Robert Pirog
Specialist in Energy Economics
The Obama Administration, in the FY2014 budget proposal, seeks to eliminate a set of tax expenditures that benefit the oil and natural gas industries. Supporters of these tax provisions see them as comparable to those affecting other industries and supporting the production of domestic oil and natural gas resources. Opponents of the provisions see these tax expenditures as subsidies to a profitable industry the government can ill afford, and impediments to the development of clean energy alternatives.
The FY2014 budget proposal outlines a set of proposals, framed as the termination of tax preferences, that would potentially increase the taxes paid by the oil and natural gas industries, especially those of the independent producers. These proposals include repeal of the enhanced oil recovery and marginal well tax credits, repeal of the current expensing of intangible drilling costs provision, repeal of the deduction for tertiary injectants, repeal of the passive loss exception for working interests in oil and natural gas properties, elimination of the manufacturing tax deduction for oil and natural gas companies, increasing the amortization period for certain exploration expenses, and repeal of the percentage depletion allowance for independent oil and natural gas producers. In addition, a variety of increased inspection fees and other charges that would generate more revenue for the Department of the Interior (DOI) are included in the budget proposal.
The Administration estimates that the tax changes outlined in the budget proposal would provide $24.2 billion in additional revenues over the period FY2014 through FY2018, and $40.7 billion from FY2014 to FY2023. These changes, if enacted by Congress, would reduce the tax advantage of independent oil and natural gas companies over the major oil companies. They would also likely raise the cost of exploration and production, with the possible result of higher consumer prices and more slowly increasing domestic production; however, the measurement of these effects is beyond the scope of this report.
Date of Report: October 30, 2013
Number of Pages: 13
Order Number: R42374
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