Trustee Archive

TAXES »» CORPORATE TAXES »» CORPORATE WELFARE »» Mar 04, 2024
Corporate welfare is a nickname that compares government subsidies to corporations with welfare payments to the poor. It is used to describe government subsidies of money, tax breaks or other favorable treatment for selected corporations. Studies show that about $100 billion is allocated in the federal government’s budget for all types of corporate welfare, not including tax loopholes or trade barriers. Two of the largest recipients of this aid are oil and agricultural corporations. Recent estimates put U.S. direct subsidies to the fossil fuel industry at about $35 billion per year, with 20% allocated to coal and 80% to natural gas and crude oil. Oil companies receive subsidies for oil exploration as well as for the exhaustion of oil and gas wells. Critics claim that besides wasting billions of dollars from our Treasury, these subsidies have led to a reckless search for oil in fragile environments like the deep ocean floor in the Gulf of Mexico. They say the 2010 catastrophe at the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig can be directly linked to oil-friendly legislation over the last 20 years.

In a recent executive order aimed at combating climate change, President Biden has directed federal agencies to eliminate all fossil fuel subsidies and seek new opportunities to spur innovation, commercialization and deployment of clean energy technologies and infrastructure.

Pending Legislation: H.R.1483 - End Oil and Gas Tax Subsidies Act of 2023
Sponsor: Rep. Earl Blumenauer (OR)
Status: House Committee on Ways and Means
Chair: Rep. Jason Smith (MO)

  • I oppose reforming corporate welfare policy and wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Speaker Mike Johnson (LA).
  • I support limiting or repealing certain fossil fuel oil and gas subsidies for oil companies by: 1.) Increasing to seven years the amortization period for geological and geophysical expenditures. 2.) Repealing the tax credits for producing oil and gas from marginal wells and for enhanced oil recovery. 3.) Repealing the tax deduction for the intangible drilling and development costs of oil and gas wells. 4.) Repealing percentage depletion. 5.) Repealing the tax deduction for tertiary injectant expenses. 6.) Repealing the passive loss exception for working interests in oil and gas property. 7.) Denying the tax deduction for income attributable to domestic production activities for oil and gas activities. 8.) Prohibiting the use of the last-in, first-out (LIFO) accounting method by major integrated oil companies. 9.) Limiting the foreign tax credit for dual capacity taxpayers (i.e., taxpayers who are subject to a levy of a foreign country or U.S. possession and receive specific economic benefits from such country or possession). 10.) Expanding the definition of crude oil for purposes of the excise tax on petroleum and petroleum products to include any oil derived from a bitumen or bituminous mixture (tar sands), and any oil derived from kerogen-bearing sources (oil shale). And wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Rep. Jason Smith (MO) and/or to an advocate group currently working with this issue.
Winning Option »» No issues were voted

  • I support limiting or repealing certain fossil fuel oil and gas subsidies for oil companies by: 1.) Increasing to seven years the amortization period for geological and geophysical expenditures. 2.) Repealing the tax credits for producing oil and gas from marginal wells and for enhanced oil recovery. 3.) Repealing the tax deduction for the intangible drilling and development costs of oil and gas wells. 4.) Repealing percentage depletion. 5.) Repealing the tax deduction for tertiary injectant expenses. 6.) Repealing the passive loss exception for working interests in oil and gas property. 7.) Denying the tax deduction for income attributable to domestic production activities for oil and gas activities. 8.) Prohibiting the use of the last-in, first-out (LIFO) accounting method by major integrated oil companies. 9.) Limiting the foreign tax credit for dual capacity taxpayers (i.e., taxpayers who are subject to a levy of a foreign country or U.S. possession and receive specific economic benefits from such country or possession). 10.) Expanding the definition of crude oil for purposes of the excise tax on petroleum and petroleum products to include any oil derived from a bitumen or bituminous mixture (tar sands), and any oil derived from kerogen-bearing sources (oil shale). And wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Rep. Jason Smith (MO) and/or to an advocate group currently working with this issue.
Trustee Candidates

  • Representative
    If elected as a trustee, the campaign committee of Rep. Jason Smith (MO) will be unconditionally awarded the funds pledged to this issue along with a letter requesting him to favorably consider passing H.R.1483 - End Oil and Gas Tax Subsidies Act of 2023.

  • Americans for Tax Fairness
    If elected as a trustee, Americans for Tax Fairness will be awarded the funds pledged to this issue along with a letter requesting these funds be used to advocate for permanently repealing federal subsidies to oil companies.

    About: Americans for Tax Fairness is a diverse campaign of more than 420 national, state and local endorsing organizations united in support of a fair tax system that works for all Americans. It has come together based on the belief that the country needs comprehensive, progressive tax reform that results in greater revenue to meet our growing needs. This requires big corporations and the wealthy to pay their fair share in taxes, not to live by their own set of rules.


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Poll Opening Date March 04, 2024
Poll Closing Date March 10, 2024