"He Helped Big Companies Dodge Taxes. Now He’s Writing the Rules." Documentation Still Reigns Supreme

As seen on The New York Times : https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/business/economy/ken-kies-tax-lobbyist-treasury.html

1. OBBBA Is Here — And It’s a Goldmine for Real Estate & Business Owners

In July 2025, the Senate introduced the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) — a sweeping package that revives and enhances some of the most powerful tax tools available to investors, developers, and entrepreneurs.

Here’s what’s back or better:

• ✔ 100% Bonus Depreciation

  
  

  Full first-year deductions for property improvements, FF&E, aircraft, and land improvements are back — reactivating cost segregation strategies and accelerating equipment write-offs.

  
  

• ✔ Section 179D Deduction (Ends After 2026!)

  
  

  Up to $5.00 per square foot for energy-efficient commercial and multifamily buildings. Huge for developers, but sunsetting soon.

  
  

• ✔ Section 174A – R&D Expensing Restored

  
  

  Immediate deductions are back for domestic research & experimentation through 2030 — liquidity boost for innovation-driven firms.

• ✔ Opportunity Zones Made Permanent

  
  

  Major win for long-term real estate investors. But with permanence comes stricter compliance and transparency requirements.

  
  

• ✔ R&D Credits + Section 179 Expensing Enhanced

  
  

  More ways to pair deductions and credits to slash liability — if your records support them.

OBBBA is full of new opportunities. But here’s the catch…

2. Tax Policy May Change, But Documentation Rules Never Do

Ken Kies Now Runs IRS Tax Policy — That’s Huge

Lobbyist-turned-regulator Ken Kies now leads the IRS Office of Tax Policy. He’s shaped the most aggressive corporate tax strategies in the U.S. — and now he’s in charge of writing the rules around deductions like bonus depreciation, Section 132, Section 274, and tax basis defense.

But no matter how favorable the policy sounds:

If you don’t document it in real time, you don’t get the deduction.

Examples:

• Aircraft Business Use

  
  

  One flight = one deduction. Whether it’s a charter or a self-owned aircraft, a properly logged business trip secures either the full value (charter) or increases your business-use % (owned).

  
  

  No record? The IRS aircraft audit 2025 will reclassify it under Section 274 as entertainment. And it’s gone.

  
  

• Equipment & Active Participation

  
  

  Bought a new crane, 3D printer, or bulldozer? You can’t deduct it against active income unless you prove active use. That means hours, logs, and work outputs. “Active participation” is not a feeling — it’s a documented fact under IRS rules.

• Opportunity Zones & Cost Seg

  
  

  Want to take advantage of Opportunity Zones permanent status? Or frontload depreciation via cost segregation? These only stick if you can prove project scope, placed-in-service dates, and qualified improvement property with audit-proof tax records.

3. We Can Help — Every Trip, Project, or Asset Documented Right

MakeItDeductible works alongside your CPA — not as a replacement — to help build the tax record you’ll need if (or when) the IRS comes calling.

• Real-time documentation via text or WhatsApp

• BETR framework: Business, Event, Tax Code, Result — tied to bonus depreciation, active participation, and more

• CPA alignment on strategy — but we ensure it’s documented

• Audit-proof summaries every quarter if you need them

Because when the IRS aircraft audit 2025 expands, or if OBBBA gives you new tools, you still need the paper trail to win.

✅ Don’t Guess. Get Your Xeduct Score

Take our free Xeduct Score Quiz to see if your documentation is IRS-ready — or audit-prone.

Keywords included:

IRS aircraft audit 2025, business flight deduction, OBBBA tax bill, bonus depreciation, Section 274, Section 132, tax documentation, active participation, cost segregation, Section 179D, Opportunity Zones permanent, tax basis defense, audit-proof tax records.