IRS Proposed Rule on Revived Superfund Chemical Taxes
On March 29, 2023, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published a Proposed Rule to amend the Environmental Tax Regulations, 25 C.F.R. part 52, specifically those provisions governing the chemical excise taxes used to fund the Hazardous Substance Response Trust Fund established pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA)—known as the Superfund Chemical Tax. Because this is the first time the tax will be applied in over 25 years, its effects may not be well understood by affected industry taxpayers, and the IRS’s Proposed Rule offers critical guidance. Companies engaged in the manufacturing, import, or sale of taxable chemicals should evaluate the Proposed Rule and consider submitting comments by the May 30, 2023, deadline.
DOE Announces Over $4B in Energy Transition Project Tax Credit and Grant Programs
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), alongside the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Department of the Treasury, has announced plans to implement programs funded by the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: the Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit Program (48(e)), the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Credit (48C)), and the Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program. Together, these programs will make available more than $4 billion in federal tax credits and grants for energy transition projects in an effort to “accelerate domestic clean energy manufacturing and ensure traditionally underserved communities benefit from clean energy technologies.”
