National Lighting Bureau
Communications Office
Tel. 301.587.9572
www.nlb.org
John P. Bachner
john@nlb.org
301/587-9572
HOUSE PASSES EXTENSION TO HIGH-EFFICIENCY LIGHTING TAX SAVINGS. SENATE
IS NEXT…BUT WHEN?
Silver Spring, MD: The National Lighting Bureau reports that the U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 6049, the “Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008.” Introduced by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY), the bill contains about $20 billion of tax incentives for investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and conservation. Among other things, the bill would extend the Commercial Building Tax Deduction (CBTD) for five years, through December 31, 2013. Established through the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the CBTD provides a tax deduction benefit that encourage building owners to install high-efficiency systems – lighting in particular – in new and existing buildings.
According to National Lighting Bureau Communications Director John P. Bachner, the next stop for the bill will be the U.S. Senate where, insiders say, it is likely to be combined with other bills to achieve one “omnibus” piece of tax legislation. Senate consideration is not likely to occur until after the November elections. Existing CBTD benefits are set to expire on December 31 of this year.
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H.R. 6049 JOHN P. BACHNER
(ADD ONE) 301/587-9572
Kyle Pitsor, the National Electrical Manufacturers
Association’s vice president for government relations, said he remains “optimistic”
that the CBTD benefit will be extended in whatever bill emerges from the Senate.
He
noted that, overall, H.R. 6049 would extend an additional $27 billion of
expiring temporary tax provisions, including the research and development
credit, special rules for active financing income, the state and local sales
tax deduction, the deduction for out-of-pocket expenses for teachers, and the
deduction for qualified tuition expenses.
According to House Ways and Means Committee
staff, H.R. 6049 would also provide about $10 billion of additional tax relief
for individuals through an expansion of the refundable, child tax credit, and a
new standard deduction for property taxes. The bill would be primarily offset
by closing a tax loophole that allows individuals who work for certain offshore
corporations, such as hedge-fund managers, to defer tax on their compensation
and would delay the effective date of a tax benefit that has not yet taken effect
for multinational corporations operating overseas.
A copy of the bill introduced by, Mr. Rangel
and additional information is available at http://waysandmeans.house.gov/legis.asp?formmode=item&number=633.
Established in 1976, the National Lighting Bureau is a not-for-profit, independent, lighting information source sponsored by professional societies, trade associations, manufacturers, and agencies of the U.S. government. For more information, refer to the NLB website (www.nlb.org) or contact NLB staff by telephone (301/587-9572) or e-mail (info@nlb.org).
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