HR 1479 IH
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1479
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a credit against income tax for the purchase of hearing aids.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 12, 2011
Mr. LATHAM (for himself, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Mr. NUNES, Mr. HELLER, Mr. ROSKAM, Mr. GERLACH, Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. KLINE, Mr. SENSENBRENNER, Mr. BACHUS, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. HONDA, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. HINCHEY, Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California, Mr. HOLT, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Ms. BALDWIN, Ms. SCHWARTZ, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. BACHMANN, Mr. PAUL, Mr. LOEBSACK, Mr. HEINRICH, Mr. YARMUTH, Mr. OLSON, and Mr. PLATTS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
A BILL
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a credit against income tax for the purchase of hearing aids.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
SEC. 2. CREDIT FOR HEARING AIDS FOR SENIORS AND DEPENDENTS.
(a) In General- Subpart A of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to nonrefundable personal credits) is amended by inserting after section 25D the following new section:
‘SEC. 25E. CREDIT FOR HEARING AIDS.
‘(a) Allowance of Credit- In the case of an individual, there shall be allowed as a credit against the tax imposed by this chapter an amount equal to the amount paid during the taxable year, not compensated by insurance or otherwise, by the taxpayer for the purchase of any qualified hearing aid.
‘(b) Qualified Hearing Aid- For purposes of this section, the term ‘qualified hearing aid’ means a hearing aid--
‘(1) which is described in section 874.3300 of title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, and is authorized under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act for commercial distribution, and
‘(2) which is intended for use--
‘(A) by the taxpayer, but only if the taxpayer (or the spouse intending to use the hearing aid, in the case of a joint return) is age 55 or older, or
‘(B) by an individual with respect to whom the taxpayer, for the taxable year, is allowed a deduction under section 151(c) (relating to deduction for personal exemptions for dependents).
‘(c) Limitations-
‘(1) MAXIMUM AMOUNT- The amount allowed as a credit under subsection (a) shall not exceed $500 per qualified hearing aid.
‘(2) LIMITATION BASED ON MODIFIED GROSS INCOME-
‘(A) IN GENERAL- In the case of a taxpayer whose modified adjusted gross income exceeds $200,000 for any taxable year, the amount allowed as a credit under subsection (a) for such taxable year shall be zero.
‘(B) MODIFIED ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME- For purposes of this paragraph, the term ‘modified adjusted gross income’ means the adjusted gross income of the taxpayer for the taxable year increased by any amount excluded from gross income under sections 911, 931, or 933.
‘(d) Election Once Every 5 Years- This section shall apply with respect to any individual for any taxable year only if there is an election in effect with respect to such individual (at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may by regulations prescribe) to have this section apply for such taxable year. An election to have this section apply with respect to any eligible individual may not be made for any taxable year if such an election is in effect with respect to such individual for any of the 4 taxable years preceding such taxable year.
‘(e) Denial of Double Benefit- No credit shall be allowed under subsection (a) for any expense for which a deduction or credit is allowed under any other provision of this chapter.’.
(b) Clerical Amendment- The table of sections for subpart A of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of such Code is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 25D the following new item:
(c) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2011.
U.S. Congress - Text of H.R.1479 as Introduced in House Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act 2011
