Grassley Introduces Green Business Tax Incentives Bill

by Mike Godfrey, Tax-News.com, Washington

08 December 2009

Senator Chuck Grassley has introduced legislation in the US Senate to extend a key tax incentive for businesses of all sizes and key tax incentives for renewable energy.

“Green energy is a real bright spot in our economic future,” Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said. “We need to keep up the momentum for job creation, a clean environment, and energy independence. Getting these tax incentives extended is important to help businesses secure the loans they need to make the investments necessary to create jobs.”

Grassley introduced the Clean Renewable Energy Advancement Tax Extension Jobs (CREATE Jobs) Act of 2009, the day of the White House’s jobs summit on December 3. Grassley’s bill extends the tax credit for the production of electricity from wind and open-loop biomass through December 31, 2016.

The Grassley legislation also increases the amount of bond authority for new clean renewable energy bonds. These bonds are used to finance facilities that generate electricity from wind, closed-loop biomass, open-loop biomass, geothermal, small irrigation, hydropower, landfill gas, marine renewable, and municipal trash combustion facilities. Grassley created clean renewable energy bonds via the 2005 energy bill.

For all businesses, the Grassley bill extends bonus depreciation for one year, so that businesses are able to deduct half of the value of any property placed in service in 2010. The 50% first-year bonus depreciation allowance in current law expires at the end of this year. The provision is helpful to wind energy businesses for investment in turbines and related equipment, Grassley said.

“This tax relief for businesses that invest in 2010 will spur investment, and that will create badly needed jobs,” Grassley said.

“Businesses need cash flow and bank loans to expand operations and hire people. With the credit market so tight, the more assurances lenders have that they’ll get repaid, the more willing they are to lend money to businesses," he added.

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