URGENT: Historic Tax Credits Update

Dear Preservation Neighbors,

It is unlikely that the Historic Tax Credit will be included in Ways and Means Chairman Brady’s tax reform bill expected out on November 1.

Good efforts have been made by the National Trust for Historic Preservation with Ways and Means members in their states but it looks like the Chairman is holding firm in his plan to release a bill that mirrors the instructions laid out by the “Group of Six” two weeks ago to only include the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and the R&D tax credit.

We’ve also learned that Chairman Brady aims to get the tax reform bill to the floor for a full House vote on November 6, basically giving House members three days to amend. Moreover, last week’s passage of a Senate budget created a path for the Senate to pass a tax reform bill with only a simple majority of 51 votes.

The Bernhardt Luxury Lofts in Salisbury NC - an Historic Tax Credit Project with Greg Rapp

Urgent action is needed from the preservation community.

Below are actions you can take immediately:

Write and call your legislators and ask that they keep the Historic Tax Credit as they reform our nation’s tax code. Encourage board members and your community members to also Take Action and make their views known.

Ask Salisbury City Council to pass resolutions calling on Congress to keep this economic development tool in our toolbox and get media for your local leaders for doing so.

Invite district staff to tour your historic districts and deliver the national sign-on letter signed by hundreds of organizations along with the state map of projects.

Gain media for the threat to the HTC that calls on your specific legislators to take action. Ask that they ensure the HTC remains in a reformed tax code by getting in either the House or the Senate tax reform bill.

Across The Pond Bed & Breakfast | The Stokes-Snider House - an Historic Tax Credit Project with Greg Rapp

Share this update with your friends, neighbors, family members, boards, and colleagues including:

• Architects 
• Bankers and lenders 
• Business owners 
• Chambers of Commerce 
• Contractors 
• Commercial Realtors 
• Developers 
• Historic Preservation Commissions 
• Main Streets (Larissa Harper, Executive Director, Downtown Salisbury Inc., (704) 637-7814 | larissa.harper@salisburync.gov)
• Program directors 
• Mayors (MAYOR Karen K. Alexander - (704) 638-5231 | Karen.Alexander@salisburync.gov)
• Property owners 
• Historical societies (Karen L. Hobson, Executive Director, Historic Salisbury Foundation, 704-636-0103 |director@historicsalisbury.org)
• Neighborhood associations 
• Preservation groups 
• State legislators and officials 

Anyone who cares about reusing historic buildings to revitalize their community should be contacting Congress and urging them to ensure the HTC is in either the House or the Senate tax reform bill.

To help you and your organization take action:

1. Contact the National Trust for Historic Preservation (see below) for an Advocacy Toolkit that offers specific suggestions and resources to make taking action easier. 
2.  Need to get caught up? Hear a refresher on the HTC from WDC lobbyists who spoke on the last webinar.
3. Those legislators that signed on to co-sponsor the Historic Tax Credit Improvement Act should logically also want to retain the program. To see if your legislator co-sponsored either the House bill or Senate bill, you can look them up here: https://www.congress.gov//   But remember, the request to your Members of Congress is to please include the HTC in the tax reform bills.

Time is of the essence.

Thank you for acting quickly and speaking up for the Historic Tax Credit!

National Trust for Historic Preservation
Email:  General inquiries: info@savingplaces.org | Public Affairs: pr@savingplaces.org
Phone:  202.588.6000 | 800.944.6847





Greg Rapp 
Wallace Realty Co. 
704 213 6846 Mobile 
704 636 2021 Office 
www.realestatesalisbury.net 

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