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Weekly IRS Roundup May 6 – May 10, 2024

by , and | May 16, 2024 | ,

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of May 6, 2024 – May 10, 2024.

May 6, 2024: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2024-19, which includes the following:

  • Revenue Ruling 2024-09, which provides the May 2024 applicable federal rates.
  • Notice 2024-35, which provides guidance related to certain specified required minimum distributions for certain stock bonus, pension and profit-sharing plans described in Internal Revenue Code (Code) § 401(a). The notice also announces that the IRS intends to issue related final regulations that will apply for calendar years beginning on or after January 1, 2025.
  • Revenue Procedure 2024-20, which provides the domestic asset and liability percentages and domestic investment yields needed by foreign life insurance companies, foreign property and liability insurance companies to compute their minimum effectively connected net investment income under Code § 842(b). The revenue procedure also provides instructions for computing foreign insurance companies’ estimated tax liabilities.
  • Treasury Decision 9990, which amends the definition of short-term, limited-duration insurance for purposes of exclusion from the definition of “individual health insurance coverage” under the Public Health Service Act and provides regulations regarding requirements for hospital indemnity or other fixed indemnity insurance to be considered an excepted benefit in the group and individual health insurance markets.
  • Revenue Procedure 2024-21, which provides issuers of qualified mortgage bonds (as defined in § 143(a)) and issuers of mortgage credit certificates (as defined in § 25(c)) with the nationwide average purchase price for residences located in the United States and the average area purchase price safe harbors for residences located in statistical areas in each state, the District of Columbia and US territories.
  • Announcement 2024-20, which revokes the § 501(c)(3) determination for specified organizations and stipulates that contributions made to said organizations by individual donors are no longer deductible under Code § 170(b)(1)(A).

May 6, 2024: The IRS recognized two of its teams that reached the finals for the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals as part of the 2024 Public Service Recognition Week. These teams included the Paperless Processing Initiative Team for its efforts to digitize IRS correspondence and two CI special agents for spearheading an investigation that led to a $3.4 billion cryptocurrency seizure and forfeiture.

May 6, 2024: The IRS reminded one million taxpayers who did not file their 2020 tax returns that they may still be eligible for a refund if they file by the May 17, 2024, deadline. The IRS estimates that more than $1 billion in refunds remain unclaimed as a result.

May 6, 2024: The IRS provided general tips for taxpayers upon receipt of mail from the IRS. In particular, taxpayers should remember to carefully read all IRS letters, save copies for their records and timely dispute notices where applicable.

May 6, 2024: The IRS
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IRS Proposes New Regulations to Settle Supervisory Approval of Penalties Requirements

by and | Apr 14, 2023 | , , , ,

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has proposed regulations to clarify the rules regarding supervisory approval of federal civil tax penalties under IRC Section 6751(b). Since Chai v. Commissioner, there has been a substantial number of cases litigating issues involving supervisory approval of federal civil tax penalties. Back in September, we posted about the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth and Eleventh Circuits split in which both Courts departed from long-standing US Tax Court precedence on the timing requirement of supervisor approval. Those two decisions, along with others, prompted this new guidance “to have clear and uniform regulatory standards.”

The proposed regulations address three timing rules: (1) penalties subject to pre-assessment review in the Tax Court; (2) penalties raised in the Tax Court after a petition and (3) penalties assessed without prior opportunity for Tax Court review.

Specifically, the proposed regulations allow supervisors to approve the initial determination of a penalty up until the time the IRS issues a pre-assessment notice, such as a Statutory Notice of Deficiency, which is the notice that provides taxpayers with a ticket to the Tax Court. The proposed regulations explain that “earlier deadlines created by the Tax Court do not ensure that penalties are only imposed where appropriate” and the “bright-line rule relieves supervisors from having to predict whether approval at a certain point will be too early or too late.” Additionally, penalties raised in the Tax Court after a petition is filed, such as an answer or an amended answer, would need supervisory approval any time prior to the penalty being raised. Supervisory approval for penalties not subject to pre-assessment review in the Tax Court may be obtained at any time prior to the assessment.

The proposed regulations require the approval of “the immediate supervisor,” which is defined as “any individual with responsibility to approve another individual’s proposal of penalties without the proposal being subject to an intermediary’s approval.” The term is also not limited to any particular individual.

Comments and requests for a public hearing must be received by July 10, 2023.

Practice Point: Penalties continue to be a hot topic in the tax controversy arena. The updated guidance promises to clarify and standardize the requirements of supervisory approval of IRS penalties, with the hope and expectation of reducing litigation on the issue. From the taxpayer’s perspective, ideally, the new regulations will enable examiners and managers the opportunity to thoroughly review the facts and circumstances of cases before deciding if penalties are warranted. We will continue to follow and report on any new developments.

Please see the links to our prior commentary on Code Section 6751 below:



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International Tax Journal: Code Sec. 956 Proposed Regs

by | Mar 8, 2019 | ,

Code Sec. 951(a)(1)(B) requires a US shareholder of a controlled foreign corporation (CFC) to include in its gross income “the amount determined under section 956 with respect to such shareholder for such year….” This amount generally is the shareholder’s pro rata share of the average of the amounts of US property held by the CFC as of the close of each quarter. The amount of the inclusion is reduced by the amount of the CFC’s previously taxed income, and limited by its earnings and profits.

Proposed Code Sec. 956 regulations generally would eliminate this Subpart F inclusion rule for corporate US shareholders, although not in all cases. In those cases where a CFC’s earnings are subject to taxation under Code Sec. 951(a)(1)(B), proposed foreign tax credit regulations would deny deemed paid foreign tax credits for foreign income taxes paid on the CFC’s earnings that are subject to taxation.

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Originally published in International Tax Journal, January-February 2019.



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Tax Reform Insights: IRS Proposes Section 163(j) Regulations – New Business Interest Expenses Deduction Limit

by and | Dec 26, 2018 | , ,

On November 26, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued proposed regulations (Proposed Regulations) pursuant to section 163(j). Public Law 115-97, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), amended Internal Revenue Code (Code) Section 163 by modifying paragraph (j) to limit the amount of business interest a taxpayer may deduct for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017. The amendment generally limits the deduction for business interest to the sum of a taxpayer’s business interest income and thirty percent of a taxpayer’s adjusted taxable income (ATI) for the taxable year.

The Code Section 163(j) limit is also increased by a taxpayer’s “floor plan financing interest,” which is certain interest used to finance the acquisition of motor vehicles held for sale or lease. Code Section 163(j)(8) defines ATI as a taxpayer’s taxable income computed without regard to: any item of income, gain, deduction, or loss which is not properly allocable to a trade or business; any business interest or business interest income; any net operating loss deduction under Code Section 172; the amount of any deduction for qualified business income under Code Section 199A; and in the case of taxable years beginning before January 1, 2022, any deduction allowable for depreciation, amortization, or depletion.

The Proposed Regulations address a variety of issues, including the following:

  • Trade or Business. New Code Section 163(j) defines business interest income and expense as amounts that are “properly allocable to a trade or business,” but it does not define trade or business.” The Proposed Regulations define a “trade or business” by reference to Code Section 162 because Code Section 162(a) provides the “most established and developed definition of trade or business.”
  • Interest. The Proposed Regulations define “interest” broadly to include other ordinary income items similar to interest, such as substitute interest payments in securities lending transactions, loan commitment fees, debt issuance costs, Code Section 707(c) guaranteed payments for the use of capital, and factoring income. Proposed Regulation § 1.163(j)-3 introduces rules, including ordering rules, for the relationship between Code Section 163(j) and other provisions affecting interest.
  • S Corporations. Proposed Regulation § 1.163(j)-6 provides guidance regarding the application of the Code Section 163(j) deduction to partnerships and S corporations.
  • CFCs. The Proposed Regulations provide that Code Section 163(j) may apply to limit the deductibility of a controlled foreign corporation’s (CFC’s) business interest expense, thereby potentially limiting a CFC’s deduction of business interest for purposes of computing subpart F income and tested income under Code Section 951A(c)(2)(A).
  • ECI. The Proposed Regulations also provide that Code Section 163(j) applies to foreign corporations and other foreign persons for purposes of computing income effectively connected with a US trade or business.

The Proposed Regulations provide a variety of other rules. Some of the notable provisions include rules applicable to REITs, RICs, tax-exempt entities and consolidated group members. They also provide rules regarding the disallowed business interest expense carryforwards of C corporations and rules regarding elections for excepted trades or businesses and rules for allocating expenses and [...]

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Weekly IRS Roundup December 17 – 21, 2018

by | Dec 26, 2018 | ,

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of December 17 – 21, 2018:

December 18, 2018: The IRS issued a news release providing guidance on excess business loss limitations and net operating losses following changes made by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

December 19, 2018: The IRS issued Revenue Ruling 2019-03, providing various prescribed rates for federal income tax purposes for January 2019.

December 19, 2018: The IRS issued Revenue Procedure 2019-06, prescribing discount factors used in computing unpaid losses under section 846 of the Code, as amended by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

December 19, 2018: The IRS issued Notice 2019-04, extending temporary dyed fuel relief, initially provided in Notice 2017-30, through December 31, 2019.

December 20, 2018: The IRS issued proposed regulations implementing anti-hybrid provisions under sections 245A(e) and 267A of the Code, enacted as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

December 20, 2018: The IRS issued proposed regulations dealing with the treatment of the sale of US trade or business partnership interests by foreign partners under section 864(c)(8) of the Code, enacted as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

December 20, 2018: The IRS issued Revenue Procedure 2019-09, updating guidance on when a taxpayer has provided adequate disclosure of tax positions for the purpose of avoiding penalties.

December 20, 2018: The IRS issued Notice 2019-06, informing taxpayers of its intent to issue proposed regulations addressing special enforcement matters under section 6241(11) of the Code, with regard to the centralized partnership audit regime.

December 21, 2018: The IRS issued final regulations implementing the centralized partnership audit regime under sections 6221 through 6241 of the Code.

December 21, 2018: The IRS issued Revenue Procedure 2019-08, providing guidance on deducting expenses under section 179(a) of the Code and deducting depreciation under section 168(g), as amended by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

December 21, 2018: The IRS issued Notice 2019-05, expanding the list of hardship exemptions from the individual shared responsibility payment under section 5000A of the Code.

December 21, 2018: The IRS released its weekly list of written determinations (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandums and Chief Counsel Advice).

Special thanks to Le Chen in our DC office for this week’s roundup.



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Proposed Regulations under Section 956 Provide Benefits for Corporate Taxpayers

by , and | Nov 20, 2018 | , ,

On October 31, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and US Department of the Treasury (Treasury) released proposed regulations (REG-114540-18) (the Proposed Regulations) that would prevent, in many cases, income inclusions for corporate US shareholders of controlled foreign corporations (CFCs) under section 956. As a result, among other considerations, the Proposed Regulations could significantly expand the ability of corporate US affiliates to benefit from credit support of CFCs.

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Weekly IRS Roundup October 15 – 19, 2018

by | Oct 22, 2018 | ,

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of October 15 – 19, 2018:

October 16, 2018: The IRS issued Rev. Proc. 2018-54, which sets forth procedural rules for certain taxpayers that hold investments in one or more segregated asset accounts to elect to treat certain mortgage-backed securities as having deemed issuers for purposes of the diversification requirements of Internal Revenue Code (Code) Section 817(h).

October 17, 2018: The IRS, in Qualified Intermediaries News, reminded entities seeking Qualified Intermediary, Withholding Partnership or Withholding Foreign Trust status with a withholding agreement effective in 2018 that the deadline for submitting the applications is November 16, 2018.

October 18, 2018: The IRS issued Notice 2018-81, which describes the manner in which taxpayers should notify the IRS of revocation of an election to aggregate or disaggregate certain church-related organizations from treatment as a single employer under Code Section 414(c)(2)(C) and (D).

October 18, 2018: The IRS issued Notice 2018-84, which clarifies the suspension of the personal exemption deduction in the newly-added section 151(d)(5) under certain rules in section 36B and section 6011.

October 19, 2018: The IRS issued proposed regulations for investment in opportunity zones, providing guidance on under new Code Section 1400Z-2 relating to gains that may be deferred as a result of a taxpayer’s investment in a qualified opportunity fund.

October 19, 2018: The IRS issued Rev. Rul. 2018-19, which provides guidance on the requirement of original use with respect to land purchased after 2017 in qualified opportunity zones.

October 19, 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 Alex Cheng-Yi Lee in our DC office for this week’s roundup.



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Weekly IRS Roundup September 17 – 21, 2018

by | Sep 24, 2018 | , ,

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of September 17 – 21, 2018:

September 17, 2018: The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) released a report reviewing whether the IRS complied with legal and internal guidelines governing the seizure of property for unpaid taxes.

September 17, 2018: TIGTA released a second report compiling statistical information reported by the IRS in order to provide information about how the IRS uses its compliance resources and the resulting tax collections.

September 18, 2018: The IRS published Revenue Ruling 2018-17, which provides the applicable federal interest rate for October 2018 and other interest rates.

September 19, 2018: The IRS published Revenue Procedure 2018-49, which allows taxpayers that early adopted a method of revenue recognition to change such method to one described in Section 16.11 of Revenue Procedure 2018-31. This is a very important method change that affects many taxpayers who have to comply with ASC 606.

September 20, 2018: The IRS announced in Notice 2018-72 that it intends to amend the section 871(m) regulations to delay the effective date of certain provisions.

September 21, 2018: Treasury and the IRS published proposed regulations that would remove from the section 385 regulations minimum documentation requirements that must be satisfied for certain related-party debt to be respected as such for tax purposes. We previously commented on this here.

September 21, 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 Kevin Hall in our DC office for this week’s roundup.



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Weekly IRS Roundup August 27 – 31, 2018

by | Sep 4, 2018 | , , , ,

Presented below is our summary of significant IRS guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of August 27 – 31, 2018:

August 27, 2018: The IRS announced changes to its Compliance Assurance Process (CAP) program. We posted about the changes to CAP here.

August 28, 2018: In Notice 2018-70, the IRS announced that it will issue proposed regulations clarifying the definition of a “qualifying relative” for various purposes, including the new $500 credit for certain dependents.

August 30, 2018: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) completed its review of a proposal to remove parts of the Internal Revenue Code Section 385 regulations, which address the treatment of debt among members of an expanded affiliated group.

August 31, 2018: The IRS released Revenue Procedure 2018-58, which includes the current list of jurisdictions subject to reporting requirements for certain deposit interest paid to nonresident alien individuals.

August 31, 2018: The IRS published statistics regarding US source income payments to foreign persons reported on Form 1042-S.

August 31, 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 Kevin Hall in our DC office for this week’s roundup.



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