U.S. Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Stockton, Calif.) on Friday introduced legislation that would provide a tax credit toward the purchase of WaterSense-certified products. H.R. 4117,“The Water Efficiency Improvement Act of 2014,” proposes amending the IRS Tax Code to provide a 30-percent tax credit (up to $2,000 per taxpayer) on the purchase of products “tested by an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited third-party certification body or laboratory in accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program.”
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“Everyone can agree that using water more efficiently makes sense,” McNerney said. “The WaterSense program is a commonsense public-private partnership that benefits consumers and small businesses across the country. My bill builds on this program’s success and makes it easier to invest in the products that will help families save money each month.
“When we make smart, energy-efficient choices, it benefits everyone in the long-term. This bill will help create jobs, ensure our resources go further, and encourage innovation.”
IAPMO R&T has been an ANSI-accredited, EPA-licensed provider of WaterSense certification since 2007 and certified the first high-efficiency toilet to the standard in April of that year. To date, IAPMO R&T has certified thousands of such water-efficient products to the WaterSense specifications. Products bearing the WaterSense label must not only save water, but also perform as well or better than conventional models on the market.
“As a proud certifier of WaterSense products, The IAPMO Group enthusiastically supports Rep. McNerney in proposing this legislation,” said IAPMO CEO GP Russ Chaney. “The WaterSense program represents a prime example of how public and private entities can work together to ensure the preservation of our most important natural resource: water.”
The WaterSense program offers consumers a simple way to make product-purchasing choices that conserve water with no sacrifice to quality or performance. IAPMO R&T has been working closely with the EPA to offer ANSI-accredited certification of these products to the efficiency standards necessary to earn the WaterSense mark. Such products include toilets, urinals, showerheads, bathroom faucets, landscape irrigation controllers and pre-rinse spray valves.
For more information on the WaterSense program, visit www.epa.gov/WaterSense/products/.
