On 16 August 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation
Reduction Act of 2022 into law. The roughly $437 billion bill
includes several provisions relating to federal taxation, clean
energy, and healthcare. Absent from the final bill, which passed
along narrow party lines, are certain provisions relating to paid
family and medical leave, an extension of the child tax credit, and
the taxation of private equity carried interests. This note
provides a very brief overview of some of the key provisions of the
Act.
The Act appropriates around $80 billion to the U.S. Internal
Revenue Service to add auditors, improve customer service, and
modernize technology. In a memorandum sent the day after the bill
passed, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen set a six-month
timeframe for Commissioner of Internal Revenue Charles Rettig to
develop a plan for how the IRS will use the $80 billion.
Secretary Yellen informed Commissioner Rettig that the Service will
need to overhaul its