The research tax credit is designed to boost business investment in what might be described as basic or applied research by reducing the after-tax cost of that research above a base amount. Although many analysts and lawmakers support the use of a tax incentive to generate increased business R&D investment, the same cannot be said of the current credit, whose effectiveness has been widely criticized. Critics contend the credit is not as effective as it could be because of certain flaws in its design, such as a lack of permanence and uneven and inadequate incentive effects. This book describes the current status of the tax credit, and summarizes its legislative history. Key policy issues are examined as is the legislation in the 111th Congress to modify or extend this tax credit.