Construction and engineering groups are sifting through the sweeping tax-code rewrite that the Senate approved on Dec. 2, but some see it as better than the House-passed version, particularly in its treatment of partnerships, sole proprietorships and other “pass-through” entities. The American Institute of Architects, however, is strongly criticizing both chambers' bills.
The Senate’s passage of an estimated $1.4-trillion-plus package of tax cuts early in the morning of Dec. 2 by 51-49, almost completely on party lines, marked a major step forward for the legislation, the top legislative priority for congressional Republicans and the Trump administration. {Billtext, posted by the New York Times.]
Next, Senate negotiators will have to work out differences between their bill and the $1.4-trillion version that the House passed on Nov. 16.
Some senators felt that earlier versions of the Senate measure didn’t provide enough tax relief to pass-throughs, which are taxed on individual, not corporate, rates. The bill’s prime author, Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, and other GOP leaders won votes by increasing a deduction for pass-throughs to 23%, from 17.4% in an earlier version.
But other Senate bill provisions dealing with individual taxes, such as the new set of tax brackets and thresholds, the pass-through deduction would expire Dec. 31, 2025.
The bill’s cut in the corporate rate, which applies to so-called C-corporations doesn’t kick in until 2018 but it becomes permanent after that.
Stephen Sandherr, Associated General Contractors of America CEO, said in a Dec. 1statement参议院法案在最后一票之前的日子已经“大大改善”。
Sandherr noted that a majority of construction firms are pass-throughs, and noted “the Senate proposal has wisely increased the pass-through deduction from 17.4% to 23%” but added that “the fact that the cut is temporary is concerning.”
AIA承诺与一些法案的规定作斗争。AIA总裁Thomas Vonier在12月3日表示statement众议院和参议院衡量“以较低的税率将建筑师和其他小型企业服务专业排除在外”。他补充说：“没有公众的理由这样做。”
友邦保险也是不幸的,房屋税法案影响力ates the credit for historic buildings; the Senate retains the credit, but weakens it, AIA says.
Vonier said that if either bill is approved, "Congress would be making a terrible mistake."
The National Association of Home Builders, which opposed the House measure, said in a Dec. 2blog postthat “the Senate bill represents a step in the right direction.” NAHB said, for example, that the Senate version, unlike the House’s, retains the cap on mortgage-interest deductions at $1 million.
此外，NAHB表示，参议院通过的措施“带来了更多的奇偶校验，即对企业和'C-Corporations'征税，从而使他们能够与大型公司保持公平的竞争环境。”
AGC and other construction groups hoped Congress would use tax legislation to provide financial help for infrastructure programs, such as the federal-aid highway program. But that hasn’t happened. “This is a missed opportunity,” Sandherr said.
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers hailed the Senate’s action. AEM President Dennis Slater, in a statement, called the measure’s approval, “a monumental step toward realizing comprehensive tax reform for the first time in over a generation.”
他说，该法案将提高美国设备制造商的国际竞争力并培养新的制造业工作。
2017年12月4日的故事更新了美国建筑师学院的评论
