On Tuesday, the House Ways and Means Committee convened the panel’s first hearing of the year, which focused on “pro-growth policies” and views expressed by thought leaders in DC-based think tanks. Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) noted his panel will be drafting international tax legislation over the next few months to address corporate inversions. Chairman Brady added that a timeline and details have not yet been decided, and that drafting will begin in the Tax Policy subcommittee led by Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.).
On Thursday, the House passed the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015 by a 318 to 109 vote, with three republicans voting against the measure and 77 democrats in favor. The PATH Act renews all expired provisions in some form. The bill makes certain tax incentives permanent, while proposing a two-year extension for others, and providing a one-year retrospective for 2015 and one-year prospective for 2016 for the remaining provisions. The Senate will receive the bill and likely vote on Friday, sending the tax package to the president’s desk – which he is expected to sign. To view a copy of the legislative text click here. Specifically the tax extender package includes the following 鶹Ƶpriorities:
On Wednesday, 鶹Ƶprovided commentary to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Treasury Department officials during a public hearing on IRS’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking [REG–136459–09] regarding the Section 199 domestic production activities deduction (DPAD). Specifically, the testimony given by Brian Lenihan, AGC’s Director of Tax and Fiscal Affairs addressed the definition of “substantial renovation” as well as the current administrablity of DPAD and proposed reasonability tests for contractors. The government panel consisted of IRS staff from Office of the Associate Chief Counsel: Paul Handleman, Branch Chief; James Holmes, Attorney with a focus on Pass-throughs and Special Industries; John Aramburu, Senior Counsel for Income Tax and Accounting; and Ken Buck, Tax Policy Advisor at Treasury.
Last week, 鶹Ƶsubmitted a comment letter in response the IRS Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking issued in August on proposed amendments to regulations involving the domestic production activities deduction under Section 199 of the Internal Revenue Code. Specifically, the comments addressed the definition of “substantial renovation” in Prop. Treas. Reg. §1.199-3(m)(5), which indicates that activities constitute substantial renovation where they would be a capitalizable improvement under Section 263(a).
Visit AGC’s Action Center to Urge Congress to Support Renewal of AGC-Supported Extenders
As of publication time, a deal to extend the 50 plus tax provisions that expired at the end of 2014 remained in flux, with few details available coming from the lead congressional negotiators. 鶹Ƶhas had a multitude of meetings with congressional offices before and after the Thanksgiving Day recess to promote our nine extender priorities. Please visit AGC’s Action Center to send a letter to your members of Congress in support of these nine extender priorities.
Last week, the House Republican Steering Committee met and selected Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) as the next Ways and Means Chairman, replacing the former chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) who was elevated by his colleagues to become the Speaker of the House. The race to replace Chairman Ryan was the closest watched gavel race in recent memory, pitting two veteran panel members, Reps. Brady and Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio) against each other. 鶹Ƶsent a letter to Chairman Brady congratulating him on his victory, as well as outlining AGC’s tax, health and pension policy priorities. Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC), a CPA and tax lawyer, was selected to fill the committee vacancy left by the departure of Speaker Ryan.
Register for the 鶹ƵFinancial Issues Committee (FIC) Winter Meeting held at the Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale, AZ scheduled for January 13-14, 2016. Please visit the meeting’s site to register as well as view presentations and agendas of past meetings.
Save the Date! Oct 19-21, 2016 | Las Vegas, Nevada
Last week, over 480 construction company owners, CFOs, CPAs and consultants attended the successful 19th Annual AGC/CFMA Construction Financial Management Conference, jointly sponsored by 鶹Ƶand the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA). During 32 interactive sessions over the three-day meeting, owners and financial professionals heard from leading experts in the fields of accounting, tax, financing, IT, insurance and sureties, health care, fraud, workforce strategies, contracting, claims and risk management.
Register by Sept. 15 and Save $80
Jointly sponsored by 鶹Ƶand the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA), the 19th Annual AGC/CFMA Construction Financial Management Conference will be held Nov. 4-6, 2015 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nev. This three-day conference offers programs and workshops designed specifically for financial professionals in the construction industry. The 32 interactive sessions will cover the latest industry issues and their financial implications.
鶹Ƶhas opened early-bird registration for the Winter 2016 鶹ƵFinancial Issues Committee Meeting, which will be held Jan. 13-14, 2016 at Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale, AZ. Meeting agenda and activities will be available on the meeting website in the coming weeks.