Yesterday the Senate voted 62-36 to approve the House version of the Hurricane Sandy Bill. The $51 billion aid package for Hurricane Sandy victims is expected to be signed into law by President Barack Obama. The Act will provide $16 billion for Housing and Urban Development Department community development block grants. Of the $16 billion, approximately $12 billion will be shared among Hurricane Sandy victims as well as those from other federally declared disasters in 2011-2013. The remaining $4 billion is solely for Hurricane Sandy-related projects. The Act will also provide $11 billion to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief aid fund for providing shelter, restoring power and other storm-interrupted utility services and meeting other immediate needs arising from Super Storm Sandy and other disasters. The Act will also provide $10 billion to repair the New York and New Jersey transit systems as well as make the systems more resistant to future storms.
Appeal of Historic Boardwalk Hall Case made to the U. S. Supreme Court
On Thursday, January 17, 2013 Counsel for Historic Boardwalk Hall and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority filed a Petition for a Writ of Certiorari in the United States Supreme Court seeking reversal of the Third Circuit Opinion in the Historic Boardwalk Hall Case. The Third Circuit in the Historic Boardwalk Hall case had reversed the Tax Court decision and ruled that the Pitney Bowes affiliate was not a true partner in Historic Boardwalk Hall, LLC. As a result, the Third Circuit affirmed the IRS Administrative Adjustment to reallocate all of the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits from Pitney Bowes to the tax-exempt New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, a political subdivision of the State of New Jersey. The taxpayer in the petition argues that “…this is the first litigated case in the country in which the IRS has made a sweeping challenge to the allocation of federal HRTCs from a partnership to a partner in the very type of rehabilitation project that formed the basis for Congressional enactment of the HRTC statute. In a true sense, this case represents a dramatic legal clash between the Legislative Branch’s clearly stated intent in enacting the HRTC statute to encourage private investment in the restoration of historic properties…”. While petitions for a writ of certiorari are rarely granted by the Supreme Court, the taxpayer advanced several arguments which may form the basis of granting the writ including the resolution of conflicting decisions in the Circuits and a reversing a decision which is inconsistent with the Supreme Court’s holding in Commissioner v. Culbertson.
Treasury Asked to Clarify Ability to Use Hurricane Sandy Tax-Exempt Bonds
In anticipation of the tax exempt bond financing to be provided by the Hurricane Sandy and National Relief Act of 2012, the Treasury has been requested to clarify the ability to finance the acquisition and rehabilitation with tax-exempt bonds of an affordable housing project which previously received an allocation of 9% federal low-income housing tax credits. The request has been made that the use of tax-exempt financing by an unrelated third-party purchaser of an affordable housing project which previously received an allocation of 9% Federal low-income housing tax credits in an amount sufficient to fund a portion of the cost of the notional “separate new buildings” that are constructed in response to federally declared natural disaster will not preclude the purchaser from stepping into the shoes of the prior owner with respect to the existing project which received an allocation of 9% federal low-income housing tax credits. This would allow existing projects which received 9% LIHTCs which have been damaged by Super Storm Sandy to be acquired and rehabilitated with tax-exempt bond financing and 4% LIHTCs through the “step in the shoes” provision of Section 42 and not affect the prior 9% LIHTC allocation.
CDFI Fund to Announce NMTC Awards in April
The CDFI Fund announced today its plans to award $3.5 billion of Federal New Markets Tax Credit authority for the 2012 round in April of 2013. Earlier in the day President Obama signed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 which included an extension of the Federal New Markets Tax Credit Program for 2012 and 2013. The New Markets Tax Credit authority is $3.5 billion for each year. In addition the current Senate version of the Hurricane Sandy and National Relief Act of 2012 provides for $500,000,000 of additional annual New Markets Tax Credit authority for National Disaster areas, including areas affected by Hurricane Sandy.
Congress Extends New Markets Tax Credit Program, Minimum 9% LIHTC rate, Wind Credit, and Bonus Depreciation
The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 passed by Congress yesterday extends several Federal tax credit benefits critical to the development of affordable housing, low-income community development, and renewable energy. The Act authorizes the extension of the Federal New Markets Tax Credit Program for two additional years at $3.5 billion dollars of New Markets Tax Credit authority for each year. The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 also extends the minimum credit rate for the Federal low-income housing tax credit of not less than 9% for non-federally subsidized new buildings for allocations made prior to January 1, 2014, the Wind production tax credit for facilities placed in service before January 1, 2014, and bonus depreciation for an additional year.
Senate to Vote on Hurricane Sandy Bill
Voting 91 to 1, Senate Democrats and Republicans joined to move for a vote this week on the Hurricane Sandy and National Relief Act of 2012. This $60.4 billion Bill would fund recovery efforts in states affected by Hurricane Sandy. If passed by the Senate, the Bill would still need passage by the Republican controlled House. Although the Bill is less than the $82 billion requested by the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, the Bill would provide much needed funds for affected states to clean up storm damage and undertake long-term projects to protect against the effects of future storms. The Bill would authorize an increase of allocation of Federal low-income housing tax credits, Historic Tax Credits, and New Markets Tax Credits as well as Recovery Zone Bonds in those areas affected by Hurricane Sandy.
Senate Proposes Hurricane Sandy and National Relief Act of 2012
The Senate introduced a summary of the proposed Hurricane Sandy and National Relief Act of 2012. The major provisions of the Act include special allocations of Federal New Markets Tax Credit authority, Federal Low-Income Housing tax credit allocation; and Recovery Zone Bond authority. The proposed Act provides for an allocation of Federal New Markets Tax Credit authority of $500 million a year for three years to be used in federally declared major disaster areas. For the years 2013, 2014, and 2015, the Act permits States affected by Hurricane Sandy to allocate additional amounts of Federal Low-Income Housing tax credits for use in the disaster area of up to $8.00 multiplied by the State’s disaster area population. The Act will also permit affected States to issue tax-exempt Sandy bonds to finance qualified activities including residential rental projects, nonresidential real property and public utility property located in the disaster area.
Duane Morris Forms Hurricane Sandy Sub-Practice Group
In anticipation of the Federal programs which will be enacted to assist in the redevelopment of areas affecting by Hurricane Sandy, Duane Morris has formed the Hurricane Sandy Housing and Community Development Sub-Practice Group. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina Congress passed legislation which provided Federal low-income housing tax credit allocation, Federal New Markets Tax Credit Authority and special tax subsidized bond financing designated for effected areas. The Hurricane Sandy Housing and Community Development Sub-Practice Group is an interdisciplinary group including attorneys with the following specialties: Art Momjian, Federal tax credit programs, Harvey Johnson (NJ) and Jon Popin (NY), affordable housing; Bob Archie, Nat Abramowitz, and Bruce Jurist tax exempt bond finance; Marty Monaco (NJ), tax-exempt entities; and Chester Lee (NY) and Chris Winter, real estate and commercial financing. Members of the Hurricane Sandy Housing and Community Development Sub-Practice Group will provide a unique value to clients as a result of their experience with the Katrina programs, and their extensive knowledge and experience with state and local affordable housing and community development programs in New Jersey and New York. Members of the group can assist clients combine state and local programs with the Federal Hurricane Sandy relief legislation.
The Creating American Prosperity through Preservation Act of 2012
The Creating American Prosperity through Preservation Act of 2012 is a proposed bill which would expand the rehabilitation tax credit. The Act would increase the Historic Tax Credit from 20 percent to 30 percent of qualified rehabilitation expenditures for smaller projects that cost less than $7.5 million. The Act would also provide additional tax credits for including energy efficiencies in redevelopment projects and would allow for any state historic tax proceeds to be exempt from federal tax. Energy-efficiency is promoted by increasing the amount of the credit by 2 percentage points for every project that increases the building’s energy efficiency by 30 percent. And while historically the historic tax credit’s tax exempt leasing rules make it difficult for nonprofits to access the historic tax credit, the Act would permit nonprofits greater access to the rehabilitation credit.
A New Look at the 4% Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit
During the past several years as a result of reduced federal and state subsidies, the 4% Federal low-income housing tax credit has been an infrequently used Federal subsidy. However, with the competitiveness and unclear future of the Federal New Markets Tax Credit Program and the conservative underwriting of conventional debt, the 4% Federal low-income housing tax credit may have a new role for a wide range of projects. The advantages of the 4% Federal low-income housing tax credit are that it is virtually automatically available for residential rental projects with at least 20% of the units set aside for low to moderate income tenants and whose project costs are at least 50% financed with volume cap tax-exempt bonds. Accordingly market rate projects with a desire or requirement to set aside affordable units can both access tax-exempt financing and generate additional equity through the use of the 4% Federal low-income housing tax credit. In addition, the amount of the tax credit is only limited by eligible costs and may be increased if the project is located in a qualified census tract or difficult to develop area. Further in certain instances a percentage of the cost basis of community service facilities may be included in eligible basis and generate additional equity. In any apartment or mixed use development consideration should be given to the potential equity to be generated by the 4% Federal low-income housing tax credit.