonwealth -
“(A) If such employee is not a citizen of the United States, or is a citizen of the Commonwealth of the Philippines (whether or not a citizen of the United States); and
“(B) If, in the case of an employee of a foreign government or of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, the services are of a character similar to those performed by employees of the Government of the United States in foreign countries or in the Commonwealth of the Philippines, as the case may be; and
“(C) If, in the case of an employee of a foreign government or the Commonwealth of the Philippines, the foreign government or the Commonwealth grants an equivalent exemption to employees of the Government of the United States performing similar services in such foreign country or such Commonwealth, as the case may be.”
(c) Effective January 1, 1946, section 1426 (b), defining the term “employment” for the purposes of the Federal Insurance Contributions Act, is amended (1) by striking out the word “or” at the end of paragraph (14), (2) by striking out the period at the end of paragraph (15) and inserting in lieu thereof a semicolon and the word “or”, and (3) by inserting at the end ofthe subsection the following new paragraph:
“(16) Service performed in the employ of an international organization.”
(d) Effective January 1, 1946, section 1607 (c), defining the term “employment” for thepurposes of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act, is amended (1) by striking out the word”or” at the end of paragraph (14), (2) by striking out the period at the end of paragraph (15)and inserting in lieu thereof a semicolon and the word “or”, and (3) by inserting at the end ofthe subsection the for owing new paragraph:
“(16) Service performed in the employ of an international organization.”
(e) Section 1621 (a) (5), relating to the definition of “wages” for the purpose of collection of income tax at the source, is amended by inserting after the words, “foreign government” the words “or an international organization”.
(f) Section 3466 (a), relating to exemption from communications taxes is amended byinserting immediately after the words “the District of Columbia” a comma and the words “oran international organization”.
(g) Section 3469 (f) (1), relating to exemption from the tax on transportation of persons, is amended by inserting immediately after the words “the District of Columbia” acomma and the words “or an international organization”.
(h) Section 3475 (b) (1), relating to exemption from the tax on transportation of property, is amended by inserting immediately after the words “the District of Columbia” acomma and the words “or an international organization”.
(i) Section 3797 (a), relating to definitions, is amended by adding at the end there of a new paragraph as follows:
(18) International Organization. – The term ‘international organization’ means a public international organization entitled to enjoy privileges, exemptions, and immunities as an international organization under the International Organizations Immunities Act.”
Section 5.
(a) Effective January 1, 1946, section 209 (b) of the Social Security Act, defining the term “employment” for the purposes of title II of the Acts is amended (1) bystriking out the word “or” at the end of paragraph (14), (2) by striking out the period at the end of paragraph (15) and inserting in lieu thereof a semicolon and the word “or”, and (3) byinserting at the end of the subsection the following new paragraph:
“(16) Service performed in the employ of an international organization entitled to enjoy privileges, exemptions, and immunities as an international organization under theInternational Organizations Immunities Act.”
(b) No tax shall be collected under title VIII or IX of the Social Security Act or under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act or the Federal Unemployment Tax Act, with respect to services rendered prior to January 1, 1946, which are described in paragraph (16) of sections 1426 (b) and 1607 (c) of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended, and any such tax heretofore collected (including penalty and interest with respect thereto, if any) shall be refunded in accordance with the provisions of law applicable in the case of erroneous or illegal collection of the tax. No interest shall be allowed or paid on the amount of any such refund. No payment shall be made under title II of the Social Security Act with respect to services rendered prior to January 1, 1946, which are described in paragraph (16) of section209 (b) of such Act, as amended.
Section 6.
International organizations shall be exempt from all property taxes imposed by, or under the authority of any Act of Congress, including such Acts as are applicable solely to the District of Columbia or the Territories.
To end this off, if you’re a little bit curious (and made it this far down), check this out…
Public International Organizations Entitled To Enjoy Certain Privileges, Exemptions, and Immunities
International organizations were designated by executive order as public international organizations entitled to enjoy the privileges, exemptions, and immunities conferred by the International Organizations Immunities Act (this subchapter) as follows:
TOO MANY TO LIST. CLICK HERE – YOU’LL RECOGNIZE A LOT OF THEM.