American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 The last major tax reform bill to become law occurred on Jan. 2, 2013, when now-former President Barack Obama signed the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA) into law. Passed with a landslide vote of 89-8 in the Senate and 256-171 in the House, the ATRA was a needed reform given the expiration of the Bush-era tax cuts. The income-tax schedule working Americans are familiar with today is a direct result of the ATRA, along with some inflation that's occurred since it was signed into law.