1、 https:/crsreports.congress.gov November 23, 2016Oil and Natural Gas Industry Tax PreferencesCorporate income tax policy was an issue in the 2016 presidential campaign and is also expected to be taken up by the 115th Congress. Debate has centered both on the tax rate as well as the tax base. The iss
2、ue with respect to the tax rate is whether the current top federal corporate rate of 35% is too high compared to that levied by other countries, reducing the competitiveness of U.S. firms. However, some say that the average effective federal corporate income tax rate may be as low as19%-20% due to a
3、 variety of specialized tax deductions and credits, known as tax preferences. These tax preferences tend to reduce the tax base for the firms that meet the qualifications to use them, reducing their tax payments and yielding a lower effective tax rate. Not all industries have access to the same set
4、of tax preferences, and, as a result, companies in different industries, with the same net taxable income, might be liable for different tax payments. The result is unequal treatment under the tax law which can amount to a subsidy for some firms in some industries. The oil and natural gas industries
