I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5291 

To require the Joint Committee on Taxation to analyze each tax expenditure 

identified in its annual tax expenditure report for equity, efficiency, 

and ease of administration. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 12, 2010 

Mr. MURPHY of New York (for himself, Mr. CHILDERS, Mr. ROSS, Mr. PATRICK J. MURPHY of Pennsylvania, Mr. CARDOZA, Ms. HARMAN, Mr. COOPER, Mr. SCHRADER, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. PETERSON, Mr. TANNER, Mr. CARNEY, Mr. MATHESON, Mr. HILL, Ms. HERSETH SANDLIN, 

Mr. SHULER, Mr. CUELLAR, Mr. MCINTYRE, Ms. GIFFORDS, Mr. 

BRIGHT, Mr. MITCHELL, Mr. COSTA, Mr. ARCURI, Ms. MARKEY of Colorado, Mr. BOYD, Mr. MOORE of Kansas, Mr. KRATOVIL, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. 

ELLSWORTH, Mr. MICHAUD, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. CHANDLER, Mr. DAVIS

of Tennessee, and Mr. DONNELLY of Indiana) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means 

A BILL 

To require the Joint Committee on Taxation to analyze each 

tax expenditure identified in its annual tax expenditure 

report for equity, efficiency, and ease of administration. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Tax Information for New Fiscal Oversight Act of 2010’’. 


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1 (b) FINDINGS.—The Congress find the following: 

2 (1) The Federal deficit in 2009 was more than 

3 $1.4 trillion, or 9.9 percent of the United States 

4 gross domestic product (GDP). 

5 (2) Current Federal deficits are unsustainable: 

6 under realistic assumptions, the level of public debt 

7 will double over the next 10 years. 

8 (3) The Congressional Research Service re9 ported that a 2008 Joint Committee on Tax study 

10 titled ‘‘Estimates of Federal Tax Expenditures for 

11 Fiscal Years 2008–2012’’ contained 247 tax expend12 itures totaling $1.2 trillion. 

13 (4) $1.2 trillion is greater than all Federal dis14 cretionary spending in that year. 

15 (5) Tax expenditures are similar to mandatory 

16 spending in that they often remain in the Internal 

17 Revenue Code until they are modified or eliminated 

18 by congressional action. 

19 (6) Congress currently lacks the information 

20 necessary to effectively identify and analyze loop21 holes and inefficiencies within the current tax sys22 tem. 

23 (7) A more complete tax expenditure analysis 

24 can be a useful tool for Congress when considering 


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1 tax proposals and evaluating the fiscal condition of 

2 our Nation. 

3 (8) This Act requires the Joint Committee on 

4 Taxation to analyze each tax expenditure by its eq5 uity, efficiency, and ease of administration so that 

6 Congress can make more informed policy decisions. 

7 SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL ITEMS IN TAX EXPENDITURE REPORT. 

8 (a) REPORT.—Beginning with the report for 2011, 

9 as part of its annual tax expenditure report, the Joint 

10 Committee on Taxation shall— 

11 (1) analyze each tax expenditure identified in 

12 such report for its equity, efficiency, and ease of ad13 ministration, and 

14 (2) reflect in such report the aggregate annual 

15 revenue lost through the internal revenue laws by 

16 reason of such tax expenditures. 

17 (b) DEFINITION OF EQUITY, EFFICIENCY, AND EASE

18 OF ADMINISTRATION.—For purposes of subsection (a), 

19 the terms ‘‘equity’’, ‘‘efficiency’’, and ‘‘ease of administra20 tion’’ shall have the same meanings as when used in the 

21 report of the Joint Committee on Taxation entitled, ‘‘A 

22 Reconsideration of Tax Expenditure Analysis’’, published 

23 May 12, 2008 (JCX–37–08). 

Æ 


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