In excess of the de minimis. The recipient government will next calculate the total value of all covered changes in the reporting year resulting in revenue reductions, identified in Step 1. If the total value of the revenue reductions resulting from these changes is below the de minimis level, the recipient government will be deemed not to have any revenue-reducing changes for the purpose of determining the recognized net reduction. If the total is above the de minimis level, the recipient government must identify sources of in-year revenue to cover the full costs of changes that reduce tax revenue. The de minimis level is calculated as 1 percent of the reporting year’s baseline. Treasury recognizes that, pursuant to their taxing authority, States and territories may make many small changes to alter the composition of their tax revenues or implement other policies with marginal effects on tax revenues. They may also make changes based on projected revenue effects that turn out to differ from actual effects, unintentionally resulting in minor revenue changes that are not fairly described as ‘‘resulting from’’ tax law changes. The de minimis level recognizes the inherent challenges and uncertainties that recipient governments face, and thus allows relatively small reductions in tax revenue without consequence. Treasury determined the 1 percent level by assessing the historical effects of state-level tax policy changes in state EITCs implemented to effect policy goals other than reducing net tax revenues.168 The 1 percent de minimis level reflects the historical reductions in revenue due to minor changes in state fiscal policies.
