Whittling back DC plan tax benefits

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If you work in the defined contribution (DC) retirement plan market, this is a good time to become familiar with proposals circulating in Washington for whittling back DC plan tax benefits. These proposals have a common goal of raising federal tax revenues to reduce the deficit. Retirement plans are an inviting target because they are the second largest “tax expenditure” in the federal budget, costing $138 billion in the 2012 fiscal year (behind only the exclusion for employer-sponsored health insurance, at $171 billion).

A useful resource for understanding three leading proposals, and employer attitudes toward them, is a recent survey conducted by Matthew Greenwald & Associates and sponsored by the American Benefits Institute. A summary of findings is available in PDF.