There are a lot of rumblings out there about potential tax reform. President Trump has talked openly about how he wants to lower federal corporate income tax rates from 35% perhaps down to as low as 20%. How do we pay for this reduction in tax and the simplification of the tax code?
1031 on the Chopping Block?
Some pundits have speculated that section 1031 could be a victim of federal tax reform, thinking that Congress will throw it out in an attempt to simplify the code and to create some revenue raisers to offset these reductions in other areas. But throwing out section 1031 would likely have the opposite effect.
Market Stagnation
Let’s start with the assumption that 1031 elimination would result in more tax revenue collection. The result of eliminating 1031 would be stagnation and decreased velocity in the marketplace. I don't care if you lower rates down to 5%, a lot of our clients are just adamant that they don't want to pay any taxes on the sale of their real estate. They do not want to give away their hard-earned equity, and they will stay locked into their current properties and never sell them if they are going to get slapped on the wrist with this disincentive called taxes.
Without 1031 there is no tool to allow people to move their capital to the most advantageous investment. That stimulates property values, job growth, and has an unusual effective of benefiting the entire economy because capital is moving to different geographic areas around the country and into different business segments where it's needed.
Start Your Exchange: If you have questions about 1031 and tax reform, feel free to call me at 612-643-1031.
Defer the tax. Maximize your gain.
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