With Congress poised to leave Washington for the year having failed to extend vital tax incentives for energy efficiency, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) urges Congressional leadership to pass legislation that will ensure that these federal efficiency incentives remain in place for years to come. In particular, the AIA strongly encourages Congress to pass a long term-extension of the energy efficient commercial buildings tax deduction, a critical federal tax incentive for energy efficient commercial design and construction.

Learn more about this deduction here: http://www.aia.org/adv_commercialbuilding_taxdeduction

“In order to help get America’s economy back on track, Congress must pursue policies to help invigorate the building sector” said AIA Executive Vice President/CEO Christine McEntee. “Failing to extend these incentives will have lasting detrimental consequences that will not only hurt the design and construction industry, but our economy as a whole.”

Extending tax incentives for commercial construction will provide an immediate stimulus to the design and construction industry. The design and construction industry accounts for nearly one in ten dollars of United States GDP, creates millions of jobs and supports millions of small businesses.

“Currently, many developers are reluctant to pursue new commercial projects because of uncertainty over whether federal tax incentives will remain in place beyond this year,” said Paul Mendelsohn, AIA vice president, Government and Community Relations. “Ensuring that the commercial buildings tax deduction remains in place for years to come will remove this worry, help provide a much needed jolt to the economy and address critical environmental concerns.”