FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Katie Barrows
Communications Director
P: 202-549-5991
kbarrows@dpeaflcio.org

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29, 2021 - Today, Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) introduced the Senate version of the Performing Artist Tax Parity Act (PATPA). This comes after the bill was reintroduced in the House of Representatives in July by Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) and Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL). The PATPA would update the Qualified Performing Artist (QPA) deduction to correct an unintended consequence of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act which caused middle class creative professionals' taxes to drastically increase by preventing the deduction of their work expenses.

Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) President Jennifer Dorning released the following statement in response to the introduction of the PATPA in the Senate:

“The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’s elimination of the ability to deduct miscellaneous deductions had a devastating impact on union creative professionals, and addressing this unintentional consequence of the 2017 tax legislation has remained a top priority for DPE and our affiliated unions in the arts, entertainment, and media industries. We commend Senators Warner and Hagerty for introducing this important legislation in the Senate, which will right this wrong. 

Many middle class actors, stage managers, dancers, musicians, cinematographers, and other creative professionals spend 20 to 30 percent of their income on necessary expenses to secure and maintain employment. Losing the ability to deduct these work expenses hit many creative professionals hard and caused them financial strife even before the pandemic cut off many creators' income. The PATPA is a needed correction that will restore tax fairness and put money back in the hands of hard-working, creative professionals.

We urge Congress to pass this critical piece of bipartisan legislation and we look forward to President Biden signing the PATPA into law.”

About DPE

The Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) is a coalition of 24 unions representing over four million professional and technical union members. DPE affiliate unions represent professionals in over 300 occupations in education and healthcare; science, engineering, and technology; legal, business, and management; media, entertainment, and the arts; and public administration.