Groups urge Congress not to revive ‘zombie’ tax breaks

A dozen groups from across the ideological spectrum are stepping up their efforts to urge congressional leaders not to renew a host of expired tax breaks known as “tax extenders.”

“We are writing to urge you to ignore calls from special interests to revive these zombie extenders,” the groups wrote in a new letter. “Let what is dead remain dead.”

Groups that signed the letter include the right-leaning Americans for Prosperity, the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, and the deficit hawk group the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Many of the groups who signed the letter signed a similar letter to congressional leaders in December.{mosads}

More than two dozen tax breaks expired at the end of 2017, relating to industries including renewable energy, horse racing and motorsports.

Congress typically renews the tax breaks retroactively in year-end legislation, but they did not do so last year. Lawmakers are discussing whether to take action this year to renew some or all of the extenders.

The groups said in their letter that both Democrats and Republicans want to shrink the number of tax breaks that benefit special interests in the tax code.

“A good first step would be to not bring back those few tax breaks which are already expired,” they wrote.

It’s unclear exactly how Congress will ultimately decide to address the extenders.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) in February introduced a bill that would renew about 30 tax breaks that expired at the end of 2017 and 2018.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) told reporters on Wednesday that he’s considering adding an expansion of the earned income tax credit, which benefits low- and middle-income workers, to a tax extenders package.