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McDermott’s Real-Time Tax Disputes Insights
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McDermott’s Real-Time Tax Disputes Insights
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Recent Developments in US Federal Income Tax Litigation

by | Jul 26, 2018 | , , ,

Presented below is a roundup of significant tax cases from the last few weeks.      

Tax Court

  • Balocco v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2018-108 (July 9, 2018): Judge Kerrigan found that personal aircraft maintenance expenses incurred by a “property flipper” were: (1) not ordinary or necessary expenses; and (2) were not properly substantiated by the taxpayer.
  • Archer v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2018-111 (July 16, 2018): Judge Cohen reaffirmed the requirement for taxpayers to substantiate their expenses pursuant to Code section 6001. Archer engaged in unrelated marketing and construction operations, but failed to adequately document his transactions, offering only oral testimony and handwritten notes as substantiation, which the Court deemed insufficient.

Federal District Court:

  • United States v. Durham, No. 4:18-MC-00137 JAR (E.D. Mo. July 9, 2018): Judge Ross ordered the taxpayer to answer certain questions, finding that a prior affidavit submitted by the taxpayer to the IRS effectively waived the taxpayer’s Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. The waiver was subject matter specific, so the taxpayer’s Fifth Amendment rights persisted for questions unrelated to the affidavit.
  • United States v. Arora, 1:17-cv-00584-SWS-MLC, 2018 BL 251732 (D.N.M. July 16, 2018): The IRS relied on the deliberative process privilege to withhold two memoranda discussing the imposition of penalties from the affected taxpayer. The court concluded that the penalty determination was an application of agency policy and the agency’s deliberative process in formulating the decision are protected.
  • Whitsitt v. Cato IRS Agent, et al., No. 2:17-cv-1818-EFB PS (E.D. Cal. July 19, 2018): A “Tax Avoider” could not enjoin the IRS from the collection of taxes due to a lack of subject matter jurisdiction under the Anti-Injunction Act for claims that would restrain the collection of taxes.
  • Coggin v. United States, No. 1:16-CV-106 (M.D.N.C. July 17, 2018): A spouse was barred from filing untimely separate returns to reverse timely filed joint returns even though the spouse did not sign the original joint returns. The court found that the undisputed facts indicate the spouse intended to file joint returns, and is therefore barred from revoking an otherwise valid joint return to pay a lesser amount of tax on separate returns filed years later.


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IRS Releases Practice Unit on Examining Transaction Costs

by | Jul 24, 2018 | , ,

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

by | Jul 23, 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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Taxpayer Rights Around the World

by | Jul 19, 2018 |

On May 3 and 4, 2018, the 3rd International Conference on Taxpayer Rights was held in The Netherlands. Participants from every continent (except Antarctica) attended the conference, which focused on good governance and legal remedies. From a US perspective, there were significant discussions on the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (which we have previously written about here. Overall, the conference was tremendously insightful and helpful in understanding tax issues throughout the world and we are very appreciative for being allowed to participate in the panel discussion on Preventing Disputes 2: Taxpayer Rights in the Administrative Phase.

Videos of each panel discussion are now available on YouTube:

Day One:

Day Two:

 

The 4th International Conference on Taxpayer Rights will be held May 23-24, 2019, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The focus will be on administrative positions and transparency, with issues such as how governments issue guidance, how taxpayers learn about guidance and how much weight is afforded to guidance. More information can be found here.



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Tax Reform Insight: Eligibility Requirements for Reduced Tax Rate on FDII for Royalties

by , and | Jul 18, 2018 | ,

A domestic corporation’s royalty income derived in connection with business conducted outside the United States generally is eligible for the reduced 13.125 percent effective tax rate on foreign derived intangible income (FDII). To qualify, the licensee must be a foreign person, and the intangible property must be used outside the US for the ultimate benefit of an unrelated foreign person.

For example, the lower rate generally should be available for royalties from licensing intangible property to an unrelated foreign person for use: (1) in the production and sale of products to foreign customers; (2) to provide services to foreign customers; or (3) to sublicense the intangible property to foreign persons.

Royalties from licensing intangible property to an unrelated US corporation that is for use outside the US may not qualify for FDII benefits. Such royalties should qualify, however, if instead the license is with a foreign subsidiary of the US corporation, or if a foreign subsidiary otherwise economically is considered the licensee.

The 13.125 percent tax rate is also available for certain royalties derived from licensing intangible property to related foreign persons. For example, royalties generally should qualify if the related foreign person uses the intangibles outside the United States to (1) produce and sell products to unrelated foreign customers; (2) provide services to unrelated foreign customers, or (3) sublicense the intangibles to unrelated foreign persons. (more…)



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Weekly IRS Roundup July 9 – 13, 2018

by | Jul 16, 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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Recent Developments in US Federal Income Tax Litigation

by | Jul 12, 2018 | , , ,

Presented below is a roundup of significant tax cases from the last month. 

Tax Court

  • Van Lanes Recreation Center Corp. v. Commissioner, TC Memo. 2018-92 (June 26, 2018): Judge Paris determined the IRS abused its discretion when the agency revoked a prior favorable determination letter regarding the status of the taxpayer’s employee stock ownership plan under Code section 401(a). The opinion can be found here.
  • Endeavor Partners Fund, LLC v. Commissioner, TC Memo. 2018-96 (June 28, 2018): In Endeavor, Judge Lauber added to the list of decisions disallowing partnership losses due to lack of economic substance. Penalties were avoided, despite an assessment by the Court that “the partnerships’ conduct is plainly deserving” since the IRS failed to secure supervisory approval of the penalties prior to issuance of the FPAAs as required by Code section 6751(b)(1).
  • Donald Guess v. Commissioner, TC. Memo 2018-97 (June 28, 2018): Judge Jacobs removed the guesswork from the statute of limitations questions in Guess, finding that the clearly established elements of fraud warranted an exception to the three-year limitations period, opening the door for assessments and penalties. The fraudulent activity was related to the 2001 and 2002 tax years. The taxpayer was previously convicted of two counts of filing false tax returns for those years.

Federal District Court

  • Scott Logan v. United States, 2:18-cv-00099-JES-MRM (M.D. Fla. June 21, 2018): The US Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida recently invoked the variance doctrine to gain dismissal of two counts in an individual’s attempt to secure a refund of a $2.5 million gross valuation misstatement penalty previously assessed against him. The judgment can be found here: Logan v. United States; No. 2:18-cv-00099.

Appellate Court

  • Alpenglow Botanicals, LLC v. United States, No. 17-1223 (10th Cir. July 3, 2018): The Tenth Circuit confirmed a finding that the IRS has the authority to determine if a taxpayer is engaged in trafficking of a controlled substances for purposes of denying related deductions under Code section 280E. Owners of a medical marijuana dispensary were denied refund claims that would have resulted if the expense deductions were allowed.
  • Hohman v. Eadie, et al, No. 17-1869 (6th Cir. 2018): The Sixth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of claims challenging John Doe summonses seeking certain financial information for individuals and related LLCs, holding the claims are barred by sovereign immunity.


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LB&I Announces Five New Campaigns

by and | Jul 10, 2018 | ,

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

by | Jul 9, 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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