U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement after voting to support the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act:

“Today’s passage of the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act will not only help our economy grow but it will also help American taxpayers keep more of their hard-earned dollars. This legislation provides certainty to our nation’s small businesses by making a number of temporary provisions - such as the Research & Development credit and the section 179 expensing credit – permanent. Now, businesses can plan appropriately for more than one year at a time, hire new workers, and invest in their communities. In addition, there are a number of reforms designed to better protect taxpayers from abuse by the Internal Revenue Service. With the passage of this legislation, it sets the stage for comprehensive tax reform to finally happen. Americans deserve a simpler and fairer tax code that is built for growth – and this bill will help to make that possible.”

More highlights of the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act:

R&D credit (permanent)
Code section 179 expensing (permanent)
State and local sales tax deduction (permanent)
Charitable Tax Policies (permanent)
Bonus depreciation (five year extension)
Reduces the marriage penalty for certain credits (permanent)
Provisions to crack down on fraud and abuse
IRS employees prohibited from using personal email accounts for business
IRS must inform taxpayers on status of investigations related to unauthorized use of private tax information
Right to appeal adverse ruling of tax-exempt status
IRS employees terminated taking official actions for political purposes