ICI Applauds Senate's Introduction of GROWTH Act

Paul Schott Stevens, president of the Investment Company Institute, applauded Senators Michael Crapo (R-IDdaho, Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) and Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) for introducing companion legislation for the GROWTH Act in the upper house. Representatives Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and William Jefferson (D-La.) introduced the original bill in the House in May.

The GROWTH Act, supported by members of both the Republican and Democratic parties, is geared towards aiding mutual fund investors in building a more secure retirement by postponing tax on reinvested capital profit.

Under present law, which was written 60 years ago, mutual funds are required to annually distribute net capital gains, and investors in taxable accounts must pay taxes on those distributions, even if they decide to automatically reinvest those gains directly back into the fund. The GROWTH Act, or the Generating Retirement Ownership Through Long-Term Holding Act of 2005, would allow mutual fund investors to defer the tax on all reinvested capital gains distributions until the shares are redeemed. This is consistent, the bill's proponents maintain, with how investors who hold stock directly are taxed.

"Senators Crapo, Johnson and Bunning have provided crucial leadership in introducing legislation that would help the broad spectrum of American mutual fund investors save for retirement," Schott Stevens said in a statement. "As the nation grapples with a retirement crisis, this measure can provide a significant boost for millions of investors already saving for long-term goals.

"This legislation would also encourage should-be investors to become actual investors over the course of their working lives and make a real difference in the retirement readiness of American families," he added.

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