NMHC/NAA Viewpoint: The LIHTC program provides critical support to the nation's affordable housing production. Given that 10.9 million renter households spend more than half their income on rent, lawmakers should strengthen the program by making permanent and augmenting by an additional 50 percent the increased credit authority enacted in March 2018 to enable the production of new units.
The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) is a public/private partnership that leverages federal dollars with private investment to produce affordable rental housing and stimulate new economic development in many communities. Since its inception in 1986, the LIHTC program has according to the ACTION Campaign financed 3.3 million apartments and served approximately 8 million households. This development has supported 5.2 million jobs while generating $593 billion in wages and business income and $206 billion in Federal, state and local tax revenues.
Under the program, state housing agencies issue credit allocations to developers who then sell the credits to investors. Investors receive a dollar-for-dollar reduction in their federal tax liability over a 10-year period, and developers invest the equity raised to build or acquire apartments. This equity allows apartment firms to operate the properties at below-market rents for qualifying families. LIHTC-financed properties must be kept affordable for at least 30 years.
The LIHTC has two components:
- A 9 percent tax credit that subsidizes 70 percent of new construction and cannot be combined with any additional federal subsidies.
- A 4 percent tax credit that subsidizes 30 percent of the unit costs in an acquisition of a project and can be paired with additional federal subsidies.
Given the nation’s severe shortage of affordable housing, Congress in recent years has enacted significant improvements to the LIHTC program. In December 2020, Congress established an NMHC and NAA supported minimum 4 percent credit rate, akin to current law’s minimum 9 percent credit rate—so that investors may derive its full value. Under prior law, the 4 percent credit rate floated and was worth considerably less due to low interest rates. Additionally, in March 2018, Congress rightly increased LIHTC authority by 12.5 percent for 2018-2021. Congress also sensibly authorized income averaging so that LIHTC could serve a wider array of households.
Congress should continue to invest in the LIHTC’s success by making permanent the increase in program authority, as well as further augmenting credit authority by 50 percent.
The LIHTC has enjoyed broad bipartisan support over the years, and Congress sensibly preserved it in the 2017 tax reform bill. It should now be strengthened to meet the continued need for affordable housing.
The LIHTC has developed or preserved 3.3 million apartments since 1986.
