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CRS Says Some Expiring Tax Provisions Likely to Lapse

NOV. 5, 2013

R43124

DATED NOV. 5, 2013
DOCUMENT ATTRIBUTES
Citations: R43124

 

Molly F. Sherlock

 

Specialist in Public Finance

 

 

November 5, 2013

 

 

Summary

Dozens of temporary tax provisions are scheduled to expire at the end of 2013 under current law. Most of the provisions set to expire in 2013 have been part of past temporary tax extension legislation. Most recently, many temporary tax provisions were extended as part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA; P.L. 112-240). Collectively, temporary tax provisions that are regularly extended by Congress -- often for one to two years -- rather than being allowed to expire as scheduled are often referred to as "tax extenders."

Interest in tax reform during the 113th Congress has led some to believe that tax extenders should be addressed as part of the tax reform process. The President's FY2014 Budget identifies several expiring provisions that should be permanently extended (and in some cases substantially modified), including the research and experimentation (R&D) tax credit, enhanced expensing for small businesses, the renewable energy production tax credit (PTC), the new markets tax credit (NMTC), the work opportunity tax credit (WOTC), the deduction for state and local sales taxes, the exclusion of discharge of principal residence indebtedness, and the tax deduction for energy-efficient commercial buildings. Unlike previous budget proposals during the Obama Administration, the President's FY2014 Budget does not propose or assume that some set of expiring provisions is temporarily extended.

There are several reasons why Congress may choose to enact tax provisions on a temporary basis. Enacting provisions on a temporary basis provides legislators with an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of tax policies prior to expiration or extension. Temporary tax provisions may also be used to provide temporary economic stimulus or disaster relief. Congress may also choose to enact tax provisions on a temporary rather than permanent basis due to budgetary considerations, as the foregone revenue from a temporary provision will generally be less than if it was permanent.

The provisions that are scheduled to expire in 2013 are diverse in purpose, including provisions for individuals, businesses, the charitable sector, energy, community assistance, and disaster relief. Among the individual provisions scheduled to expire are deductions for teachers' out-of-pocket expenses, state and local sales taxes, qualified tuition and related expenses, and mortgage insurance premiums. On the business side, under current law, the R&D tax credit, the WOTC, the active financing exceptions under Subpart F, and increased expensing and bonus depreciation allowances will not be available for taxpayers after 2013. Charitable provisions scheduled to expire include the enhanced deduction for contributions of food inventory and provisions allowing for tax-free distributions from retirement accounts for charitable purposes. The renewable energy production tax credit (PTC) is set to expire at the end of 2013, along with a number of other incentives for energy efficiency and renewable and alternative fuels. The new markets tax credit, a community assistance program, is also scheduled to expire at the end of 2013.

A majority of the provisions set to expire at the end of 2013 were temporarily extended as part of ATRA. There were, however, a number of provisions that had previously been included in "tax extenders" legislation that were not extended under ATRA. Moving forward, Congress may choose to address expiring tax provisions as part of tax reform, deciding at that time which temporary provisions should become a permanent part of the tax code. Alternatively, Congress may choose to develop a tax extender package, extending some or all of the provisions that have previously been extended in "tax extender" legislation.

                               Contents

 

 

 Introduction

 

 

 The Concept of "Tax Extenders"

 

 

      Evaluating Expiring Tax Provisions

 

 

           Reasons for Temporary Tax Provisions

 

 

           Extenders as Tax Benefits

 

 

      The Cost of Extending Expiring Provisions

 

 

 Tax Provisions Expiring in 2013

 

 

      Individual

 

 

      Business

 

 

      Charitable

 

 

      Energy

 

 

      Community Development

 

 

      Disaster Relief

 

 

 Tax Extenders in the 112th Congress

 

 

 Tables

 

 

 Table 1. The Cost of Extending Expiring Provisions

 

 

 Table 2. Tax Provisions Expiring in 2013

 

 

 Table 3. Temporary Tax Provisions & "Tax Extenders" Which Expired in

 

          2011 & 2012

 

 

 Contacts

 

 

 Author Contact Information

 

 

Introduction

Dozens of temporary tax provisions are scheduled to expire at the end of 2013 under current law. The American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA; P.L. 112-240), signed into law on January 2, 2013, reduced tax policy uncertainty by permanently extending most of the tax cuts first enacted in 2001 and 2003 and permanently indexing the alternative minimum tax (AMT) for inflation.1 ATRA, however, did not eliminate uncertainty in the tax code. Under ATRA, a number of provisions that had been allowed to expire at the end of 2011 or 2012 were temporarily extended through 2013.2 Thus, under current law, there remain dozens of temporary tax provisions scheduled to expire at the end of this year.3

Collectively, temporary tax provisions that are regularly extended by Congress rather than being allowed to expire as scheduled are often referred to as "tax extenders." Many of these "tax extender" provisions have been temporarily extended multiple times. The research tax credit, for example, has been extended 15 times since being enacted in 1981. Most of the temporary tax provisions scheduled to expire at the end of 2013 have been extended more than once.

Interest in tax reform during the 113th Congress has led some to believe that tax extenders should be addressed as part of the tax reform process. Representative Dave Camp, chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, has been quoted stating that "all the extenders are issues that we're going to be looking at in tax reform."4 Senators Max Baucus and Orrin Hatch, Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, respectively, have both reportedly stated that extenders should be addressed as part of comprehensive tax reform.5 With tax reform efforts unlikely to be completed in 2013, it seems likely that the tax provisions scheduled to expire at the end of 2013 will lapse, at least temporarily. Some have noted that the House-Senate Budget Resolution Conference Committee could provide instructions for addressing expiring tax provisions as part of their negotiations.6

The Obama Administration's FY2014 budget also suggests that expiring tax provisions could be addressed as part of tax reform, noting that "the President's proposal for revenue neutral reform would prevent hundreds of billions of dollars from being added to the deficit if the Congress continues to extend temporary business tax incentives without paying for them."7The President's FY2014 budget proposal would permanently extend, and in some cases substantially modify, selected expiring provisions. Among provisions the President's FY2014 budget would make permanent8 are the research and experimentation (R&D) tax credit, enhanced expensing for small businesses, the renewable energy production tax credit (PTC), the new markets tax credit (NMTC), the work opportunity tax credit (WOTC), the deduction for state and local sales taxes, the exclusion of discharge of principal residence indebtedness, and the tax deduction for energy-efficient commercial buildings. Unlike previous budget proposals, the President's FY2014 budget does not suggest temporary extension of these selected expiring provisions. The President's FY2013 budget proposed extending most expired and expiring provisions through 2013.

Allowing temporary tax provisions to expire at the end of 2013 does not necessarily mean that these tax provisions will not be available to taxpayers in 2013. In recent years, Congress has chosen to retroactively extend expired tax provisions. Under ATRA, for example, a number of tax provisions that had been allowed to expire at the end of 2011 were retroactively extended through 2013.

The Concept of "Tax Extenders"

The tax code presently contains dozens of temporary tax provisions. In the past, legislation to extend some set of these expiring provisions has been referred to by some as the "tax extender" package. While there is no formal definition of a "tax extender," the term has regularly been used to refer to the package of expiring tax provisions temporarily extended by Congress. Oftentimes, these expiring provisions are temporarily extended for a short period of time (e.g., one or two years). Over time, as new temporary provisions have been routinely extended and hence added to this package, the number of provisions that might be considered "tax extenders" has grown.9

Evaluating Expiring Tax Provisions

There are various reasons Congress may choose to enact temporary (as opposed to permanent) tax provisions. Enacting provisions on a temporary basis, in theory, would provide Congress with an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of specific provisions before providing further extension. Temporary tax provisions may be also used to provide relief during times of economic weakness or following a natural disaster. Congress may also choose to enact temporary provisions for budgetary reasons. Examining the reason why a certain provision is temporary rather than permanent may be part of evaluating whether a provision should be extended.

Reasons for Temporary Tax Provisions

There are several reasons why Congress may choose to enact tax provisions on a temporary basis. Enacting provisions on a temporary basis provides an opportunity to evaluate effectiveness before expiration or extension. However, this rationale for enacting temporary tax provisions is undermined if expiring provisions are regularly extended without systematic review, as is the case in practice. In 2012 testimony before the Senate Committee on Finance, Dr. Rosanne Altshuler noted that

 

. . . an expiration date can be seen as a mechanism to force policymakers to consider the costs and benefits of the special tax treatment and possible changes to increase the effectiveness of the policy. This reasoning is compelling in theory, but has been are traditionally considered and passed in their entirety as a package of unrelated temporary tax benefits.10

 

Several temporary tax provisions that had previously been extended a number of times were allowed to expire during the 112th Congress (see the "Tax Extenders in the 112th Congress" section below). Arguably, certain incentives were not extended as it was determined that their benefit did not exceed the cost. For example, tax incentives for alcohol fuels (e.g., ethanol), which can be traced back to policies first enacted in 1978, were not extended beyond 2011. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) had previously found that with the renewable fuel standard (RFS) mandate, tax credits for ethanol were duplicative and did not increase consumption.11

Tax policy may also be used to address temporary circumstances in the form of economic stimulus or disaster relief, for example. Economic stimulus measures might include bonus depreciation or generous expensing allowances.12 Various tax policies have also been enacted to provide relief following natural disasters.13 Recent examples of other temporary provisions that have been enacted to address special economic circumstances include the exclusion of mortgage forgiveness from taxable income during the recent housing crisis,14 the payroll tax cut,15 and the Section 1603 grants in lieu of tax credits to compensate for weak tax-equity markets during the economic downturn.16 It has been argued that provisions that were enacted to address a temporary situation should be allowed to expire once the situation is resolved.17

Congress may also choose to enact tax policies on a temporary basis for budgetary reasons. If policymakers decide that legislation that reduces revenues must be paid for, it is easier to find resources to offset short-term extensions rather than long-term or permanent extensions.18 Additionally, by definition the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) assumes under the current law baseline that temporary tax cuts expire as scheduled. Thus, the current law baseline does not assume that temporary tax provisions are regularly extended. Hence, if temporary expiring tax provisions are routinely extended in practice, the CBO current law baseline would tend to overstate projected revenues, making the long-term revenue outlook stronger. Thus, by making tax provisions temporary rather than permanent, these provisions have a smaller effect on the long-term fiscal outlook.19

Extenders as Tax Benefits20

Temporary tax benefits are a form of federal subsidy that treats eligible activities favorably compared to others, and channels economic resources into qualified uses. Extenders influence how economic actors behave and how the economy's resources are employed. Like all tax benefits, economic theory suggests every extender can be evaluated by looking at the impact on economic efficiency, equity, and simplicity.21 Temporary tax provisions may be efficient and effective in accomplishing their intended purpose, though not equitable. Alternatively, an extender may be equitable but not efficient. Policymakers may have to choose the economic objectives that matter most.

Economic Efficiency

Extenders often provide subsidies to encourage more of an activity than would otherwise be undertaken. According to economic theory, in most cases an economy best satisfies the wants and needs of its participants if markets allocate resources free of distortions from taxes and other factors. Market failures, however, may occur in some instances, and economic efficiency may actually be improved by tax distortions.22 Thus, the ability of extenders to improve economic welfare depends in part on whether or not the extender is remedying a market failure. According to theory, a tax extender reduces economic efficiency if it is not addressing a specific market failure.

An extender is also considered relatively effective if it stimulates the desired activity better than a direct subsidy. Direct spending programs, however, can often be more successful at targeting resources than indirect subsidies made through the tax system such as tax extenders.23

Equity

A tax is considered to be fair when it contributes to a socially desirable distribution of the tax burden. Tax benefits such as the extenders can result in individuals with similar incomes and expenses paying differing amounts of tax, depending on whether they engage in tax-subsidized activities. This differential treatment is a deviation from the standard of horizontal equity, which requires that people in equal positions should be treated equally.

Another component of fairness in taxation is vertical equity, which requires that tax burdens be distributed fairly among people with different abilities to pay. Most extenders are considered inequitable because they benefit those who have a greater ability to pay taxes. Those individuals with relatively less income and thus a reduced ability to pay taxes may not have the same opportunity to benefit from extenders as those with higher income. The disproportionate benefit of tax expenditures to individuals with higher incomes reduces the progressivity of the tax system, which is often viewed as a reduction in equity.

An example of the effect a tax benefit can have on vertical equity is illustrated by two teachers who have both incurred $250 in classroom-related expenses and are eligible to claim the above-the-line deduction for expenses. Yet the tax benefit to the two differs if they are in different tax brackets. A teacher with lower income, who may be in the 15% income tax bracket, receives a deduction with a value of $37.50, while another teacher, in the 33% bracket, receives a deduction value of $82.50. Thus, the higher-income taxpayer, with presumably greater ability to pay taxes, receives a greater benefit than the lower-income taxpayer.

Simplicity

Extenders contribute to the complexity of the tax code and raise the cost of administering the tax system. Those costs, which can be difficult to isolate and measure, are rarely included in the cost-benefit analysis of temporary tax provisions. In addition to making the tax code more difficult for the government to administer, complexity also increases costs imposed on individual taxpayers. With complex incentives, individuals devote more time to tax preparation and are more likely to hire paid preparers.

The Cost of Extending Expiring Provisions

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) provides estimated costs of extending all tax provisions scheduled to expire between 2013 and 2023 (see Table 1).24 According to these estimates, over the 2014 to 2023 budget window,

  • extending all expiring tax provisions would cost $938.3 billion;

  • extending temporary investment incentives (the partial expensing for investment property and Section 179 expensing allowances) would cost $346.1 billion;

  • extending expansions to the child tax credit, the earned income tax credit, and the American Opportunity Tax Credit currently scheduled to expire at the end of 2017 would cost $140.4 billion; and

  • extending all other expiring tax provisions would cost $451.8 billion.

 

               Table 1.The Cost of Extending Expiring Provisions

 

                              billions of dollars

 

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 

 

                                        2014   2015   2016   2017   2018   2019

 

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 Extend Partial Expensing of

 

 Investment Property and Section

 

 179 Expensing                          40.7   64.9   53.8   46.5   37.3   27.3

 

 

 Extend Temporary ARRA

 

 Provisionsa                             0.0    0.0    0.0    0.0    2.4   27.8

 

 

 Extend Other Expiring Tax

 

 Provisionsb                            13.5   29.0   33.1   36.6   41.9   47.1

 

 

 Total                                  54.2   93.9   86.9   83.2   81.6  102.2

 

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 

 

                               [table continued]

 

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 

 

                                                                   2014-

 

                                        2020   2021   2022   2023  2023

 

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 Extend Partial Expensing of

 

 Investment Property and Section

 

 179 Expensing                          21.1   18.5   17.7   18.2  346.1

 

 

 Extend Temporary ARRA

 

 Provisionsa                            27.7   27.6   27.6   27.3  140.4

 

 

 Extend Other Expiring Tax

 

 Provisionsb                            53.7   59.6   65.4   71.9  451.8

 

 

 Total                                 102.4  105.7  110.6  117.4  938.3

 

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 Source: Additional data provided in conjunction with Congressional Budget

 

 Office, Updated Budget Projections: Fiscal Years 2013 to 2023, Washington, DC,

 

 May 14, 2013, http://www.cbo.gov/publication/44172.

 

 

                              FOOTNOTES TO TABLE 1

 

 

      a Provisions are currently scheduled to expire on December 31, 2017.

 

 Includes a lower earned income threshold for the refundable portion of the

 

 child tax credit, expansions to the earned income tax credit (EITC), and the

 

 American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC).

 

 

      b This line includes the cost of extending all provisions scheduled to

 

 expire between 2013 and 2023.

 

END OF FOOTNOTES TO TABLE 1

 

 

This cost of extending "all other expiring provisions" includes the extension of all provisions scheduled to expire in 2013 (see Table 2 and the associated discussion below) as well as those scheduled to expire in years between 2013 and 2023. However, most of the cost of extension is associated with provisions scheduled to expire in 2013.25

Since tax extender provisions are assumed to expire as scheduled by CBO, their extension -- even if expected by policymakers -- is not included in CBO's current law revenue baseline. As a result, CBO's revenue projections are higher than actual revenue levels that are likely to occur. Consequently, projected budget deficits under the current law baseline are smaller than actual deficits that are likely to occur. Total federal revenues projected under CBO's May 2013 baseline are $40.3 trillion over the 2014 to 2023 budget window (or 18.9% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)). Extending all expiring tax provisions would cost an estimated $938.3 billion over the same time period, reducing the 10-year revenue projection by 2% (to $39.4 trillion, or 18.5% of GDP). Extending all expiring tax provisions would increase the 10-year projected budget deficit from 3.0% of GDP to 3.4% of GDP.

Tax Provisions Expiring in 2013

Dozens of temporary tax provisions are scheduled to expire at the end of 2013 (see Table 2). Many of these provisions have been extended as part of previous "tax extender" legislation. For the purposes of this report, expiring provisions have been classified as belonging to one of six categories: individual, business, charitable, energy, community development, or disaster relief. The following sections provide additional details on expiring provisions within each category.

Individual

All but one of the individual provisions scheduled to expire at the end of 2013 have been extended at least once. The longest-standing individual provision that has previously been extended is the above-the-line deduction for classroom expenses incurred by school teachers. This provision was first enacted on a temporary basis in 2002 and has regularly been included in tax extender packages. Other individual provisions that have been extended more than once include the deduction for state and local sales taxes,26 the above-the-line deduction for tuition and related expenses,27 the deduction for mortgage insurance premiums,28 and the parity for the exclusion of employer-provided mass transit and parking benefits.

                   Table 2. Tax Provisions Expiring in 2013

 

               Extensions in Previous "Tax Extenders" Legislation

 

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 

 

                                                Extending Legislation

 

                                       ________________________________________

 

 

                                       P.L.  P.L.  P.L.  P.L.  P.L.  P.L.  P.L.

 

                                       112-  111-  110-  109-  108-  107-  106-

 

                                       240   312   343   432   311   147   170

 

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 Individual Provisions

 

 

    Above-the-Line Deduction for       X     X     X     X     X

 

    Certain Expenses of

 

    Elementary and Secondary

 

    School Teachers

 

 

    Deduction for State and Local      X     X     X     X

 

    Sales Taxes

 

 

    Above-the-Line Deduction for       X     X     X     X

 

    Qualified Tuition and Related

 

    Expenses

 

 

    Premiums for Mortgage              X     X     a

 

    Insurance Deductible as

 

    Qualified Interest

 

 

    Parity for Exclusion for           X     X

 

    Employer-Provided Mass

 

    Transit and Parking Benefits

 

 

    Exclusion of Discharge of          X           Xb

 

    Principal Residence

 

    Indebtedness from Gross

 

    Income for Individuals

 

 

    Credit for Health Insurance

 

    Costs of Eligible Individuals

 

 

 Business Provisions

 

 

    Tax Credit for Research and        X     X     X     X     X     c     X

 

    Experimentation Expenses

 

 

    Temporary Increase in Limit        X     X     X     X     X     X

 

    on Cover Over of Rum Excise

 

    Tax Revenues to Puerto Rico

 

    and the Virgin Islands

 

 

    Work Opportunity Tax Credit        Xd    X     e     X     X     X

 

 

    Indian Employment Tax Credit       X     X     X     X     X     X

 

 

    Accelerated Depreciation for       X     X     X     X     X     X

 

    Business Property on Indian

 

    Reservations

 

 

    Exceptions under Subpart F         X     X     X     f     f     X     X

 

    for Active Financing Income

 

 

    Look-Through Treatment of          X     X     X

 

    Payments Between Controlled

 

    Foreign Corporations under

 

    the Foreign Personal Holding

 

    Company Rules

 

                                                                                                                                                            170

 

    Credit for Railroad Track          X     X     X

 

    Maintenance

 

 

    15-Year Straight-Line Cost         X     X     X

 

    Recovery for Qualified

 

    Leasehold, Restaurant, and

 

    Retail Improvements

 

 

    7-Year Recovery for                X     X     X

 

    Motorsport Racing Facilities

 

 

    Deduction Allowable with           X     X     X

 

    Respect to Income

 

    Attributable to Domestic

 

    Production Activities in

 

    Puerto Rico

 

 

    Modification of Tax Treatment      X     X     X

 

    of Certain Payments to

 

    Controlling Exempt

 

    Organizations

 

 

    Treatment of Certain               X     X     X

 

    Dividends of Regulated

 

    Investment Companies ("RICs")

 

 

    Employer Wage Credit for           X     X

 

    Activated Military Reservists

 

 

    Special Expensing Rules for        X     X

 

    Film and Television

 

    Production

 

 

    RIC Qualified Investment           X     X

 

    Entity Treatment under FIRPTA

 

 

    Special Rules for Qualified        X     X

 

    Small Business Stock

 

 

    Increase in Expensing to           X

 

    $500,000/$2,000,000 and

 

    Expansion of Definition of

 

    Section 179 Property

 

 

    Bonus Depreciationh                X     X     h           h     h

 

 

    Reduction in S Corporation         Xg

 

    Recognition Period for Built-

 

    In Gains Tax

 

 

    Election to Accelerate AMT         X

 

    Credits in Lieu of Additional

 

    First-Year Depreciation

 

 

    Low-Income Housing Tax Credit      Xi

 

    (LIHTC) Rate

 

 

    Treatment of Military Basic        X

 

    Housing Allowances under Low-

 

    Income Housing Creditj

 

 

    Three-Year Depreciation for

 

    Race Horses Two Years or

 

    Youngerk

 

 

 Charitable Provisions

 

 

    Enhanced Charitable Deduction      X     X     X     l

 

    for Contributions of Food

 

    Inventory

 

 

    Tax-Free Distributions From        X     X     X

 

    Individual Retirement

 

    Accounts for Charitable

 

    Purposes

 

 

    Basis Adjustment to Stock of       X     X     X

 

    S Corporations Making

 

    Charitable Contributions of

 

    Property

 

 

    Special Rules for                  X     X     m

 

    Contributions of Capital Gain

 

    Real Property for

 

    Conservation Purposes

 

 

 Energy Provisions

 

 

    Construction Date for              X     o     p     o     p     p     p

 

    Eligible Facilities

 

    (Including Wind) to Claim the

 

    Production Tax Credit (PTC)

 

    or the Investment Tax Credit

 

    (ITC) in Lieu of the PTCn

 

 

    Special Rule to Implement          X     X     X     q

 

    Electric Transmission

 

    Restructuring

 

 

    Credit for Construction of         X     X     X     X

 

    Energy Efficient New Homes

 

 

    Energy Efficient Commercial                    Xr    X

 

    Building Deduction

 

 

    Mine Rescue Team Training          X     X     X

 

    Credit

 

 

    Election to Expense Mine-          X     X     X

 

    Safety Equipment

 

 

    Credit for Energy Efficient        X     X     X

 

    Appliances

 

 

    Credit for Nonbusiness Energy      X     Xs    X

 

    Property

 

 

    Alternative Fuel Vehicle           X     X     X

 

    Refueling Property

 

 

    Incentives for Alternative         X     X     X

 

    Fuel and Alternative Fuel

 

    Mixtures

 

 

    Incentives for Biodiesel and       X     X     X

 

    Renewable Dieselt

 

 

    Placed-in-Service Date for                     Xu

 

    Partial Expensing of Certain

 

    Refinery Propertyu

 

 

    Credit for Electric Drive          X

 

    Motorcycles and Three-Wheeled

 

    Vehicles

 

                                                                                                                                                     47         170

 

    Second Generation                  X

 

    (Cellulosic) Biofuel Producer

 

    Credit

 

 

    Credit for Production of           X

 

    Indian Coal

 

 

    Special Depreciation               X

 

    Allowance for Second

 

    Generation (Cellulosic)

 

    Biofuel Plant Propertyv

 

 

 Community Assistance Provisions

 

 

    Qualified Zone Academy Bonds       X     X     X     X     X     X     X

 

    -- Allocation of Bond

 

    Limitation

 

 

    New Markets Tax Credit             X     X     X     X

 

 

    American Samoa Economic            X     X     X     X

 

    Development Credit

 

 

    Empowerment Zone Tax               X     X

 

    Incentivesw

 

 

 Disaster Relief Provisions

 

 

    New York Liberty Zone -- Tax       X     X                 Xx

 

    Exempt Bond Financing

 

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 Source: CRS analysis of extending legislation and Joint Committee on

 

 Taxation (JCT).

 

 

 Notes: For additional information on specific provisions, see U.S.

 

 Congress, Senate Committee on the Budget, Tax Expenditures: Compendium of

 

 Background Material on Individual Provisions, committee print, prepared by

 

 Congressional Research Service, 112th Cong., 2nd sess., December 2012.

 

 

                              FOOTNOTES TO TABLE 2

 

 

      a This provision was extended as part of the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt

 

 Relief Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-142).

 

 

      b This provision was enacted as part of P.L. 110-142 and extended through

 

 2012 in P.L. 110-343.

 

 

      c The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 (P.L.

 

 106-170) extended the research credit through June 30, 2004. The credit was

 

 next extended by the Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-311).

 

 

      d The expiration date of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit for qualified

 

 veterans was extended through December 31, 2012 as part of P.L. 112-56. Under

 

 P.L. 112240 the expiration date was extended through December 31, 2013 for all

 

 eligible employees.

 

 

      e The Work Opportunity Tax Credit was extended through August 31, 2011,

 

 as part of the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and

 

 Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-28).

 

 

      f The exceptions under Subpart F for active financing income were

 

 extended for five years as part of the Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act

 

 of 2002 (P.L. 107147) and for two years by the Tax Increase Prevention and

 

 Reconciliation Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-222).

 

 

      g The Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-240) set the maximum

 

 amount a taxpayer can expense at $500,000, with the phaseout threshold raised

 

 to $2 million, for tax years 2010 and 2011. The Tax Relief Act of 2010 set the

 

 expensing limit at $125,000 for 2012, with a phaseout threshold of $500,000.

 

 For background on Section 179 expensing, see CRS Report RL31852, Section 179

 

 and Bonus Depreciation Expensing Allowances: Current Law, Legislative

 

 Proposals in the 113th Congress, and Economic Effects, by Gary Guenther.

 

 

      h Under ATRA, 50% bonus depreciation was extended for one year. The Job

 

 Creation and Worker Assistance Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-147) created the initial

 

 bonus depreciation allowance of 30%. The allowance was increased to 50% and

 

 extended as part of the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003

 

 (JGTRRA; P.L. 108-27). Under the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-185)

 

 bonus depreciation was reinstated at 50%. Bonus depreciation was again

 

 extended as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA; P.L.

 

 111-5), the Small Business Jobs Act (P.L. 111-240), and the Tax Relief,

 

 Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (P.L.

 

 111-312). For more on the history of this provision, see CRS Report RL31852,

 

 Section 179 and Bonus Depreciation Expensing Allowances: Current Law,

 

 Legislative Proposals in the 113th Congress, and Economic Effects, by Gary

 

 Guenther.

 

 

      i The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA, P.L. 110-289)

 

 temporarily changed the LIHTC rate to not less than 9% for new construction

 

 placed in service before December 31, 2013. The American Taxpayer Relief Act

 

 of 2012 (ATRA, P.L. 112-240) extended the 9% floor for credit allocations made

 

 before January 1, 2014.

 

 

      j This provision was enacted as part of the Housing and Economic

 

 Recovery Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-289).

 

 

      k This provision was enacted as part of the Heartland, Habitat, Harvest,

 

 and Horticulture Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-246).

 

 

      l This provision was extended as part of the Pension Protection Act of

 

 2006 (P.L. 109-280).

 

 

      m This provision was extended for two years, from 2007 through 2009, as

 

 part of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-234).

 

 

      n As part of ATRA, the expiration date for the renewable energy

 

 production tax credit (PTC) was modified such that facilities that were under

 

 construction but not yet placed in service by the end of 2013 would qualify.

 

 The option to claim the ITC in lieu of the PTC was not available prior to

 

 2009.

 

 

      o The renewable energy PTC placed-in-service deadline was extended as

 

 part of the EPACT05 and as part of ARRA.

 

 

      p Prior to 2013, the renewable energy PTC expiration was a placed-in-

 

 service deadline. Historically, this placed-in-service deadline has been

 

 regularly extended as part of tax extenders legislation.

 

 

      q This provision was extended as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005

 

 (EPACT05; P.L. 109-58).

 

 

      r This provision was extended for five years, through 2013, in P.L. 110-

 

 343.

 

 

      s This provision was extended at a reduced rate of 10%, with the maximum

 

 credit reduced to $500. During 2009 and 2010, a 30% credit of up to $1,500 had

 

 been available.

 

 

      t Tax incentives for biodiesel were introduced as part of the American

 

 Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (AJCA; P.L. 108-357).

 

 

      u This provision was enacted as part of EPACT05. P.L. 110-343 extended

 

 the placed in service deadline for two years, through the end of 2013. To

 

 qualify for this incentive, a binding construction contract must have been in

 

 place by January 1, 2010.

 

 

      v In addition to extending this provision through 2013, ATRA expanded the

 

 definition of qualified cellulosic biofuel production to include algae-based

 

 fuels.

 

 

      w Empowerment zone tax incentives include (1) designation of an

 

 empowerment zone; (2) increased exclusion of gain; (3) empowerment zone tax-

 

 exempt bonds; (4) empowerment zone employment credits; (5) increased expensing

 

 under IRC § 179; (6) nonrecognition of gain on rollover of empowerment

 

 zone investments.

 

 

      x This provision was extended through 2010 in P.L. 108-311.

 

END OF FOOTNOTES TO TABLE 2

 

 

The one provision that has not been extended in the past, the health coverage tax credit, was first enacted without an expiration date as part of the Trade Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-240). A January 1, 2014, termination date was enacted as part of an Act to extend the Generalized System of Preferences in 2011 (P.L. 112-40).29

Business

All but one of the business provisions scheduled to expire at the end of 2013 has been extended at least once.30 Most of the business provisions scheduled for expiration in 2013 have been extended more than once. Long-standing provisions that are scheduled for expiration include the research tax credit,31 the rum excise tax cover-over,32 the work opportunity tax credit,33 and the active financing exception under Subpart F.34 Bonus depreciation and enhanced expensing allowances, which are often viewed as economic stimulus measures, are also scheduled to expire at the end of 2013.35

Charitable

The four charitable provisions that are scheduled to expire at the end of 2013 have previously been extended multiple times. Provisions providing an enhanced deduction for non-corporate businesses donating food inventory were first enacted in response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.36 The remaining charitable provisions set to expire were first enacted as part of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (P.L. 109-280).37

Energy38

The longest-standing energy-related provision set to expire in 2013 is the renewable energy production tax credit (PTC). This provision was first enacted in 1992.39 Several of the temporary energy-related tax provisions that are scheduled to expire at the end of 2011 were first enacted as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT05; P.L. 109-58). These include the credit for construction of energy efficient new homes, the credit for energy efficient appliances, the deduction for energy-efficient commercial buildings, and the credit for nonbusiness energy property (also known as the tax credit for energy efficiency improvements for existing homes).40 Certain tax incentives for alternative technology vehicles and alternative fuel vehicle refueling property were also first included in EPACT05.

Community Development

All four of the community development provisions set to expire in 2013 have been extended more than once. Qualified zone academy bonds (QZABs) are tax credit bonds available to state and local governments for elementary and secondary school renovation, equipment, teacher training, and course materials. QZABs were first made available in 1998.41 The New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC), designed to promote investment in low-income and impoverished communities, was first enacted in 2000.42 Tax incentives designed to encourage economic activity in the American Samoa and empowerment zones43 are also scheduled to expire at the end of 2013.

Disaster Relief

The only disaster relief tax provision scheduled to expire in 2013 provides tax-exempt bond financing authority for facilities in the New York Liberty Zone.44 Several other temporary disaster relief provisions have been allowed to expire in recent years.45

Tax Extenders in the 112th Congress

The American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA; P.L. 112-240) extended dozens of temporary tax provisions that had expired or were scheduled to expire at the end of 2012 (see Table 3). Many of these provisions were extended retroactively, as they had been allowed to expire at the end of 2011. The 10-year budgetary cost of extending temporary expiring provisions under ATRA was an estimated $73.6 billion.46 The largest of these provisions, in terms of revenue cost, were the credit for research and experimentation expenses ($14.3 billion), the extension and modification of the wind production tax credit (PTC) ($12.2 billion),47 and the exception under Subpart F for active financing income ($11.2 billion). Information on the cost of extending specific provisions can be found in Table 3.

Several provisions that might have been considered "traditional extenders" -- that is, they had been extended multiple times in the past -- were not extended under ATRA. Two charitable provisions, the enhanced deduction for donations of computer equipment and the enhanced deduction for book inventory to schools, which were first enacted in 1997 and 2005 respectively, were allowed to expire. Other energy-related provisions, including the suspension of 100%-of-net-income limitation on percentage depletion for oil and gas from marginal wells, first enacted in 1997, and the production tax credit (PTC) for refined coal, first enacted in 2004, were also allowed to expire. Tax incentives for ethanol, which were first enacted in 1978,48 were also not extended in ATRA, nor were provisions first enacted in 1997 that allowed for expensing of "brownfield" environmental remediation costs. The estate tax look-through rule for regulated investment company (RIC) stock, first enacted in 2004, was also not extended.

A number of other provisions were allowed to expire at the end of 2012. Some of these provisions, such as the Section 1603 grants in lieu of tax credits program49 and 100% bonus depreciation,50 might have been classified as having been temporary stimulus measures. Amongst the other provisions that were allowed to expire were a number of disaster relief measures, including Gulf Opportunity (GO) Zone provisions and tax provisions related to the 2008 Midwestern Storms and Hurricane Ike.51

                Table 3.Temporary Tax Provisions & "Tax Extenders"

 

                           Which Expired in 2011 & 2012

 

                           dollar amounts in billions

 

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 

 

                                                         Extend    10-Year Cost

 

                                                         by ATRA   Estimate

 

                                                         (through  of ATRA

 

                                                         Dec. 31,  Extension

 

 Provision                                     Expired   2013)     2013-2022*

 

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 Individual Provisions

 

 

    Above-the-Line Deduction for Certain        2011       YES        $0.4

 

    Expenses of Elementary and Secondary

 

    School Teachers

 

 

    Deduction for State and Local Sales         2011       YES        $5.5

 

    Taxes

 

 

    Above-the-Line Deduction for Qualified      2011       YES        $1.7

 

    Tuition and Related Expenses

 

 

    Estate Tax Look-Through for Certain         2011       NO         na

 

    Regulated Investment Company (RIC) Stock

 

    Held by Nonresidents

 

 

    Premiums for Mortgage Insurance             2011       YES        $1.3

 

    Deductible as Qualified Interest

 

 

    Parity for Exclusion for Employer-          2011       YES        $0.2

 

    Provided Mass Transit and Parking

 

    Benefits

 

 

    Disclosure of Prisoner Return               2011       YESa       -i-

 

    Information to Certain Prison Officials

 

 

    Treatment of Military Basic Housing         2011       YES        -i-

 

    Allowance under Low-Income Housing

 

    Credit

 

 

    Expansion of Adoption Credit and            2011       NO         na

 

    Adoption Assistance Programsb

 

 

    Refunds Disregarded in the                  2012       YES        c

 

    Administration of Federal Programs and

 

    Federally Assisted Programs

 

 

    Credit for Prior Year Minimum Tax           2012       NO         na

 

    Liability Made Refundable After Period

 

    of Years

 

 

    Exclusion of Discharge of Principal         2012       YES        $1.3

 

    Residence Indebtedness from Gross Income

 

    for Individuals

 

 

 Business Provisions

 

 

    Tax Credit for Research and                 2011       YES       $14.3

 

    Experimentation Expenses

 

 

    Temporary Increase in Limit on Cover-       2011       YES        $0.2

 

    Over of Rum Excise Tax Revenues to

 

    Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

 

 

    Expensing of "Brownfield" Environmental     2011       NO         na

 

    Remediation Costs

 

 

    Work Opportunity Tax Credit                 2011       YES        $1.8

 

 

    Indian Employment Tax Credit                2011       YES        $0.1

 

 

    Accelerated Depreciation for Business       2011       YES        $0.2

 

    Property on Indian Reservations

 

 

    Exceptions under Subpart F for Active       2011       YES       $11.2

 

    Financing Income

 

 

    Look-Through Treatment of Payments          2011       YES        $1.5

 

    Between Controlled Foreign Corporations

 

    under the Foreign Personal Holding

 

    Company Rules

 

 

    Credit for Railroad Track Maintenance       2011       YES        $0.3

 

 

    15-Year Straight-Line Cost Recovery for     2011       YES        $3.7

 

    Qualified Leasehold, Restaurant, and

 

    Retail Improvements

 

 

    7-Year Recovery for Motorsport Racing       2011       YES        $0.1

 

    Facilities

 

 

    Deduction Allowable with Respect to         2011       YES        $0.4

 

    Income Attributable to Domestic

 

    Production Activities in Puerto Rico

 

 

    Modification of Tax Treatment of Certain    2011       YES        -i-

 

    Payments to Controlling Exempt

 

    Organizations

 

 

    Treatment of Certain Dividends of           2011       YES        $0.2

 

    Regulated Investment Companies ("RICs")

 

 

    Employer Wage Credit for Activated          2011       YES        -i-

 

    Military Reservists

 

 

    Special Expensing Rules for Film and        2011       YES        $0.2

 

    Television Production

 

 

    RIC Qualified Investment Entity             2011       YES        -i-

 

    Treatment under FIRPTA

 

 

    Special Rules for Qualified Small           2011       YES        $1.0

 

    Business Stock

 

 

    Additional First-Year Depreciation for      2011       NO         na

 

    100% of Basis of Qualified Property

 

 

    Increase in Section 179 Expensing to        2011       YES        $2.4

 

    Amounts/Threshold to $500,000/$2,000,000

 

 

    Reduction in S Corporation Recognition      2011       YES        $0.3

 

    for Built-In Gains Tax

 

 

    Work Opportunity Tax Credit Targeted to     2012       YES        $0.1

 

    Hiring Qualified Veterans

 

 

    Additional First-Year Depreciation for      2012       YES        $4.7

 

    50 Percent of Basis of Qualified

 

    Property

 

 

    Election to Accelerate AMT Credits in       2012       YES        $0.3

 

    Lieu of Additional First-Year

 

    Depreciation

 

 

 Charitable Provisions

 

 

    Enhanced Charitable Deduction for           2011       NO         na

 

    Corporate Contributions of Computer

 

    Equipment for Educational Purposes

 

 

    Enhanced Charitable Deduction for           2011       YES        $0.3

 

    Contributions of Food Inventory

 

 

    Enhanced Charitable Deduction for           2011       NO         na

 

    Contributions of Book Inventory to

 

    Public Schools

 

 

    Tax-Free Distributions from Individual      2011       YES        $1.3

 

    Retirement Accounts for Charitable

 

    Purposes

 

 

    Basis Adjustment to Stock of S              2011       YES        $0.2

 

    Corporations Making Charitable

 

    Contributions of Property

 

 

    Special Rules for Contributions of          2011       YES        $0.3

 

    Capital Gain Real Property for

 

    Conservation Purposes

 

 

 Energy Provisions

 

 

    Suspensions of 100%-of-Net-Income           2011       NO         na

 

    Limitation on Percentage Depletion for

 

    Oil and Gas from Marginal Wells

 

 

    Special Rule to Implement FERC or           2011       YES        --

 

    Electric Transmission Restructuring

 

 

    Credit for Construction of Energy           2011       YES        $0.2

 

    Efficient New Homes

 

 

    Placed-in-Service Date for Refined Coal     2011       NO         na

 

    Production Facilities

 

 

    Mine Rescue Team Training Credit            2011       YES        -i-

 

 

    Election to Expense Mine-Safety             2011       YES        --

 

    Equipment

 

 

    Credit for Energy Efficient Appliances      2011       YES        $0.7

 

 

    Credit for Nonbusiness Energy Property      2011       YES        $2.5

 

 

    Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling          2011       YES        -i-

 

    Property

 

 

    Incentives for Alternative Fuel and         2011       YES        $0.4

 

    Alternative Fuel Mixtures

 

 

    Incentives for Biodiesel and Renewable      2011       YES        $2.2

 

    Diesel

 

 

    Incentives for Alcohol Fuels                2011       NO         na

 

 

    Grants for Specified Energy Property in     2011       NO         na

 

    Lieu of Tax Credits

 

 

    Credit for Electric Drive Motorcycles,      2011       YES        -i-

 

    Three-Wheeled, and Low-Speed Vehicles

 

 

    Conversion Credit for Plug-In Electric      2011       NO         na

 

    Vehicles

 

 

    Qualified Green Building and Sustainable    2012       NO         na

 

    Design Project Bonds

 

 

    Cellulosic Biofuel Producer Credit          2012       YES        $0.1d

 

 

    Construction Date for Eligible              2012       YES       $12.2e

 

    Facilities (Including Wind) to Claim the

 

    Electricity Production Credit

 

 

    Credit for Production of Indian Coal        2012       YES        -i-

 

 

    Election to Claim the Energy Credit in      2012       YES        $0.1

 

    Lieu of the Electricity Production

 

    Credit

 

 

    Special Depreciation Allowance for          2012       YES        -i-

 

    Cellulosic Biofuel Plant Propertyf

 

 

 Community Assistance Provisions

 

 

    Qualified Zone Academy Bonds --             2011       YES        $0.2

 

    Allocation of Bond Limitation

 

 

    New Markets Tax Credit                      2011       YES        $1.8

 

 

    American Samoa Economic Development         2011       YES        $0.1

 

    Credit

 

 

    Tax Incentives for Investment in the        2011       NO         na

 

    District of Columbia ("DC")

 

 

    Empowerment Zone Tax Incentives             2011       YES        $0.5

 

 

 Disaster Relief Provisions

 

 

    New York Liberty Zone -- Tax Exempt Bond    2011       YES        g

 

    Financing

 

 

    Tax-Exempt Bond Financing for the Gulf      2011       NO         na

 

    Opportunity (GO) Zone

 

 

    Low-Income Housing Credit Additional        2011       NO         na

 

    Credit for the GO Zone

 

 

    Placed-in-Service Date for Additional       2011       NO         na

 

    Depreciation for specified GO Zone

 

    Extension Property

 

 

    Increase in Rehabilitation Credit for       2011       NO         na

 

    Structures Located in the GO Zone

 

 

    Increase in Rehabilitation Credit for       2011       NO         na

 

    Areas Damaged by the 2008 Midwestern

 

    Storms

 

 

    Tax-Exempt Bond Financing for Areas         2012       NO         na

 

    Damaged by the 2008 Midwestern Storms

 

 

    Tax-Exempt Bond Financing for Areas         2012       NO         na

 

    Damaged by Hurricane Ike in 2008

 

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 Source: This table is modified from Table 3 in CRS Report R42894, An

 

 Overview of the Tax Provisions in the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 ,

 

 by Margot L. Crandall-Hollick. Sources from this table include Joint Committee

 

 on Taxation, List of Expiring Federal Tax Provisions, January 13, 2012, JCX-1-

 

 1, Joint Committee on Taxation, Estimated Revenue Effects of the Revenue

 

 Provisions Contained in an Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 8,

 

 the "American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012" as Passed by the Senate on January

 

 1, 2013. January 1, 2013. JCX-1-13 and Table 2 in CRS Report R42485, An

 

 Overview of Tax Provisions Expiring in 2012, by Margot L. Crandall-Hollick.

 

 

 Notes: * Revenue changes associated with the short-term extension of

 

 certain provisions may occur in years after the provision has expired. To

 

 allow for comparison of the costs of these tax provisions the revenue losses

 

 which occur over a 10-year budgetary window are provided. For revenue losses

 

 for each fiscal year, see JCX-1-13. In addition to the provisions included in

 

 this table, ATRA also created a low income housing credit floor of 9 percent.

 

 JCT estimates this will reduce revenues by $8 million over the 10-year

 

 budgetary window of 2013-2022. ATRA also extended the housing allowance

 

 exclusions for determining median gross income for qualified residential

 

 rental project exempt facilities. "na" = revenue loss unavailable because the

 

 provision was not extended in P.L. 112-240 " -- " = no revenue loss "-i-" = a

 

 10-year revenue loss of less than $50 million

 

 

                              FOOTNOTES TO TABLE 3

 

 

      a This provision was permanently extended.

 

 

      b For more information, see CRS Report RL33633, Tax Benefits for

 

 Families: Adoption, by Christine Scott.

 

 

      c Estimates of S. 3521 indicate that the extension of this provision for

 

 one year (2013) would result in less than $10 million of revenue losses over a

 

 10-year period (2013-2022). A revenue loss estimate for the permanent

 

 extension of this provision as included in P.L. 112-240 is not available.

 

 

      d The maximum credit would be $1.01 per gallon and would apply to fuel

 

 from algae.

 

 

      e The placed in service date for the PTC for wind was scheduled to expire

 

 at the end of 2012, while the placed in service date for the PTC for other

 

 renewable technologies were generally scheduled to expire at the end of 2013.

 

 Before ATRA, extensions of the PTC extended the placed-in-service date for

 

 eligible properties. The extension of the PTC for wind included a provision

 

 that modified the expiration date for all renewable technologies (including

 

 wind) such that qualified facilities will be eligible for the PTC (or the

 

 investment tax credit in lieu of the production tax credit) if the

 

 construction -- as opposed to the placed in service date -- begins prior to

 

 the end of 2013.

 

 

      f Algae is considered a qualified feedstock for this tax provisions.

 

 

      g JCT estimates the extension of this provision has no revenue effect.

 

END OF FOOTNOTES TO TABLE 3

 

 

Author Contact Information

 

Molly F. Sherlock

 

Specialist in Public Finance

 

msherlock@crs.loc.gov,

 

FOOTNOTES

 

 

1 For additional background, see CRS Report R42894, An Overview of the Tax Provisions in the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 , by Margot L. Crandall-Hollick.

2 Provisions that had been allowed to expire at the end of 2011 were extended retroactively.

3 In addition to the "tax extenders" discussed in this report, several provisions first enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA; P.L. 111-5) were temporarily extended in ATRA.

4 Steven Sloan, "Obama Aligns with GOP on Tax Extenders," Politico, April 17, 2013, available at http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/obama-aligns-with-gop-on-tax-extenders-90170.html.

5 Lindsey McPherson, "Baucus Not Planning to Mark Up Separate Tax Extenders Bill This Year," Tax Notes, September 23, 2013.

6 Marc Heller, "Popular Tax Credits Remain in Doubt as Extenders Measure Eludes Congress," Bloomberg BNA Daily Tax Report, October 24, 2013.

7 Office of Management and Budget, Fiscal Year 2014 Budget of the U.S. Government, Washington, DC. p. 19. Available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2014/assets/budget.pdf.

8 For several of these provisions, the President proposes substantive changes or modifications to existing incentives in addition to making the incentive permanent.

9 Several provisions that had been extended in previous "tax extender" packages were allowed to expire and not extended in 2012. For discussion, see the section "Tax Extenders in the 112th Congress" below.

10 U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Finance, Extenders and Tax Reform: Seeking Long-Term Solutions, Testimony of Dr. Rosanne Altshuler, 112th Cong., January 31, 2012, available at http://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/? id=b1604e2e-5056-a032-52ff-dd661f9280f6.

11 See U.S. Government Accountability Office, Biofuels: Potential Effects and Challenges of Required Increases in Production and Use, GAO-09-44, August 2009, http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09446.pdf and U.S. Government Accountability Office, Opportunities to Reduce Potential Duplication in Government Programs, Save Tax Dollars, and Enhance Revenue, GAO-11-318SP, March 2011, http://www.gao.gov/assets/320/315920.pdf.

12 For background on these policies, see CRS Report RL31852, Section 179 and Bonus Depreciation Expensing Allowances: Current Law, Legislative Proposals in the 113th Congress, and Economic Effects, by Gary Guenther.

13 For more information, see CRS Report R42839, Tax Provisions to Assist with Disaster Recovery, by Erika K. Lunder, Carol A. Pettit, and Jennifer Teefy.

14 For more information, see CRS Report RL34212, Analysis of the Tax Exclusion for Canceled Mortgage Debt Income, by Mark P. Keightley and Erika K. Lunder.

15 For more information, see CRS Report R42103, Extending the Temporary Payroll Tax Reduction: A Brief Description and Economic Analysis, by Donald J. Marples and Molly F. Sherlock.

16 For more information, see CRS Report R41635, ARRA Section 1603 Grants in Lieu of Tax Credits for Renewable Energy: Overview, Analysis, and Policy Options, by Phillip Brown and Molly F. Sherlock.

17 This point was made in U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Finance, Extenders and Tax Reform: Seeking Long-Term Solutions, Testimony of Dr. Rosanne Altshuler, 112th Cong., January 31, 2012, available at http://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=b1604e2e-5056-a032-52ff-dd661f9280f6 and U.S. Congress, House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures, Framework for Evaluating Certain Expiring Tax Provisions, Testimony of Donald B. Marron, 112th Cong., June 8, 2012, available at http://waysandmeans.house.gov/uploadedfiles/marron.pdf.

18 U.S. Congress, House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures, Framework for Evaluating Certain Expiring Tax Provisions, Testimony of Donald B. Marron, 112th Cong., June 8, 2012, available at http://waysandmeans.house.gov/uploadedfiles/marron.pdf.

19 U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Finance, Extenders and Tax Reform: Seeking Long-Term Solutions, Testimony of Dr. Rosanne Altshuler, 112th Cong., January 31, 2012, available at http://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/? id=b1604e2e-5056-a032-52ff-dd661f9280f6.

20 This section is adapted from archived CRS report CRS Report RL32367, Certain Temporary Tax Provisions that Expired in December 2009 ("Extenders"), by James M. Bickley.

21 Using these "criteria for good tax policy" to evaluate tax extenders was discussed in U.S. Congress, House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures, Framework for Evaluating Certain Expiring Tax Provisions, Testimony of Dr. Jim White, 112th Cong., June 8, 2012, available at http://waysandmeans.house.gov/uploadedfiles/white.pdf.

22 Market failure occurs when the marginal benefit of an action does not equal the marginal cost. For example, polluting forms of energy production cause social costs that are not taken into account by the producer; hence, there is an argument for taxing this type of energy or, alternatively, subsidizing less polluting firms.

23 Stanley S. Surrey, "Tax Incentives as a Device for Implementing Government Policy: A Comparison with Direct Government Expenditures," Harvard Law Review, vol. 83, no. 4 (February 1970), pp. 705-738.

24 CBO provides this estimate to calculate their alternative fiscal scenario. CBO's baseline for spending and revenues assumes current law. Thus, revenue levels under CBO's baseline assume that all tax policies expire as scheduled. The alternative fiscal scenario assumes that current policies remain in place (i.e., expiring tax provisions are extended). The estimated revenues that would be raised from extending certain provisions might change depending on how provisions are stacked (i.e., interaction effects might cause revenue estimates for specific provisions to be higher or lower depending on what other provisions are also assumed to have been extended).

25 CBO provided detailed information on the budgetary effect of extending expiring provisions as part of the August 2012 baseline. Relative to the number of provisions scheduled to expire at the end of 2013, there are few provisions currently scheduled to expire after 2013. Further, the revenue cost of extending provisions scheduled to expire after 2013 is a small portion of the total revenue cost associated with extending expiring provisions. This data is available at http://www.cbo.gov/publication/43547.

26 For more information, see CRS Report RL32781, Federal Deductibility of State and Local Taxes, by Steven Maguire.

27 For more information, see CRS Report R41967, Higher Education Tax Benefits: Brief Overview and Budgetary Effects, by Margot L. Crandall-Hollick.

28 For general background on housing-related tax benefits, see CRS Report R41596, The Mortgage Interest and Property Tax Deductions: Analysis and Options, by Mark P. Keightley.

29 For more information, see CRS Report RL32620, Health Coverage Tax Credit, by Bernadette Fernandez.

30 The exception is a provision allowing certain race horses three-year depreciation.

31 For more information, see CRS Report RL31181, Research Tax Credit: Current Law and Policy Issues for the 113th Congress, by Gary Guenther.

32 For more information, see CRS Report R41028, The Rum Excise Tax Cover-Over: Legislative History and Current Issues, by Steven Maguire.

33 For more information, see CRS Report RL30089, The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), by Christine Scott.

34 For more information, see CRS Report R41852, U.S. International Corporate Taxation: Basic Concepts and Policy Issues, by Mark P. Keightley.

35 For more information, see CRS Report RL31852, Section 179 and Bonus Depreciation Expensing Allowances: Current Law, Legislative Proposals in the 113th Congress, and Economic Effects, by Gary Guenther.

36 For more information, see CRS Report RL34608, Tax Issues Relating to Charitable Contributions and Organizations, by Jane G. Gravelle and Molly F. Sherlock.

37 For more information on the provision allowing tax-free distributions from retirement accounts for charitable contributions, see CRS Report RS22766, Qualified Charitable Distributions from Individual Retirement Accounts: A Fact Sheet, by John J. Topoleski.

38 For general background on energy tax policy, see CRS Report R41227, Energy Tax Policy: Historical Perspectives on and Current Status of Energy Tax Expenditures, by Molly F. Sherlock.

39 When first enacted, the PTC was only available for wind and closed-loop biomass technologies. Over time, Congress has expanded the list of qualifying technologies.

40 For more information, see CRS Report R42089, Residential Energy Tax Credits: Overview and Analysis, by Margot L. Crandall-Hollick and Molly F. Sherlock.

41 For more information, see CRS Report R40523, Tax Credit Bonds: Overview and Analysis, by Steven Maguire.

42 For more information, see CRS Report RL34402, New Markets Tax Credit: An Introduction, by Donald J. Marples and Sean Lowry.

43 For background on empowerment zones, see CRS Report R41639, Empowerment Zones, Enterprise Communities, and Renewal Communities: Comparative Overview and Analysis, by Oscar R. Gonzales and Donald J. Marples.

44 For general background on tax-exempt bonds, see CRS Report RL30638, Tax-Exempt Bonds: A Description of State and Local Government Debt, by Steven Maguire.

45 For background on disaster-related tax provisions, see CRS Report R42839, Tax Provisions to Assist with Disaster Recovery, by Erika K. Lunder, Carol A. Pettit, and Jennifer Teefy.

46 Full details, including the cost of extending individual provisions, can be found in CRS Report R42894, An Overview of the Tax Provisions in the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 , by Margot L. Crandall-Hollick.

47 In addition to extending the PTC for wind, provisions enacted under ATRA changed the expiration date from a place-in-service deadline to a construction start date. Thus, facilities for which construction begins prior to the deadline qualify for the tax credit. Previously, facilities were required to be placed in service to qualify. This change was made for all qualifying technologies, not just wind.

48 Ethanol was given a partial exemption from the gas tax under the Energy Policy Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-618). The exemption was replaced with the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) under the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-357).

49 For more information, see CRS Report R41635, ARRA Section 1603 Grants in Lieu of Tax Credits for Renewable Energy: Overview, Analysis, and Policy Options, by Phillip Brown and Molly F. Sherlock.

50 For more information, see CRS Report RL31852, Section 179 and Bonus Depreciation Expensing Allowances: Current Law, Legislative Proposals in the 113th Congress, and Economic Effects, by Gary Guenther.

51 For more information on temporary tax provisions as disaster relief, see CRS Report R42839, Tax Provisions to Assist with Disaster Recovery, by Erika K. Lunder, Carol A. Pettit, and Jennifer Teefy.

 

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