29.01.2015 Views

1fAWAwx

1fAWAwx

1fAWAwx

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

Figure 3-11<br />

Recovery Act Cumulative Public Investment Outlays, 2009‒2013<br />

Billions of $<br />

300<br />

2013:Q3<br />

250<br />

200<br />

150<br />

100<br />

50<br />

0<br />

2009:Q1 2010:Q1 2011:Q1 2012:Q1 2013:Q1<br />

Source: Office of Management and Budget; Department of the Treasury, Office of Tax Analysis,<br />

based on the FY2013 Mid-Session Review.<br />

support investment. Building on this approach, in fall 2010 the President<br />

proposed 100 percent expensing for business investment, which, as passed<br />

by Congress in December 2010, became the largest temporary business<br />

investment tax incentive in history.<br />

Transportation and Other Investments in Public Capital. A modern<br />

and effective transportation infrastructure network is both necessary for the<br />

economy to function and a prerequisite for future growth. Numerous studies<br />

have found evidence of large private-sector productivity gains from public<br />

infrastructure investments, as highlighted in a report by the Department<br />

of Treasury and CEA (2012).20 The early stage of the recovery has been a<br />

particularly opportune time to undertake such investments because of the<br />

high level of underutilized resources in the economy and low construction<br />

costs. The Treasury report also points out that transportation investments<br />

can create middle-class jobs and lower transportation costs, which would<br />

otherwise weigh on household budgets.<br />

The Recovery Act allocated $48 billion to programs administered by<br />

the Department of Transportation, with almost 60 percent for highways<br />

and 37 percent for public transportation and intercity passenger rail. The<br />

magnitude of this aid was substantial. While it is difficult to estimate what<br />

transportation expenditures would have been without the Recovery Act,<br />

20 Many of these studies are summarized in Munnell (1992) and Fernald (1999).<br />

124 | Chapter 3

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!