Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of July 27, 2020 – July 31, 2020. Additionally, for continuing updates on the tax impact of COVID-19, please visit our resource page here.
July 28, 2020: The IRS issued final regulations providing guidance about the limitation on the deduction for business interest expense after amendment of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The regulations provide guidance to taxpayers on how to calculate the limitation, what constitutes interest for purposes of the limitation, which taxpayers and trades or businesses are subject to the limitation and how the limitation applies in consolidated group, partnership, international and other contexts.
July 28, 2020: The IRS published a notice of proposed rulemaking concerning rules that provide additional guidance on various business interest expense deduction limitation issues not addressed in the final regulations, including more complex issues related to the amendments made by the CARES Act.
July 28, 2020: The IRS added frequently asked questions regarding the aggregation rules under section 448(c)(2) that apply to the section 163(j) small business exemption.
July 29, 2020: The IRS posted a practice unit on issues concerning the receipt of dividends or interest from a related controlled foreign corporation.
July 29, 2020: The IRS posted a practice unit on accuracy-related penalties under section 6662.
July 29, 2020: The IRS published a notice of proposed rulemaking concerning regulations to implement legislative changes to sections 263A, 448, 460 and 471 that simplify the application of those tax accounting provisions for certain businesses having average annual gross receipts that do not exceed $25 million, adjusted for inflation. The notice also contains proposed regulations regarding certain special accounting rules for long-term contracts under section 460 to implement legislative changes applicable to corporate taxpayers. The proposed regulations generally affect taxpayers with average annual gross receipts of not more than $25 million (adjusted for inflation). The IRS also requested comments regarding the application of section 460 (or other special methods of accounting) to a contract with income that is accounted for in part under section 460 (or other special method) and in part under section 451. Comments must be received by September 14, 2020.
July 31, 2020: The IRS published a notice of proposed rulemaking concerning proposed regulations that provide guidance under section 1061. Section 1061 recharacterizes certain net long-term capital gains of a partner that holds one or more applicable partnership interests as short-term capital gains. The regulations also amend existing regulations on holding periods to clarify the holding period of a partner’s interest in a partnership that includes in whole or in part an applicable partnership interest and/or a profits interest. The regulations affect taxpayers who directly or indirectly hold applicable partnership interests in partnerships and the pass-through entities in which the applicable partnership interest is held, directly or indirectly.
July 31, 2020: The IRS posted an implementing arrangement regarding paragraphs 6 and 7 of Article 25 of the Convention between the United States of America and the Swiss Confederation for the Avoidance of Double Taxation with Respect to Taxes on Income.
July 31, 2020: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2020-32 dated August 3, 2020.
July 31, 2020: The IRS released its weekly list of written determinations (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandums and Chief Counsel Advice).
Special thanks to Robbie Alipour in our Chicago office for this week’s roundup.
