A Real Estate Investment Trust or REIT (rēt, which rhymes with a treat) is a tax designation for a corporation investing in real estate that reduces or eliminates corporate income taxes. The REIT structure was designed to provide a similar structure for investment in real estate as mutual funds provide for investment in stocks. REITs originated in the United States in 1960. They were created by US Congress to make investments in large-scale, income-generating real estate accessible to small investors. The Congress envisaged REITs as entities similar to public limited companies.