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IRS Releases Practice Unit on Examining Transaction Costs

On July 18, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released a Practice Unit advising IRS agents on the framework to follow in analyzing the tax treatment of transaction costs incurred by taxpayers in executing business practices. The latest Practice Unit provides guidance to IRS examiners in determining whether transaction costs must be capitalized or can be immediately deducted, and focuses on the so-called INDOPCO regulations contained in Treasury Regulation § 1.263-5. (For more information and background, see here.)

According to the Practice Unit, there is a three-step process applied to analyze a transaction costs issue:

  1. Determine whether the taxpayer is the proper legal entity to take the transaction costs into account for tax purposes;
  2. Determine whether the costs facilitate the transaction; and
  3. Determine how the taxpayer should treat facilitative costs it must capitalize.

The key considerations and outcomes for each step are illustrated in the Practice Unit as follows:

Practice Point: Determining whether transaction costs must be capitalized or can be deducted is sometimes a difficult process. The IRS has attempted to create bright-line rules in this area, but invariably there are factual situations not covered by the INDOPCO regulations and disputes that may arise. Understanding the IRS’s approach to examining transaction costs, as set forth in this Practice Unit, may assist taxpayers under examination in resolving these types of issues.




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Weekly IRS Roundup July 16 – 20, 2018

It was a busy week for the IRS and presented below is our weekly roundup for July 16 – 20, 2018 on significant IRS guidance and tax matters.

July 16, 2018: Last week the IRS issued Notice 2018-60 providing guidance on the corporate bond monthly yield curve, the corresponding spot segment rates used under § 417(e)(3), and the 24-month average rates under § 430(h)(2).

July 16, 2018: The IRS has released Notice 2018-61 clarifying the effect of § 67(g) on trusts and estates with the intent on publishing regulations in the near future.

July 16, 2018: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin No. 2018-29 which includes Rev. Proc. 2018-37 providing specifications for the private printing of red-ink substitutes for the 2018 Forms W-2 and W-3. This procedure will be produced as the next revision of Publication 1141. Rev. Proc. 2017-42 is superseded.

July 17, 2018: Under Rev. Proc. 2018-38, the IRS instructed that organizations exempt from tax under § 501(a), other than those described in § 501(c)(3), are no longer required to report the names and addresses of their contributors on the Schedule B of their Forms 990 or 990-EZ.

July 17, 2018: In Rev. Rul. 2018-21 the IRS announced the Applicable Federal Rates for August 2018.

July 18, 2018: The IRS has released LB&I Process Unit Knowledge Base – Corporate/Business Issues & Credits regarding the rules for capitalizing transaction costs (legal fees, accounting fees, consulting fees, investment advisory service fees and other transaction costs) under Treas. Reg. 1.263(a)-5(a).

July 20, 2018: The IRS published T.D. 9835 amending the definition of qualified matching contributions (QMACs) and qualified nonelective contributions (QNECs) under regulations regarding certain qualified retirement plans.

July 20, 2018: The IRS released it weekly list of written determinations (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandum, and Chief Counsel Advice).

Special thanks to Christy Vouri-Misso and Greg Berson in our DC office for this week’s roundup.




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Weekly IRS Roundup July 9 – 13, 2018

Presented below is our weekly roundup for July 9 – 13, 2018 on significant IRS matters.

July 9, 2018: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin No. 2018-28 including: Notice 2018-48 (lists the population census tracts designated as qualified opportunity zones); Notice 2018-59 (provides two methods for taxpayers to begin construction for the investment tax credit under Section 48); Announcement 2018-11 (Office of Professional Responsibility [OPR] announces recent disciplinary sanctions); Rev. Rul. 2018-20 (rendering obsolete several previous revenue rulings); and Rev. Proc. 2018-35 (modifying Rev. Proc. 2018-31 regarding accounting methods for citrus plant replanting costs).

July 11, 2018: The IRS issued final regulations (T.D. 9834) addressing inversion transactions structured to avoid the purposes of sections 7874 and 367 and other post-inversion tax avoidance transactions.

July 13, 2018: The IRS issued proposed regulations (REG-103474-18) related to the Code section 6695(g) return preparer penalty amending previous guidance to reflect changes made by 2017 federal tax reform.

July 13, 2018: The IRS released it weekly list of written determination (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandum and Chief Counsel Advice).

Special thanks to Christy Vouri-Misso and Greg Berson in our DC office for this week’s roundup.




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LB&I Announces Five New Campaigns

On July 2, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Large Business and International (LB&I) Division announced the identification and selection of five new campaigns. These new campaigns follow the initial 13 campaigns announced on January 31, 2017, followed by 11 campaigns announced on November 3, 2017, 5 campaigns announced on March 13, 2018, and six campaigns announced on May 21, 2018.

The following are the five new LB&I campaigns by title and description:

  • Restoration of Sequestered AMT Credit Carryforward

LB&I is initiating a campaign for taxpayers improperly restoring the sequestered Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) credit to the subsequent tax year. Refunds issued or applied to a subsequent year’s tax, pursuant to IRC Section 168(k)(4), are subject to sequestration and are a permanent loss of refundable credits. Taxpayers may not restore the sequestered amounts to their AMT credit carryforward. Soft letters will be mailed to taxpayers who are identified as making improper restorations of sequestered amounts. Taxpayers will be monitored for subsequent compliance. The goal of this campaign is to educate taxpayers on the proper treatment of sequestered AMT credits and request that taxpayers self-correct.

  • S Corporation Distributions

S Corporations and their shareholders are required to properly report the tax consequences of distributions. We have identified three issues that are part of this campaign. The first issue occurs when an S Corporation fails to report gain upon the distribution of appreciated property to a shareholder. The second issue occurs when an S Corporation fails to determine that a distribution, whether in cash or property, is properly taxable as a dividend. The third issue occurs when a shareholder fails to report non-dividend distributions in excess of their stock basis that are subject to taxation. The treatment streams for this campaign include issue-based examinations, tax form change suggestions, and stakeholder outreach.

  • Virtual Currency

US persons are subject to tax on worldwide income from all sources including transactions involving virtual currency. IRS Notice 2014-21 states that virtual currency is property for federal tax purposes and provides information on the US federal tax implications of convertible virtual currency transactions. The Virtual Currency Compliance campaign will address noncompliance related to the use of virtual currency through multiple treatment streams including outreach and examinations. The compliance activities will follow the general tax principles applicable to all transactions in property, as outlined in Notice 2014-21. The IRS will continue to consider and solicit taxpayer and practitioner feedback in education efforts, future guidance, and development of Practice Units. Taxpayers with unreported virtual currency transactions are urged to correct their returns as soon as practical. The IRS is not contemplating a voluntary disclosure program specifically to address tax non-compliance involving virtual currency.

  • Repatriation via Foreign Triangular Reorganizations

In December 2016, the IRS issued Notice 2016-73 which curtails the claimed “tax-free” repatriation of basis and untaxed CFC earnings [...]

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Weekly IRS Roundup July 2 – 6, 2018

Presented below is our weekly roundup for July 2-6, 2018 on significant IRS matters.

June 29, 2018: The IRS announced in IR-2018-146 that they plan to streamline the Form 1040 to shorten and simplify it for the 2019 tax filing season. The new approach would allow all taxpayers to use the same form. Draft of new Form 1040.

July 2, 2018: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin No. 2018-27 including: Notice 2018-56 (updating the corporate bond monthly yield curve); Rev. Rul. 2018-19 (providing the various prescribed rates for federal income tax purposes for July 2018); and REG-106977-18 (proposing amendment to the definition of investment-type property for purposes of tax-advantaged bonds and the arbitrage investment yield restrictions under § 148 that apply to those bonds).

July 2, 2018: The IRS has announced the identification and selection of five Large Business and International compliance campaigns. These are 1) Restoration of Sequestered AMT Credit Carryforward; 2) S Corporation Distributions; 3) Virtual Currency; 4) Repatriation via Foreign Triangular Reorganizations; and 5) Section 965 Transition Tax.

July 6, 2018: The IRS released it weekly list of written determination (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandum, and Chief Counsel Advice).

Special thanks to Christy Vouri-Misso and Greg Berson in our DC office for this week’s round-up.




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Tax Reform Insight: New Foreign Tax Credit Rules May Warrant Restructuring Foreign Branches

The 2017 Tax Act added a separate foreign tax credit limitation category, or basket, for income earned in a foreign branch. As a result, certain US groups may be limited in their ability to use foreign income taxes paid or accrued by a foreign branch as a credit against their US federal income tax liability.

This new limitation can present a problem for a taxpayer with losses in some foreign branches and income in other foreign branches. Consider, for example, a US consolidated group that has $1,000 of losses from Foreign Branch X and $1,000 of income in Foreign Branch Y on which it pays $200 of foreign income taxes. The group would have zero income in its foreign branch basket, and therefore the $200 of foreign taxes would not be currently usable as a foreign tax credit. The credits can be carried over to other tax years, but they may never be tax benefited if the above circumstances continue.

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Weekly IRS Roundup: June 18 – 22

Presented below is our weekly roundup for June 18-22, 2018 on significant IRS guidance and relevant tax matters.

June 18, 2018: The IRS issued Internal Revenue Bulletin No. 2018-25 including: Rev. Rul. 2018-17 (withholding and reporting payments from IRAs to state unclaimed property funds under Internal Revenue Code (Code) Section 3405); and REG-102951-16 (proposing amendments to rules for determining whether information returns must be filed electronically).

June 18, 2018: In IR-2018-139 the IRS stated that people with disabilities can now put more money into their tax-favored ABLE accounts and may, for the first time, qualify for the Saver’s Credit for low- and moderate-income workers.

June 19, 2018: The IRS published Rev. Rul. 2018-19 listing the applicable federal interest rates for July 2018.

June 19, 2018: The IRS proposed regulation REG-131186-17 to reinstate T.D. 9787, including allocations of excess nonrecourse liabilities of a partnership among other changes and removing T.D. 9788.

June 19, 2018: The IRS released a Practice Unit on “Interest Capitalization for Self-Constructed Assets,” which identifies taxpayers subject to Code Section 263A(f) and covers the steps involved in determining how much interest must be capitalized to the basis of designated property.

June 20, 2018: IRS published Rev. Proc. 2018-35 modifying Rev. Proc. 2018-31, to not apply Section 263A to replanting costs for lost or damaged citrus plants pursuant to Code Section 263A(d)(2)(C).

June 21, 2018: The IRS published Notice 2018-48 listing the population census tracts designations by the Treasury for qualified opportunity zones relevant to new Code Section 1400Z-2.

June 22, 2018: The IRS released its weekly list of written determinations (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandum and Chief Counsel Advice).

Special thanks to Christy Vouri-Misso and Greg Berson in our DC office for this week’s round-up.




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Don’t File Fraudulent Returns Because Amending Them Will Not Help

The US Tax Court (Tax Court), in a short opinion, provided a reminder to taxpayers that penalties for filing fraudulent returns cannot be avoided by subsequently filing amended returns. In Gaskin v. Commissioner, TC Memo 2018-89, the taxpayer admitted his original returns were fraudulent. While under criminal investigation, he attempted to cure the fraudulent filings by filing amended returns, reporting more than $100,000 of additional tax. Ultimately, the tax due exceeded the amount reported on the amended returns.

Despite admitting his original fraud, the taxpayer argued that the fraud penalty did not apply because the tax due only modestly exceeded the tax reported on his amended returns. The Tax Court disagreed. Relying on the regulations and Supreme Court precedent, the court held that the amount of the underpayment and the fraudulent intent are both determined by reference to original—not amended—returns. It therefore upheld imposition of the fraud penalty.

Practice Point: Don’t file fraudulent returns! All joking aside, this case reminds us that although filing an amended return can cure some infirmities on your return, you have to be very careful in choosing whether to amend a return. As long as you did your best to accurately calculate your tax due on your original return, you are not required to amend that return if you later find out you were wrong. This is true even if the statute of limitations is still open. Indeed, there is no requirement to amend a return. However, there may be reasons to file an amended return; for example, if you know that you will need to base a future return’s position on a previous return’s position (e.g., the amount of earnings and profits stated on the return). Taxpayers need to be mindful, however, that if you amend your return, it must be accurate to the best of your knowledge when you sign it as to all items and any other errors discovered after the original return was filed must also be corrected. Accordingly, you cannot amend only the favorable positions discovered after you filed your original return.




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IRS Is “All Hands on Deck” to Provide Guidance Related to Tax Reform

In the wake of tax reform, taxpayers and practitioners alike are anxious for guidance and clarification on how the new laws impact transactions and reporting positions. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has previously stated that implementing tax reform is its highest priority, but that issuing guidance on the entire bill would likely take a substantial amount of time. Since December 2017, the IRS has published a host of notices, revenue procedures and administrative guidance. In some instances, the guidance was mechanical (e.g., Notice 2018-38), and in others it was more substantive (e.g., Notice 2018-28, Notice 2018-18, Rev. Proc. 2018-26).

On May 31, 2018, the IRS announced an “all hands on deck” effort to implement tax reform through 11 groups working closely with the Treasury Department. The IRS originally stated that it did not plan to release any more proposed regulations before the end of the year. Instead, it would issue tax Forms (with instructions) that would need to be filed by taxpayers before the end of the year. On June 7, 2018, the IRS explained that it does plan to issue proposed regulations “covering all major portions” of the bill starting in September and ending in December 2018 (the IRS specifically plans to finalize the temporary aggregation regulations by September to stop them from sunsetting). The IRS reported it is in “very good shape” to meet these deadlines. Additionally, at a recent American Bar Association Section of Taxation meeting, IRS international counsel acknowledged year-end financial reporting for global companies and stated that international tax regulations are intended to be released in the fall instead of the end of the year. Regulations under Internal Code Section 965 are planned for issuance this summer, and other areas of guidance include global intangible low-tax income, also known as the GILTI tax.

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