Since passage of the economic stimulus legislation, NAHB staff has been busy working with both the Congress and the Obama Administration to look for opportunities to expand the NOL provisions beyond those contained in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  Some recent actions include:

• NAHB staff met with staff in the Department of Treasury Office of Tax Policy to advocate for an expanded NOL carryback period for all businesses.
  
• Recently, NAHB staff met with staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, the technical advisory body for the congressional tax-writing committees, to push for an expanded NOL carryback. 

NAHB has always opposed abuse of the NOL provision and will continue to do so, and will work with policymakers to ensure that there are measures that protect and benefit all of our membership and ensure a level and competitive business environment. In our conversations with tax policy-makers, it has been made clear to us that such abuses, if they were to occur, would reflect poorly on NAHB, its members, and the home building industry as a whole. 
 
NAHB continues to take all appropriate steps to ensure that we are positioned for success on this issue, including working with other powerful trade associations in Washington that also are stakeholders on this important issue. To view Robson's statement, click here. For more information, contact Greg Brown at 1-800-368-5242, x8421.

First, legislation must be flexible and include not just the savings achieved from insulated doors, windows and wall cavities, but also energy-efficient heating and air conditioning systems -- or a combination of insulation and appliance requirements depending on the home's location or market preference. "Don't modify codes and standards so that they can't accommodate every state's climate demands simultaneously or equally," Richardson said.

Second, Congress should "extend, or make permanent" the tax credits passed earlier this year that incentivize the purchase of energy-efficient windows, additional insulation and other improvements in existing homes -- where the greatest gains in energy efficiency are most likely to be realized, he said.

Finally, "Congress must embrace the broadest possible green building policy and provide consideration for homes that comply with standards approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)," which federal law gives preference over private guidelines and rating systems, he said. For more information, contact Elizabeth Odina at x8570. [return to top]

The bill also would reform the estate tax to ensure that surviving spouses are eligible to receive the full $2 million exclusion to which their dead spouse was entitled, and it would unify the estate tax and gift tax rules for simplicity.  In his 2010 budget outline, President Obama proposed making permanent the 2009 estate tax with an exemption level of $3.5 million for individuals ($7 million per couples) and a rate of 45 percent above that exemption. For more information, contact Greg Brown at x8421. [return to top]