FMI Applauds Introduction of House Legislation to Spur Retail Investment

Mar 26, 2019

Arlington, VA – Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-CA 20thDistrict) and Jackie Walorski (R-IN 2ndDistrict) led a group of bipartisan House members in introducing legislation to allow for immediate expensing of qualified improvements to supermarkets and grocery stores, as well as, restaurants and other retail establishments. This bipartisan proposal addresses a drafting error in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that actually increased the cost of making these investments. 

Andrew Harig, senior director for sustainability, tax & trade, made the following statement:

“FMI applauds the House’s introduction of this bill. This legislation will allow food retailers to take advantage of immediate expensing for improvements made to our members’ stores. These investments not only create jobs and economic activity in the communities served by our membership, they also enhance the consumer experience through modernization and technology. 

“For the past year, many qualified improvements have been put on hold due to a drafting error in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that actually made these investments more expensive than before tax reform. Today’s bipartisan legislation is a needed corrective that provides for full expensing without imposing any new obligations on the Treasury.

“We encourage the House to take up this legislation as quickly as possible to help create certainty for food retailers throughout the United States.”

About FMI

As the food industry association, FMI works with and on behalf of the entire industry to advance a safer, healthier and more efficient consumer food supply chain. FMI brings together a wide range of members across the value chain — from retailers that sell to consumers, to producers that supply food and other products, as well as the wide variety of companies providing critical services — to amplify the collective work of the industry. www.FMI.org