President Trump Signs Further Consolidated Appropriations Act Into Law

By Magdalena M. Czerniawski |  Robert Lyons  |  December 23, 2019

As expected, President Trump signed into law H.R. 1865 (The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020) on Friday, December 20, 2019.

The bill was primarily designed as a government funding bill. Like most bills, it contained various “tag-along” provisions not associated with federal funding. Two of the provisions signed into law have a significant impact on nonprofit organizations.

Parking and Transit Pass Tax Repeal

H.R. 1865, as signed into law, repealed Code section 512(a)(7) that taxed qualified transportation fringe benefits, which included expenses related to transit passes and parking facilities associated with qualified parking. The repeal is retroactive to the date of enactment, December 22, 2017. This means all taxes already paid will be refunded to the charity. There are three aspects to the repeal that will have an immediate impact on nonprofits:

  • Organizations will have to file an amended Form 990-T, Exempt Organization Business Income Tax Return, for tax previously paid;
  • Organizations, currently on extension, will have to file Form 990-T to claim a refund for estimated payments made; and,
  • Since the bill is retroactive to the date of enactment, penalties, and interest related to previous filings will also have to be addressed.

The IRS and the Treasury appear to be having staffing problems, so it should be interesting to see how they are going to timely process returns without incurring interest on the refunds. Additionally, this is occurring during their peak filing season.

Private Foundation Excise Tax Simplification

Over the past seven years, there has been a bill introduced to reduce the excise tax paid by private foundations on their investment income. There has historically been a split level of tax pursuant to Code section 4940 of either 2% or 1% since the original enactment in 1974.  The tax was originally initiated by the Treasury to cover the administrative costs associated with monitoring private foundation activities for abuses associated with prior filings. 

H.R. 1865 (Sec. 206) changed the excise tax rate on investment income under Code section 4940 to a single rate of 1.39%, which technically amounts to a blended rate between the 2% and 1% rates. This will make year-end planning much easier for most foundations. The new rate goes into effect for tax years beginning after the date of enactment. In most cases, this would be for the year beginning January 1, 2020.


About Magdalena M. Czerniawski

Magdalena M. Czerniawski Linkedin Icon

Magdalena M. Czerniawski, CPA, MBA, is a Partner at Marks Paneth LLP and a member of the firm’s Nonprofit, Government & Healthcare Group. With over 15 years of nonprofit industry experience, she provides tax services to a wide array of nonprofits, including charitable organizations, schools, social welfare organizations, affordable housing entities, professional associations, private foundations, healthcare organizations and hospitals. In addition to providing tax compliance services, Ms. Czerniawski also provides tax planning and advisory services.... READ MORE +


About Robert Lyons

Robert Lyons Linkedin Icon

Robert (Rob) Lyons, CPA, MST, is a Tax Director, Exempt Organizations in the Nonprofit, Government & Healthcare Group at Marks Paneth LLP. Mr. Lyons brings to this role the skills he has developed during more than 30 years of providing tax and consulting services to his clients in the nonprofit, higher education, and public sector industries. His experience includes handling substantial exempt organization tax issues. Mr. Lyons has testified in front of the House and Ways Committee in... READ MORE +


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