On the recordSeptember 28, 2010
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume. Madam Speaker, more than 100 years ago, the first U.S. mutual fund was started in Boston. Mutual funds have been a way of life for ``everyman'' to invest in the market, with the benefits of pooling and diversification. Indeed, it invites the term ``mutualization.'' Today, more than 50 million households invest through mutual funds with a median household income of $80,000. More than 50 percent of 401(k) plan assets were invested in mutual funds at the end of 2009. H.R. 4337 was introduced last year by Mr. Rangel and me to modernize the tax laws regarding regulated investment companies, better known as mutual funds. A technical explanation and revenue table for this bill may be found on the Joint Tax Web site, www.jct.gov. The tax rules that relate to mutual funds date back more than a half century. Although these rules have been updated from time to time, it has been over 20 years since they were last revisited. The bill before us today would make several changes to the Tax Code to address outdated provisions, such as rules that relate to preferential dividends and rules that require mutual funds to send separate annual dividend designation notices to shareholders and rules that prevent mutual funds from earning income from commodities. In June, my subcommittee, the Select Revenue Measures Subcommittee, reviewed this legislation with a panel of experts who expressed support for these changes.…





