A major tax advantage for the commercial real estate industry may be one of the casualties in a sweeping federal tax reform expected this year, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Some lawmakers are eyeing the 1031 exchange provision to get the tax-rate cut they seek. The provision allows sellers of real estate and other assets to defer capital gains taxes by reinvesting any profit in “like-kind” properties. The 1031 exchange applies to a range of assets, but real estate accounts for the largest portion of exchanges at 36 percent, according to Ernst & Young LLP data.
The Joint Committee on Taxation estimated in 2014 that repealing like-kind exchanges could raise $40.6 billion in extra tax revenue over one decade. Several lawmakers consider the provision to be loophole that has limited economic benefit and, therefore, some are looking to put it on the chopping block in order to pay for lower tax rates. For example, Mark Mazur, the director of the Tax Policy Center, says 1031 exchanges “really have become just a way to defer tax liability.”
However, real estate executives believe that any move to get rid of 1031 exchanges would be devastating to the economy and the industry. A recent report by Green Street Advisors says that like-kind exchanges are used in 10 percent to 20 percent of commercial real estate transactions.
Any threat to 1031 exchanges “would cause a lot of transactions not to occur,” says Jeffrey DeBoer, chief executive of the Real Estate Roundtable. He adds that investors who purchase real estate through 1031 exchanges are more likely to invest in those properties than those who pay cash. “Therefore, you have capital you can now put into the newly acquired property.”
The House Ways and Means Committee has yet to release a bill on the matter, although The Wall Street Journal reports that the chatter among lawmakers on such legislation is growing.
Maintaining 1031 exchanges is
a top priority for the National Association of REALTORS®. Earlier this year, NAR President William E. Brown said the association will meet any proposals to curb 1031 exchanges with strong resistance because the provision is a vital vehicle in driving commercial real estate development. “If that goes away, commercial real estate will be decimated,”
Brown said earlier this year. “That’s something we’re being very clear about with Congress. This provision is to commercial real estate what [the mortgage interest deduction] is for residential real estate. We will fall on our sword for this.”
Source: “1031 Exchanges, a Cherished Real Estate Tax Break, Faces Extinction,” The Wall Street Journal (June 14, 2017) [Log-in required.]
