Hospitality and Gambling Interests Delay Closing of Billion-Dollar Tax Loophole
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The Senate minority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, provided key support for preserving a tax loophole for the hotel, restaurant and gambling industries.
CreditZach Gibson/The New York Times
WASHINGTON — In the span of a mere 11 days this month, $1 billion in future federal tax payments vanished.
As congressional leaders were hastily braiding together a tax and spending bill of more than 2,000 pages, lobbyists swooped in to add 54 words that temporarily preserved a loophole sought by the hotel, restaurant and gambling industries, along with billionaire Wall Street investors, that allowed them to put real estate in trusts and avoid taxes.
They won support from the top Senate Democrat, Harry Reid of Nevada, who responded to appeals from executives of casino companies, politically powerful players and huge employers in his state. And the lobbyists even helped draft the crucial language…
Hospitality and Gambling Interests Delay Closing of Billion-Dollar Tax Loophole
