Corporate Transparency Act of 2017

This bill requires an entity that forms a corporation or limited liability company to disclose information about its beneficial owners. A beneficial owner is an individual who exercises substantial control over a corporation or limited liability company or has a substantial interest in or receives substantial economic benefits from the assets of a corporation or limited liability company.

Specifically, if an entity applies to form a corporation or limited liability company in a state that does not require the disclosure of beneficial ownership information, then the entity must file beneficial ownership information with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

The bill imposes a civil penalty and authorizes criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term for up to three years, or both—for providing false or fraudulent beneficial ownership information or for willfully failing to provide complete or updated beneficial ownership information.

It directs the Department of the Treasury to require persons engaged in the business of forming (or of purchasing, selling, or transferring the public records that form) corporations or limited liability companies to establish anti-money laundering programs.

The Government Accountability Office must study and report on: (1) the availability of beneficial ownership information for other legal entities (e.g., partnerships), and (2) the effectiveness of incorporation practices implemented under this bill.