Financial Security Credit Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income-based tax credit equal to the lesser of $500 or 50% of the total amount deposited or contributed into designated savings products in a taxable year. Defines "designated savings products" as a qualified retirement plan, a qualified tuition plan, a Coverdell education savings account, a U.S. savings bond, a certificate of deposit with a duration of at least 8 months, a savings account, or other savings product considered appropriate by the Secretary of the Treasury. Directs the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to notify individual taxpayers who may qualify for a savings product tax credit that they have the option of an electronic direct deposit of any portion of their tax refund into a designated savings product.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2917 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2917
To promote savings by providing a tax credit for eligible taxpayers who
contribute to savings products and to facilitate taxpayers receiving
this credit and open a designated savings product when they file their
Federal income tax returns.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 1, 2013
Mr. Serrano (for himself, Mr. Hinojosa, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Conyers, Mr.
Richmond, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Ms. Meng, Mr. Pierluisi,
Ms. Roybal-Allard, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Cartwright, Mr.
Honda, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Sires, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Nolan,
Mr. Castro of Texas, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, and Mr. Jeffries)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Ways and Means
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To promote savings by providing a tax credit for eligible taxpayers who
contribute to savings products and to facilitate taxpayers receiving
this credit and open a designated savings product when they file their
Federal income tax returns.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Financial Security Credit Act of
2013''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The personal savings rate reached historic lows in the
past decade, and a lack of personal savings was a major
contributor to the depth and severity of the recession of 2007-
2009.
(2) Households continue to lack the savings or structures
to meet short-term and long-term needs, as evidenced by the
following:
(A) According to the Employee Benefit Research
Institute, among full-time, full-year wage and salary
workers ages 21-64, only 54.5 per cent participated in
a retirement plan in 2010.
(B) According to the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation's 2011 Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked
Households, an estimated 8.2 percent of United States
households, approximately 10 million households, are
unbanked. These households do not have a checking or
savings account. In total, 29.3 percent of households
do not have a savings account.
(C) More than 1 in 4 American households lives in
``asset poverty'', meaning they lack the savings or
other assets to cover basic expenses (equivalent to
what could be purchased with a poverty level income)
for three months if a layoff or other emergency leads
to loss of income. If assets that cannot easily be
converted to cash, are excluded, such as a home or a
business, as many as 4 in 10 households live in
``liquid asset poverty'', meaning they lack the cash
savings to survive three months at the poverty line.
(3) Savings make families more resilient to financial
shocks and more upwardly mobile, as evidenced by the following:
(A) Even small sums of savings, $2,000 or less,
have been shown to significantly reduce the incidence
of negative financial or material outcomes, such as
foregoing adequate nutrition.
(B) Children born to low-income, high saving
parents are much more likely (71 percent) to move up
the economic ladder than children born to low-income,
low-saving parents (50 percent) over a generation.
(4) Successful pilot programs have been run in cities as
diverse as Houston, Texas; Newark, New Jersey; New York City,
New York; San Antonio, Texas; and Tulsa, Oklahoma. These
programs, run through Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites
serving only a fraction of potentially eligible tax filers in
each city, have shown that tax filers with low incomes can and
will save when presented with the right incentive at the right
moment.
(5) It is in the economic interests of the United States to
promote savings among all members of society, regardless of
income.
SEC. 3. FINANCIAL SECURITY CREDIT.
(a) In General.--Subpart C of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by inserting after
section 36C the following new section:
``SEC. 36D. FINANCIAL SECURITY CREDIT.
``(a) Allowance of Credit.--There shall be allowed as a credit
against the tax imposed by this subtitle for a taxable year an amount
equal to the lesser of--
``(1) $500, or
``(2) 50 percent of the total amount deposited or
contributed by the taxpayer in accordance with subsection
(b)(1) into designated savings products during such taxable
year.
``(b) Limitations.--
``(1) Credit must be deposited in or contributed to
designated savings product.--No amount shall be allowed as a
credit under subsection (a) for a taxable year unless the
taxpayer designates on the taxpayer's return of tax for the
taxable year that the amount of the credit for such taxable
year be deposited in or contributed to one or more designated
savings products of the taxpayer and the Secretary makes such
deposits or contributions to the designated savings products.
``(2) Limitation based on adjusted gross income.--
``(A) In general.--The amount of the credit
allowable under subsection (a) shall be reduced (but
not below zero) by an amount which bears the same ratio
to the amount of such credit (determined without regard
to this paragraph) as--
``(i) the amount by which the taxpayer's
adjusted gross income exceeds the threshold
amount, bears to
``(ii) $15,000.
``(B) Threshold amount.--For purposes of
subparagraph (A), the term `threshold amount' means--
``(i) $55,500 in the case of a joint
return,
``(ii) $41,625 in the case of an individual
who is not married, and
``(iii) 50 percent of the dollar amount in
effect under clause (i) in the case of a
married individual filing a separate return.
For purposes of this subparagraph, marital status shall
be determined under section 7703.
``(c) Designated Savings Product.--For purposes of this section,
the term `designated savings product' means any of the following:
``(1) A qualified retirement plan (as defined in section
4974(c)).
``(2) A qualified tuition program (as defined in section
529).
``(3) A Coverdell education savings account (as defined in
section 530).
``(4) A United States savings bond.
``(5) A certificate of deposit (or similar class of
deposit) with a duration of at least 8 months.
``(6) A savings account.
``(7) Any other type of savings product considered to be
appropriate by the Secretary for the purposes of this section.
``(d) Special Rules.--
``(1) Tax refunds treated as deposited or contributed in
current taxable year.--For purposes of subsection (a)(2), the
amount of any overpayment of taxes refunded to the taxpayer
(reduced by any amount attributable to the credit allowed under
this section by reason of being considered as an overpayment by
section 6401(b)) and designated for deposit in or contribution
to a designated savings product of the taxpayer shall be
treated as an amount deposited or contributed in the taxable
year in which so deposited or contributed.
``(2) Maintenance of deposit.--No contribution or deposit
shall be taken into account under subsection (a) unless such
contribution or deposit remains in the designated savings
product for not less than 8 continuous months.
``(3) Reduction in deposits in designated savings
products.--
``(A) In general.--The amount of deposits or
contributions taken into account under subsection (a)
shall be reduced (but not below zero) by the aggregate
amount of distributions (other than interest from
designated savings products specified in paragraphs
(4), (5), (6), and (7) of subsection (c)) from all
designated savings products of the taxpayer during the
testing period. The preceding sentence shall not apply
to the portion of any distribution which is not
includible in gross income by reason of a trustee-to-
trustee transfer or a rollover distribution.
``(B) Testing period.--For purposes of subparagraph
(A), the testing period, with respect to a taxable
year, is the period which includes--
``(i) such taxable year,
``(ii) the 2 preceding taxable years, and
``(iii) the period after such taxable year
and before the due date (including extensions)
for filing the return of tax for such taxable
year.
``(C) Other rules.--Rules similar to subparagraphs
(C) and (D) of section 25B(d)(2) shall apply for
purposes of this paragraph.
``(4) Denial of double benefit.--No credit shall be allowed
under section 25B with respect to any deposit for which a
credit is allowed under this section.
``(5) Coordination with other refundable credits.--The
credit allowed by subsection (a) shall be taken into account
after taking into account the credits allowed by (or treated as
allowed by) this subpart (other than this section).
``(e) Inflation Adjustments.--
``(1) Credit limit.--In the case of any taxable year
beginning in a calendar year after 2023, the dollar amount in
subsection (a)(1) shall be increased by an amount equal to--
``(A) such dollar amount, multiplied by
``(B) the cost-of-living adjustment determined
under section 1(f)(3) for the calendar year in which
the taxable year begins, determined by substituting
`calendar year 2012' for `calendar year 1992' in
subparagraph (B) thereof.
``(2) AGI thresholds.--In the case of any taxable year
beginning in a calendar year after 2013, each of the dollar
amounts in clauses (i) and (ii) of subsection (b)(2)(B) shall
be increased by an amount equal to--
``(A) such dollar amount, multiplied by
``(B) the cost-of-living adjustment determined
under section 1(f)(3) for the calendar year in which
the taxable year begins, determined by substituting
`calendar year 2012' for `calendar year 1992' in
subparagraph (B) thereof.
``(3) Rounding.--
``(A) Credit limit.--If any increase under
paragraph (1) is not a multiple of $10, such increase
shall be rounded to the next lowest multiple of $10.
``(B) AGI thresholds.--If any increase under
paragraph (1) is not a multiple of $100, such increase
shall be rounded to the next lowest multiple of $100.
``(f) Regulations.--Not later than 12 months from date of enactment
of this section, the Secretary shall issue such regulations or other
guidance as the Secretary determines necessary or appropriate to carry
out this section, including regulations or guidance--
``(1) to ensure that designated savings products are
subject to appropriate reporting requirements, including the
reporting of contributions and other deposits during the
calendar year, end of calendar year account balances, and
earnings from designated savings products specified in
paragraphs (4), (5), (6), and (7) of subsection (c),
``(2) to carry out the maintenance of deposit provisions
under subsection (d)(2), and
``(3) to prevent avoidance of the purposes of this
subsection.''.
(b) Conforming Amendments.--
(1) Section 1324(b)(2) of title 31, United States Code, is
amended by inserting ``36D,'' after ``36B,''.
(2) The table of sections for subpart C of part IV of
subchapter A of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 36C
the following new item:
``Sec. 36D. Financial security credit.''.
(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall
apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2013.
SEC. 4. OPENING OF ACCOUNTS ON FEDERAL INCOME TAX RETURNS TO FACILITATE
SAVINGS.
(a) Notification of Option.--
(1) In general.--The Commissioner of Internal Revenue shall
notify individuals who may qualify for a credit under section
36D of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 but fail to provide
sufficient information to allow the Secretary to deposit or
contribute the credit amount to a designated savings product
that they have the option of an electronic direct deposit and
that they may be eligible for the financial security credit
under section 36D of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 if they
deposit a refund or a portion of their refund in any designated
savings product.
(2) Method of notification.--The notification under
paragraph (1) shall be made through--
(A) a public awareness program undertaken by the
Secretary of the Treasury, in concert with the
Commissioner of the Internal Revenue and others as
necessary, beginning not later than 6 months after the
date of the enactment of this Act;
(B) tax return preparers and low-income taxpayer
clinics; and
(C) the inclusion of such a notice in the
instruction material for any Federal income tax return.
(b) Establishment of Designated Account Program.--The Secretary of
the Treasury shall develop, in consultation with the Federal Management
System, a program to minimize the delivery of non-electronic Federal
income tax refunds by depositing refunds electronically to a safe, low-
cost account held by a depository institution. This program shall
include--
(1) provisions for such tax refunds to be deposited into a
designated account;
(2) establishment of account parameters with respect to
minimum balance requirements, limitations on overdrafts,
overdraft fees, other fees, and additional requirements;
(3) establishment of means for the taxpayer to access the
account electronically and to have timely, direct access to the
funds in the account; and
(4) provisions to allow taxpayers to open an account with
their Federal income tax refunds through financial service
providers, so long such account is held at a depository
institution insured under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act or
a credit union insured under the Federal Credit Union Act.
(c) Effective Date.--The notification under subsection (a) and the
program under subsection (b) shall be effective with respect to Federal
income tax returns for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2013.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
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