Research Tax Credit Backed By House

The House of Representatives approved legislation (H.R. 880) last week that would permanently reauthorize the now temporary R&D tax credit. The bill would make the credit a permanent part of the tax code, retroactive to Dec. 31, 2014, when it expired. The measure would also increase the value of the credit from 14% to 20% of qualified R&D expenses. Since the research incentive’s inception in 1981, Congress has repeatedly extended it for one or two years, often retroactively. But according to chemical manufacturers, drugmakers, and other industries, the resulting uncertainty has made it difficult to effectively plan and conduct R&D projects. The White House opposes H.R. 880, arguing it would increase the federal deficit by $182 billion over a decade because the bill’s sponsors have no plan to offset the tax revenue that would be lost.