The 199A Federal Tax Provision (An Update)

UPDATE: An agreement was reached and included in the Omnibus spending bill approved in late March. While the ‘fix’ has re-leveled the playing field, it too is complicated. Therefore, we’ll leave the explanations up to other sources and your tax accountant.

Related Article: How the Section 199A ‘Fix’ Will Work – April 6, 2018 DTN Progressive Farmer

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PREVIOUS ARTICLE from Feb 4, 2018: Since the passage of federal tax legislation, a great deal of consternation has ensued about the 199A provision for cooperatives authored by Senators Hoeven and Thune. In oversimplified terms, producers who sell to a cooperative may deduct 20% of gross receipts from their business income compared to a 20% deduction against net income for sales to private firms.

GGC members are wondering if Method A deliveries qualify under this provision. The answer is NO. Because GGC is formed as a MN 308B cooperative, our tax identify is that of a partnership that does not qualify under this provision.

It is unclear if this tax law, with unintended consequences, can be resolved any time soon. Cooperatives want similar treatment to the older 199 provision AND parity with a 40% corporate tax cut to private entities. Stakeholders are meeting, but as of this time, no agreement has been reached.

If a fix can be agreed to, it must then be attached to legislation that passes both houses of Congress – a somewhat difficult task. Meanwhile, a great deal of market disruption and ‘sham’ coop development may occur.

For more detailed background on the 199A tax provision and its potential consequences review Farm Doc Daily’s Post Titled: A Discussion of the Sec 199A Deduction