diff --git a/WHATSNEW b/WHATSNEW
index 63c03b837..da9f06c8c 100644
--- a/WHATSNEW
+++ b/WHATSNEW
@@ -385,6 +385,9 @@ Fixed bugs:
    the setbeans attribute.
    Bugzilla Report 47336.
 
+ * <loadproperties>' encoding attribute didn't work.
+   Bugzilla Report 47382.
+
 Other changes:
 --------------
  * A HostInfo task was added performing information on hosts, including info on 
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/LoadProperties.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/LoadProperties.java
index dfd98b45a..0fbaf0fee 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/LoadProperties.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/LoadProperties.java
@@ -168,11 +168,7 @@ public class LoadProperties extends Task {
                 if (!text.endsWith("\n")) {
                     text = text + "\n";
                 }
-                if (encoding == null) {
-                    tis = new ByteArrayInputStream(text.getBytes());
-                } else {
-                    tis = new ByteArrayInputStream(text.getBytes(encoding));
-                }
+                tis = new ByteArrayInputStream(text.getBytes());
                 final Properties props = new Properties();
                 props.load(tis);
 
diff --git a/src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/loadproperties-test.xml b/src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/loadproperties-test.xml
index b8421f1b0..1ebd5c27e 100644
--- a/src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/loadproperties-test.xml
+++ b/src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/loadproperties-test.xml
@@ -58,4 +58,14 @@ xref-complex.f=$${xref-complex.e}</string>
     <au:assertPropertyEquals name="xref-complex.f" value="$${xref-complex.d}" />
   </target>
 
+  <target name="testEncoding"
+          description="https://issues.apache.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=47382">
+    <mkdir dir="${input}"/>
+    <echo file="${input}/ebcdic.properties" encoding="Cp1047">
+a=Hello world in EBCDIC
+    </echo>
+    <loadproperties srcfile="${input}/ebcdic.properties" encoding="Cp1047"/>
+    <au:assertPropertyEquals name="a" value="Hello world in EBCDIC"/>
+  </target>
+
 </project>