Tech

Bringing Cisco's cash back to the US would cause a rush of dividends, buybacks and M&A, CEO says

Cisco CEO: Bringing cash back to U.S.
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Cisco CEO: Bringing cash back to U.S.

Cisco Systems CEO Chuck Robbins told CNBC on Wednesday if the company could repatriate overseas capital, it would do a combination of dividends, buybacks and M&A activity.

Repatriating cash, or bringing international profits back to the U.S., would ultimately create some jobs for Cisco, Robbins said on "Squawk Box" on Wednesday at the Business Roundtable meeting in Washington.

Many major U.S. corporations keep piles of cash overseas because they don't want to pay steep taxes to bring it back home. Cisco has more than $60 billion abroad, and it could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of repatriation measures proposed by President-elect Donald Trump.

"I think it would for [create jobs] for Cisco, but it would also create jobs beyond that," Robbins said. "If we come back — if we were to increase our dividend — then that flows through the mutual funds, which flows through to the middle-class America, which flows through to make people feel better about their income."

He continued: "I think all that is good for business."

Robbins said Trump is pro-business and could drive the U.S. economy.