Short title

This Act may be cited as the

Taxpayer Fairness Act

Findings

Congress finds the following: (1)During the years 2008 and 2009, the Nation's largest financial firms received extraordinary and unprecedented assistance from the public. (2)Such assistance was critical to the success and in many cases the survival of these firms during the year 2009. (3)High earners at such firms should contribute a portion of any excessive bonuses obtained for the year 2009 to help the Nation reduce the public debt and recover from the recession.

Excise taxes on excessive 2009 bonuses received from major recipients of Federal emergency economic assistance

(a)

Imposition of tax

Chapter 46 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

4999A.

Excessive 2009 bonuses received from major recipients of Federal emergency economic assistance

(a)

Imposition of tax

There is hereby imposed on any person who receives a covered excessive 2009 bonus a tax equal to 50 percent of the amount of such bonus. (b)

Definition

For purposes of this section, the term covered excessive 2009 bonus has the meaning given such term by section 280I(b). (c)

Administrative provisions and special rules

(1)

Withholding

(A)

In general

In the case of any covered excessive 2009 bonus which is treated as wages for purposes of section 3402, the amount otherwise required to be deducted and withheld under such section shall be increased by the amount of the tax imposed by this section on such bonus. (B)

Bonuses paid before enactment

In the case of any covered excessive 2009 bonus to which subparagraph (A) applies which is paid before the date of the enactment of this section, no penalty, addition to tax, or interest shall be imposed with respect to any failure to deduct and withhold the tax imposed by this section on such bonus. (2)

Treatment of tax

For purposes of subtitle F, any tax imposed by this section shall be treated as a tax imposed by subtitle A. (3)

Notice requirements

The Secretary shall require each major Federal emergency economic assistance recipient (as defined in section 280I(d)(1)) to notify, as soon as practicable after the date of the enactment of this section and at such other times as the Secretary determines appropriate, the Secretary and each covered employee (as defined in section 280I(e)) of the amount of covered excessive 2009 bonuses to which this section applies and the amount of tax deducted and withheld on such bonuses. (4)

Secretarial authority

The Secretary may prescribe such regulations, rules, and guidance of general applicability as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section, including— (A)to prescribe the due date and manner of payment of the tax imposed by this section with respect to any covered excessive 2009 bonus paid before the date of the enactment of this section, and (B)to prevent— (i)the recharacterization of a bonus payment as a payment which is not a bonus payment in order to avoid the purposes of this section, (ii)the treatment as other than an additional 2009 bonus payment of any payment of increased wages or other payments to a covered employee who receives a bonus payment subject to this section in order to reimburse such covered employee for the tax imposed by this section with regard to such bonus, or (iii)the avoidance of the purposes of this section through the use of partnerships or other pass-thru entities.

(b)

Clerical amendments

(1)The heading and table of sections for chapter 46 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 are amended to read as follows:

Chapter 46—Taxes on certain excessive remuneration

Sec. 4999. Golden parachute payments.

Sec. 4999A. Excessive 2009 bonuses received from major recipients of Federal emergency economic assistance.

(2)The item relating to chapter 46 in the table of chapters for subtitle D of such Code is amended to read as follows:

Chapter 46. Taxes on certain excessive remuneration.

(c)

Effective date

The amendments made by this section shall apply to payments of covered excessive 2009 bonuses after December 31, 2008, in taxable years ending after such date.

Limitation on deduction of amounts paid as excessive 2009 bonuses by major recipients of Federal emergency economic assistance

(a)

In general

Part IX of subchapter B of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

280I.

Excessive 2009 bonuses paid by major recipients of Federal emergency economic assistance

(a)

General rule

The deduction allowed under this chapter with respect to the amount of any covered excessive 2009 bonus shall not exceed 50 percent of the amount of such bonus. (b)

Covered excessive 2009 bonus

For purposes of this section, the term covered excessive 2009 bonus means any 2009 bonus payment paid during any calendar year to a covered employee by any major Federal emergency economic assistance recipient, to the extent that the aggregate of such 2009 bonus payments (without regard to the date on which such payments are paid) with respect to such employee exceeds the dollar amount of the compensation received by the President under section 102 of title 3, United States Code, for calendar year 2009. (c)

2009 bonus payment

(1)

In general

The term 2009 bonus payment means any payment which— (A)is a payment for services rendered, (B)is in addition to any amount payable to a covered employee for services performed by such covered employee at a regular hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, or similar periodic rate, (C)in the case of a retention bonus, is paid for continued service during calendar year 2009 or 2010, and (D)in the case of a payment not described in subparagraph (C), is attributable to services performed by a covered employee during calendar year 2009 (without regard to the year in which such payment is paid).

Such term does not include payments to an employee as commissions, contributions to any qualified retirement plan (as defined in section 4974(c)), welfare and fringe benefits, overtime pay, or expense reimbursements. In the case of a payment which is attributable to services performed during multiple calendar years, such payment shall be treated as a 2009 bonus payment to the extent it is attributable to services performed during calendar year 2009.

(2)

Deferred deduction bonus payments

(A)

In general

The term 2009 bonus payment includes payments attributable to services performed in 2009 which are paid in the form of remuneration (within the meaning of section 162(m)(4)(E)) for which the deduction under this chapter (determined without regard to this section) for such payment is allowable in a subsequent taxable year. (B)

Timing of deferred deduction bonus payments

For purposes of this section and section 4999A, the amount of any payment described in subparagraph (A) (as determined in the year in which the deduction under this chapter, determined without regard to this section, for such payment would be allowable) shall be treated as having been made in the calendar year in which any interest in such amount is granted to a covered employee (without regard to the date on which any portion of such interest vests). (3)

Retention bonus

The term retention bonus means any bonus payment (without regard to the date such payment is paid) to a covered employee which— (A)is contingent on the completion of a period of service with a major Federal emergency economic assistance recipient, the completion of a specific project or other activity for the major Federal emergency economic assistance recipient, or such other circumstances as the Secretary may prescribe, and (B)is not based on the performance of the covered employee (other than a requirement that the employee not be separated from employment for cause).

A bonus payment shall not be treated as based on performance for purposes of subparagraph (B) solely because the amount of the payment is determined by reference to a previous bonus payment which was based on performance.

(d)

Major Federal emergency economic assistance recipient

For purposes of this section— (1)

In general

The term major Federal emergency economic assistance recipient means— (A)any financial institution (within the meaning of section 3 of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008) if at any time after December 31, 2007, the Federal Government acquires— (i)an equity interest in such person pursuant to a program authorized by the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 or the third undesignated paragraph of section 13 of the Federal Reserve Act (12 U.S.C. 343), or (ii)any warrant (or other right) to acquire any equity interest with respect to such person pursuant to any such program,

but only if the total value of the equity interest described in clauses (i) and (ii) in such person is not less than $5,000,000,000,

(B)the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, and (C)any person which is a member of the same affiliated group (as defined in section 1504, determined without regard to subsection (b) thereof) as a person described in subparagraph (A) or (B). (2)

Treatment of controlled groups

All persons treated as a single employer under subsection (a) or (b) of section 52 or subsection (m) or (o) of section 414 shall be treated as a single employer with respect to any covered employee. (e)

Covered employee

For purposes of this section, the term covered employee means, with respect to any major Federal emergency economic assistance recipient— (1)any employee of such recipient, and (2)any director of such recipient who is not an employee.

In the case of any major Federal emergency economic assistance recipient which is a partnership or other unincorporated trade or business, the term employee shall include employees of such recipient within the meaning of section 401(c)(1).

(f)

Regulations

The Secretary may prescribe such regulations, rules, and guidance of general applicability as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section, including— (1)to prescribe the due date and manner of reporting and payment of any increase in the tax imposed by this chapter due to the application of this section to any covered excessive 2009 bonus paid before the date of the enactment of this section, and (2)to prevent— (A)the recharacterization of a bonus payment as a payment which is not a bonus payment in order to avoid the purposes of this section, or (B)the avoidance of the purposes of this section through the use of partnerships or other pass-thru entities.

(b)

Clerical amendment

The table of sections for part IX of subchapter B of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new item:

Sec. 280I. Excessive 2009 bonuses paid by major recipients of Federal emergency economic assistance.

(c)

Conforming amendments

(1)Subparagraph (F) of section 162(m)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended— (A)by inserting

and excessive 2009 bonuses

after

payments

in the heading, (B)by striking the amount and inserting the total amounts, and (C)by inserting or 280I before the period. (2)Subparagraph (A) of section 3121(v)(2) of such Code is amended by inserting , to any covered excessive 2009 bonus (as defined in section 280I(b)), after section 280G(b)). (d)

Effective date

The amendments made by this section shall apply to payments of covered excessive 2009 bonuses after December 31, 2008, in taxable years ending after such date.