Nearly 100 U.S. Representatives Seek Tax-Free Status for CERTS Program Funds
STNOnline
By Ryan Gray
November 4, 2021
Democrat congressional representatives are pushing Congress to grant tax-exempt status to school bus and motorcoach companies that received Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services (CERTS) Act funds.
Reps. Darrin LaHood of Illinois and Jimmy Panetta of California spearheaded a letter also signed by 91 of their associates on Monday, asking Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to consider a proposal to exempt the $2 billion in CERTS grants from federal taxation.
The letter notes that the $953 billion Paycheck Protection Program, the $16.2 billion Shuttered Venues Operators Grant, and the $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund grants are non-taxable.
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NSTA along with partners the United Motorcoach Association (UMA), the American Bus Association, and the Passenger Vessel Association originally asked Congress to approve $8 billion for the CERTS program, but the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 enacted last December only included the current amount. The CERTS Coalition asked for $40 billion in new CERTS funding in February, and UMA launched another effort in August for an additional $6 billion. But neither attempt has succeeded to date.