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On Tuesday, the Treasury Department released proposed regulations governing the new limitation on the deductibility of business interest expense, including the exception for real estate businesses.

The Real Estate Roundtable's support for a federal proposal that would implement modified capital rules for High Volatility Commercial Real Estate (HVCRE) loan exposures is detailed in a Nov. 26 comment letterto three banking agencies. The Agencies — tasked with developing a rule consistent with Section 214 of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (S. 2155) to clarify the capital treatment of HVCRE Acquisition, Development, or Construction (ADC) loans — invited comments on their Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

The Real Estate Roundtable on Nov. 26 sent recommendations to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to improve the agency’s ENERGY STAR scoring methods, which rate a building’s energy efficiency performance.

The Supreme Court's recent South Dakota v. Wayfair decision allowing States to collect tax owed on remote internet sales purchases could generate an estimated $250 million in annual revenue for the state of Virginia, which is aiming to start its online sales tax program this summer.

The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service are close to issuing draft regulations on the new business interest expense limitation, enacted in last year’s tax overhaul. Regulations related to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act can be designated for an expedited, 10-day review by the White House Office of Management and Budget before publication and public release, though the timetable can be extended if needed.

This week President Trump and key Democrats have spoken out about the possibility of a "grand bargain" infrastructure deal in the new Congress, if Democrats gain control of the House in the mid-term elections next month.

In the wake of this this week's national pipe-bomb mail campaign, the implications for building security and terrorism risk insurance are profiled in today's The Real Deal.

Real Estate Roundtable Perspective: Opportunity Zone Regulations Answer Critical Questions Regarding Real Estate Investment

Treasury Releases Proposed Rules on Opportunity Zones Program Issues

Following the Nov. 6 mid-term elections, a “Lame Duck” session of Congress is expected to consider various tax policies of importance to commercial real estate.

Roundtable and Business Coalition Seek Administrative Relief, Shorter Cost Recovery Period for Nonresidential Real Estate Improvements

This week The Real Estate Roundtable, along with 239 businesses and trade groups, wrote to Secretary Mnuchin urging the Treasury Department to provide taxpayers with administrative relief from a drafting mistake in last year’s tax overhaul that increased the cost recovery period for qualified improvement property (QIP).

The Real Estate Roundtable on Monday submitted detailed recommendations to the Treasury Department on simplifying and streamlining the new 20 percent tax deduction for pass-through businesses.

Two recent letters – one from 16 Democratic Senators to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and the other from 58 House Republicans to GOP leadership – urge policymakers to fix an unintentional drafting mistake in last year’s tax overhaul that mistakenly increased the cost recovery period for qualified improvement property (QIP).

Three federal banking agencies on Tuesday invited public comment on a proposal to modify capital rules for high volatility commercial real estate (HVCRE) exposures – as required by Sec. 214 of the bipartisan Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (S. 2155).

An online anti-terrorism tool to help commercial office building security professionals perform facility assessments was released this week by The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate.

The Real Estate Roundtable and seven other national trade organizations wrote to congressional leaders this week opposing legislation that reverses or limits the Supreme Court's June 22 decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, which allows States to collect tax owed on remote internet sales purchases.

The House Ways and Means Committee yesterday passed “Tax Reform 2.0” legislation along party lines (21-15) that would make permanent individual and pass-through business tax cuts set to expire at the end of 2025. House leaders plan a full chamber vote by the end of this month to highlight the GOP’s signature economic policy achievement before the November mid-term elections.

Last month the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the first updates to its ENERGY STAR scoring models in over a decade, as the agency moved from 2003 to 2012 data for its foundation to rate buildings. (See Roundtable Weekly, Aug. 17.) EPA announced yesterday that it will commence a "review period" to solicit stakeholder feedback on these recent ENERGY STAR score updates. Certifications for office, industrial, and certain other building categories will be temporarily suspended during this review period.

As Hurricane Florence made landfall this morning near Wrightsville Beach, NC, the storm’s large size and slow speed are expected to produce severe flooding, affecting millions of individuals who have evacuated affected coastal areas and thousands of businesses in the Carolinas.