[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8201 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8201

 To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to lower the corporate tax 
rate for small businesses and close the carried interest loophole, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 1, 2024

  Ms. Craig introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to lower the corporate tax 
rate for small businesses and close the carried interest loophole, and 
                          for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Small Business Tax Relief Act''.

SEC. 2. GRADUATED CORPORATE TAX RATE TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES.

    (a) In General.--Section 11(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
is amended to read as follows:
    ``(b) Amount of Tax.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided by paragraph (2), the 
        amount of the tax imposed by subsection (a) shall be 21 percent 
        of taxable income.
            ``(2) Small businesses.--In the case of a corporation with 
        taxable income that does not exceed $5,000,000 in the taxable 
        year, the amount of the tax imposed by subsection (a) shall be 
        the sum of--
                    ``(A) 18 percent of so much of the taxable income 
                as does not exceed $400,000, and
                    ``(B) 21 percent of so much of the taxable income 
                as equals or exceeds $400,000.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section shall apply 
to taxable years ending after the date of the enactment of this 
section.

SEC. 3. PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS TRANSFERRED IN CONNECTION WITH 
              PERFORMANCE OF SERVICES.

    (a) Modification to Election To Include Partnership Interest in 
Gross Income in Year of Transfer.--Subsection (c) of section 83 of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by redesignating paragraph (4) 
as paragraph (5) and by inserting after paragraph (3) the following new 
paragraph:
            ``(4) Partnership interests.--Except as provided by the 
        Secretary--
                    ``(A) In general.--In the case of any transfer of 
                an interest in a partnership in connection with the 
                provision of services to (or for the benefit of) such 
                partnership--
                            ``(i) the fair market value of such 
                        interest shall be treated for purposes of this 
                        section as being equal to the amount of the 
                        distribution which the partner would receive if 
                        the partnership sold (at the time of the 
                        transfer) all of its assets at fair market 
                        value and distributed the proceeds of such sale 
                        (reduced by the liabilities of the partnership) 
                        to its partners in liquidation of the 
                        partnership, and
                            ``(ii) the person receiving such interest 
                        shall be treated as having made the election 
                        under subsection (b)(1) unless such person 
                        makes an election under this paragraph to have 
                        such subsection not apply.
                    ``(B) Election.--The election under subparagraph 
                (A)(ii) shall be made under rules similar to the rules 
                of subsection (b)(2).''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to interests in partnerships transferred in taxable years ending 
after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. SPECIAL RULES FOR PARTNERS PROVIDING INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT 
              SERVICES TO PARTNERSHIPS.

    (a) In General.--Part I of subchapter K of chapter 1 of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the 
following new section:

``SEC. 710. SPECIAL RULES FOR PARTNERS PROVIDING INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT 
              SERVICES TO PARTNERSHIPS.

    ``(a) Treatment of Distributive Share of Partnership Items.--For 
purposes of this title, in the case of an investment services 
partnership interest--
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding section 702(b)--
                    ``(A) an amount equal to the net capital gain with 
                respect to such interest for any partnership taxable 
                year shall be treated as ordinary income, and
                    ``(B) subject to the limitation of paragraph (2), 
                an amount equal to the net capital loss with respect to 
                such interest for any partnership taxable year shall be 
                treated as an ordinary loss.
            ``(2) Recharacterization of losses limited to 
        recharacterized gains.--The amount treated as ordinary loss 
        under paragraph (1)(B) for any taxable year shall not exceed 
        the excess (if any) of--
                    ``(A) the aggregate amount treated as ordinary 
                income under paragraph (1)(A) with respect to the 
                investment services partnership interest for all 
                preceding partnership taxable years to which this 
                section applies, over
                    ``(B) the aggregate amount treated as ordinary loss 
                under paragraph (1)(B) with respect to such interest 
                for all preceding partnership taxable years to which 
                this section applies.
            ``(3) Allocation to items of gain and loss.--
                    ``(A) Net capital gain.--The amount treated as 
                ordinary income under paragraph (1)(A) shall be 
                allocated ratably among the items of long-term capital 
                gain taken into account in determining such net capital 
                gain.
                    ``(B) Net capital loss.--The amount treated as 
                ordinary loss under paragraph (1)(B) shall be allocated 
                ratably among the items of long-term capital loss and 
                short-term capital loss taken into account in 
                determining such net capital loss.
            ``(4) Terms relating to capital gains and losses.--For 
        purposes of this section--
                    ``(A) In general.--Net capital gain, long-term 
                capital gain, and long-term capital loss, with respect 
                to any investment services partnership interest for any 
                taxable year, shall be determined under section 1222, 
                except that such section shall be applied--
                            ``(i) without regard to the 
                        recharacterization of any item as ordinary 
                        income or ordinary loss under this section,
                            ``(ii) by only taking into account items of 
                        gain and loss taken into account by the holder 
                        of such interest under section 702 (other than 
                        subsection (a)(9) thereof) with respect to such 
                        interest for such taxable year, and
                            ``(iii) by treating property which is taken 
                        into account in determining gains and losses to 
                        which section 1231 applies as capital assets 
                        held for more than 1 year.
                    ``(B) Net capital loss.--The term `net capital 
                loss' means the excess of the losses from sales or 
                exchanges of capital assets over the gains from such 
                sales or exchanges. Rules similar to the rules of 
                clauses (i) through (iii) of subparagraph (A) shall 
                apply for purposes of the preceding sentence.
            ``(5) Special rule for dividends.--Any dividend allocated 
        with respect to any investment services partnership interest 
        shall not be treated as qualified dividend income for purposes 
        of section 1(h).
            ``(6) Special rule for qualified small business stock.--
        Section 1202 shall not apply to any gain from the sale or 
        exchange of qualified small business stock (as defined in 
        section 1202(c)) allocated with respect to any investment 
        services partnership interest.
    ``(b) Dispositions of Partnership Interests.--
            ``(1) Gain.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Any gain on the disposition of 
                an investment services partnership interest shall be--
                            ``(i) treated as ordinary income, and
                            ``(ii) recognized notwithstanding any other 
                        provision of this subtitle.
                    ``(B) Gift and transfers at death.--In the case of 
                a disposition of an investment services partnership 
                interest by gift or by reason of death of the 
                taxpayer--
                            ``(i) subparagraph (A) shall not apply,
                            ``(ii) such interest shall be treated as an 
                        investment services partnership interest in the 
                        hands of the person acquiring such interest, 
                        and
                            ``(iii) any amount that would have been 
                        treated as ordinary income under this 
                        subsection had the decedent sold such interest 
                        immediately before death shall be treated as an 
                        item of income in respect of a decedent under 
                        section 691.
            ``(2) Loss.--Any loss on the disposition of an investment 
        services partnership interest shall be treated as an ordinary 
        loss to the extent of the excess (if any) of--
                    ``(A) the aggregate amount treated as ordinary 
                income under subsection (a) with respect to such 
                interest for all partnership taxable years to which 
                this section applies, over
                    ``(B) the aggregate amount treated as ordinary loss 
                under subsection (a) with respect to such interest for 
                all partnership taxable years to which this section 
                applies.
            ``(3) Election with respect to certain exchanges.--
        Paragraph (1)(A)(ii) shall not apply to the contribution of an 
        investment services partnership interest to a partnership in 
        exchange for an interest in such partnership if--
                    ``(A) the taxpayer makes an irrevocable election to 
                treat the partnership interest received in the exchange 
                as an investment services partnership interest, and
                    ``(B) the taxpayer agrees to comply with such 
                reporting and recordkeeping requirements as the 
                Secretary may prescribe.
            ``(4) Distributions of partnership property.--
                    ``(A) In general.--In the case of any distribution 
                of property by a partnership with respect to any 
                investment services partnership interest held by a 
                partner, the partner receiving such property shall 
                recognize gain equal to the excess (if any) of--
                            ``(i) the fair market value of such 
                        property at the time of such distribution, over
                            ``(ii) the adjusted basis of such property 
                        in the hands of such partner (determined 
                        without regard to subparagraph (C)).
                    ``(B) Treatment of gain as ordinary income.--Any 
                gain recognized by such partner under subparagraph (A) 
                shall be treated as ordinary income to the same extent 
                and in the same manner as the increase in such 
                partner's distributive share of the taxable income of 
                the partnership would be treated under subsection (a) 
                if, immediately prior to the distribution, the 
                partnership had sold the distributed property at fair 
                market value and all of the gain from such disposition 
                were allocated to such partner. For purposes of 
                applying subsection (a)(2), any gain treated as 
                ordinary income under this subparagraph shall be 
                treated as an amount treated as ordinary income under 
                subsection (a)(1)(A).
                    ``(C) Adjustment of basis.--In the case a 
                distribution to which subparagraph (A) applies, the 
                basis of the distributed property in the hands of the 
                distributee partner shall be the fair market value of 
                such property.
                    ``(D) Special rules with respect to mergers and 
                divisions.--In the case of a taxpayer which satisfies 
                requirements similar to the requirements of 
                subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (3), this 
                paragraph and paragraph (1)(A)(ii) shall not apply to 
                the distribution of a partnership interest if such 
                distribution is in connection with a contribution (or 
                deemed contribution) of any property of the partnership 
                to which section 721 applies pursuant to a transaction 
                described in paragraph (2) of section 708(b).
    ``(c) Investment Services Partnership Interest.--For purposes of 
this section--
            ``(1) In general.--The term `investment services 
        partnership interest' means any interest in an investment 
        partnership acquired or held by any person in connection with 
        the conduct of a trade or business described in paragraph (2) 
        by such person (or any person related to such person). An 
        interest in an investment partnership held by any person--
                    ``(A) shall not be treated as an investment 
                services partnership interest for any period before the 
                first date on which it is so held in connection with 
                such a trade or business,
                    ``(B) shall not cease to be an investment services 
                partnership interest merely because such person holds 
                such interest other than in connection with such a 
                trade or business, and
                    ``(C) shall be treated as an investment services 
                partnership interest if acquired from a related person 
                in whose hands such interest was an investment services 
                partnership interest.
            ``(2) Businesses to which this section applies.--A trade or 
        business is described in this paragraph if such trade or 
        business primarily involves the performance of any of the 
        following services with respect to assets held (directly or 
        indirectly) by one or more investment partnerships referred to 
        in paragraph (1):
                    ``(A) Advising as to the advisability of investing 
                in, purchasing, or selling any specified asset.
                    ``(B) Managing, acquiring, or disposing of any 
                specified asset.
                    ``(C) Arranging financing with respect to acquiring 
                specified assets.
                    ``(D) Any activity in support of any service 
                described in subparagraphs (A) through (C).
            ``(3) Investment partnership.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The term `investment 
                partnership' means any partnership if, at the end of 
                any two consecutive calendar quarters ending after the 
                date of enactment of this section--
                            ``(i) substantially all of the assets of 
                        the partnership are specified assets 
                        (determined without regard to any section 197 
                        intangible within the meaning of section 
                        197(d)), and
                            ``(ii) less than 75 percent of the capital 
                        of the partnership is attributable to qualified 
                        capital interests which constitute property 
                        held in connection with a trade or business of 
                        the owner of such interest.
                    ``(B) Look-through of certain wholly owned entities 
                for purposes of determining assets of the 
                partnership.--
                            ``(i) In general.--For purposes of 
                        determining the assets of a partnership under 
                        subparagraph (A)(i)--
                                    ``(I) any interest in a specified 
                                entity shall not be treated as an asset 
                                of such partnership, and
                                    ``(II) such partnership shall be 
                                treated as holding its proportionate 
                                share of each of the assets of such 
                                specified entity.
                            ``(ii) Specified entity.--For purposes of 
                        clause (i), the term `specified entity' means, 
                        with respect to any partnership (hereafter 
                        referred to as the upper-tier partnership), any 
                        person which engages in the same trade or 
                        business as the upper-tier partnership and is--
                                    ``(I) a partnership all of the 
                                capital and profits interests of which 
                                are held directly or indirectly by the 
                                upper-tier partnership, or
                                    ``(II) a foreign corporation which 
                                does not engage in a trade or business 
                                in the United States and all of the 
                                stock of which is held directly or 
                                indirectly by the upper-tier 
                                partnership.
                    ``(C) Special rules for determining if property 
                held in connection with trade or business.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Except as otherwise 
                        provided by the Secretary, solely for purposes 
                        of determining whether any interest in a 
                        partnership constitutes property held in 
                        connection with a trade or business under 
                        subparagraph (A)(ii)--
                                    ``(I) a trade or business of any 
                                person closely related to the owner of 
                                such