Bonanza for Rich Real Estate Investors, Tucked Into Stimulus Package

The new stimulus bill lifts that restriction for three years — this year, and two retroactive years — a boon for couples with more than $500,000 in annual capital gains or income from sources other than their business. That group comprises the top 1 percent of taxpayers, according to Internal Revenue Service data.

A draft congressional analysis this week found that the change is the second-biggest tax giveaway in the $2 trillion stimulus package. That cost analysis also includes the impact of some smaller technical changes to the law. Other industries, like oil and gas and commodities trading, also stand to benefit from the change.

“It’s a pretty big deal,” said Peter Buell, who runs tax services for the real estate practice of the accounting firm Marcum. A separate provision in the stimulus bill, which removes restrictions on losses that people can carry over from previous years, would make the tax break even more lucrative.

A spokesman for the Real Estate Roundtable, a lobbying group, played down the importance of the provision. He said that under the 2017 law, some real estate developers simply spread their losses over multiple years, potentially avoiding the $500,000 ceiling.

Among the possible beneficiaries of the change are real estate investors in President Trump’s inner circle.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/26/business/coronavirus-real-estate-investors-stimulus.html