Four major flooring associations -- the World Floor Covering
Association, Carpet and Rug Institute, National Wood Flooring Association and
Resilient Floor Covering Institute -- have endorsed the Home Improvements
Revitalize the Economy (HIRE) Act of 2009, H.R. 3382, a bill that would create
a tax deduction of up to $4,000 for consumers who purchase qualified building products
and home furnishings.
Lead
sponsors of the HIRE Act are Georgia
Congressmen Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (D) and Nathan Deal (R). Co-sponsors
include: Reps. J. Gresham Barrett (R-SC), Sanford D. Bishop (D-GA.), William
Lacy Clay (D-MO), Bill Pascrell Jr., (D-NJ), Bart Stupak (D-MI), John Barrow,
(D-GA.), Travis Childers (D-MS), Howard Coble (RNC), Robert Latta (R-OH) and
Health Shuler (R-NC).
“This
legislation is seeking to save or create 350,000 jobs, cut retail taxes and
boost homes values,” said Rep. Johnson. Congressman Deal added, “The HIRE Act
will offer incentives for consumers who would otherwise forgo spending in 2009
and 2010, allowing them to improve their home. And, in turn, jump start the
home furnishings and building products market.”
The HIRE
Act, which applies to households with incomes up to $300,000, provides a tax
deduction of $2,000 per family and tax credits of $500 for the purchase of
qualified home furnishings and building products such as carpet and resilient
and wood flooring. These credits are doubled for products meeting certain
environmental certification. Retailers would be eligible for related tax
credits of up to $10,000 under provisions of the bill.
“We need
to do all we can do to stimulate purchasing in the flooring category,” said D.
Christopher Davis, president and ceo of the World Floor Covering Association
(WFCA). “The WFCA has undertaken an ambitious grass roots effort to not only
urge our members, but all in the floor covering industry and everyone they know
to contact their congressional representatives and urge them to support the
HIRE Act legislation. Representatives really do listen to their constituents.”
“To make
it easy, all anyone needs to do is go to the ‘Legislative
Action Center’
on the www.wfca-pro.org website,” Davis added. “From that
point, enter your ZIP code and the system will let you know the name of your
representative in the House. Key in your name and address to the prewritten
letter of support for the HIRE Act and either email it, or print a hard copy
then mail or fax it to your congressional representative. The support letter
may be personalized, if the sender so chooses. No matter what method you use,
your member of Congress needs to hear from you now.”
“If
successfully enacted, (this legislation) will provide a much needed boost to
our beleaguered industry which has been virtually ignored by the extraordinary
stimulus initiatives already in place,” said Thomas S. Davis, president and
ceo, Mannington Mills, Inc. and Chairman of the Board of the Resilient Floor
Covering Institute.
“We urge
all stakeholders in the interior furnishings industry to contact their
Congressmen and Senators asking for their support of this Act. We are a large
and important industry to the U.S.
economy. It’s important that we fight for our fair share.”
Carpet and Rug Institute President Werner Braun applauded Congressmen Deal and
Johnson for taking a bi-partisan approach to addressing the downturn in the
floor covering industry. “Many households lost wealth in this economic
recession and are hesitant to make household purchases. Giving consumers an
incentive to invest in their home is a down payment on the future and will
create much-needed demand that will spark manufacturing and sales.”
Ed Korczak,
executive Director/ceo of the National Wood Flooring Association, agreed. “Wood
flooring, like many other products, is tied directly to the housing and
construction industries, which have been down now for quite some time. We all
know that as a result, consumers are being much more conservative in their
spending right now. This Act is one small way that we can encourage
consumers to spend on purchases that will improve their personal investment in
their homes, while also helping to improve the state of our industry.”
The four
flooring industry associations are part of the American Home Furnishings and
Building Products Coalition, which is actively supporting the HIRE Act. Other
members of the Coalition include: Adhesive and Sealant Council; American Home
Furnishings Alliance; Hardwood Federation; INDA, Association of the Nonwoven
Fabrics Industry; International Sleep Products Association; International Wood
Products Association; Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association; National Home
Furnishings Association; National Paint and Coatings Association; Polyurethane
Foam Association; and Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America.
WFCA, other flooring groups, throw weight behind HIRE Act
August 17, 2009
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