Repeal Tax Incentives for Esops

Abstract

The proposal would repeal special tax incentives given to employee stock ownership plans, as well as the exemption granted to those plans from the investment diversification requirement of the ERISA.

The proposal is made as a part of the Shelf Project, a collaboration among tax professionals to develop - and perfect proposals to help Congress when it is ready to raise revenue. Shelf Project proposals are intended to raise revenue without raising rates because the best systems have the lowest feasible tax rates and taxes that are unavoidable. Shelf projects defend the tax base and improve the rationality and efficiency of the tax system.Alonger description of the Shelf Project is found at ‘‘The Shelf Project: Revenue-Raising Proposals that Defend the Tax Base,’’ Tax Notes, Dec. 10, 2007, p. 1077, Doc 2007-22632, or 2007 TNT 238-37.

Shelf Project proposals follow the format of a congressional tax committee report in explaining current law, what is wrong with it, and how to fix it.

Keywords: tax, ERISA, employee stock ownership plans

JEL Classification: H20