CHEERS Act
Key claim: The CHEERS Act would allow restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues to claim the energy-efficient commercial building tax deduction for stainless steel or aluminum kegs and related commercial tap equipment.
Abstract
(HR7577 · 118th Congress) Creating Hospitality Economic Enhancement for Restaurants and Servers Act or the CHEERS Act This bill treats qualified energy-efficient draft property (energy efficient kegs) as energy efficient commercial building property for purposes of the tax deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings. It defines qualified energy-efficient draft property as property that is principally used in the trade or business of operating a restaurant, bar, or entertainment venue, and that is a stainless steel or aluminum container or related commercial tap equipment used to distribute or sell alcohol. Latest action (2024-03-07): Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Why this matters
The CHEERS Act illustrates the continuing trend of narrowly tailored expansions to Section 179D’s energy-efficient commercial building deduction, extending it beyond building envelope/HVAC/lighting into specific industry equipment categories. For taxation policy, it tests how far a deduction framed around building energy efficiency can be stretched to cover reusable commercial assets, with distributional benefits concentrated in the hospitality sector.