The Moores were taxed $14,729 on that investment under a provision in the GOP’s signature 2017 tax law called the “mandatory repatriation tax” (MRT), which imposed a one-time tax on U.S. individuals and companies who have a significant stake in foreign corporations controlled by Americans.

In a Supreme Court case revolving around one couple’s disputed tax bill, justices Tuesday wanted to explore the case’s potential broader implications, while opposing lawyers wanted them just to stick to the case at hand.

The justices looked for an even keeled ruling in a case that has the potential to leave the government out trillions in tax revenue.

Conservative and liberal justices voiced concerns that ruling for a Washington state couple challenging a provision of the 2017 tax bill would threaten other provisions of the tax code.

The court looked unlikely to impose strict new limits on Congress’s power to tax income, with some conservative and liberal justices alike signaling wariness about upending long-settled principles of the federal tax code.

U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared hesitant to upend a tax on Americans who have invested in certain foreign corporations, as they pondered the meaning of "income" in a case that could undermine efforts by some Democratic lawmakers to impose a wealth tax on the very rich.

Justices appear hesitant to overturn tax on owners of foreign companies as government says to do so would cost US billions