Online mapping tool helps teams determine multifamily project tax credit eligibility

MADISON, Wis. – Accounting and advisory firm Baker Tilly Virchow Krause (Baker Tilly) has launched a new, interactive online mapping tool that helps users determine if a business or development project may qualify under various criteria for the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) or Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program.

The NMTC made more than $30 billion in direct NMTC investments from 2003 to 2012 to businesses in low-income areas and leveraged a total of $60 billion, with the majority of these investments being in communities exhibiting severe economic distress. A total of 310 applications received under the 2013/2014 round of the program, requesting an aggregate total of $25.8 billion in allocation authority, are competing for a share of the $3.5 billion authorized.  Through the LIHTC program, more than two million housing units have been placed in service between 1987 and 2011, with an average of more than 105,000 units placed in service each year.

“NMTC and LIHTC are important vehicles for investment in communities and meeting critical housing needs in our nation,” said Terri Preston, a Baker Tilly transactions team principal specializing in commercial and real estate finance. “The programs also provide vital capital our clients need to achieve their growth objectives while investing in transactions that will enrich communities throughout the U.S.”

The NMTC program provides tax credits for investment into operating businesses and development projects located in qualifying “distressed” communities. Using the 2006-2010 American Community Survey data, this mapping tool, available at bakertilly.com/tax-credit-mapping-tool, makes it easy to determine if a project is located in an eligible census tract based on certain distress criteria. The tool also allows multifamily housing developers to quickly determine if a project lies within a qualifying census tract or difficult development area for LIHTC purposes, which may be beneficial to application scoring and financial feasibility of a project by possibly boosting eligible basis.

Baker Tilly’s transactions team works closely with owners, developers, community leaders, lenders, investors and Community Development Entities to select the right projects to invest in and meet ongoing compliance requirements for key stakeholders. For more information about Baker Tilly’s transaction advisory services, visit bakertilly.com/services/transaction-advisory.

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About Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP (bakertilly.com)

With more than 1,600 employees, Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP (Baker Tilly) provides a wide range of accounting, tax and advisory services. Ranked as one of the 20 largest firms in the United States by Accounting Today (“Top 100 Firms” 2014), Baker Tilly serves clients from offices in Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, New York, Washington D.C. and throughout Wisconsin. Baker Tilly is an independent member of Baker Tilly International, a worldwide network of independent accounting and business advisory firms in 137 countries, with more than 26,000 professionals. The combined worldwide revenue of independent member firms is $3.4 billion.