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Weekly IRS Roundup November 28 – December 2, 2022

by | Dec 5, 2022 | , ,

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of November 28, 2022 – December 2, 2022.

November 28, 2022: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2022-48, which highlights the following:

  • Notice 2022-59: This notice provides the adjusted applicable dollar amount to be multiplied by the average number of covered lives for purposes of calculating the fee imposed by Sections 4375 and 4376 for policy years and plan years that end on or after October 1, 2022, and before October 1, 2023. The amount is $3.00, up from $2.79.
  • Announcement 2022-23: This announcement notifies taxpayers of new credit amounts for calendar year 2022 for the renewable electricity production credit under Section 45, in the case of any qualified facility placed in service after December 31, 2021.

November 28, 2022: The IRS and Security Summit partners announced the kick-off date for the 7th National Tax Security Awareness Week. The group also urged people to be aware of holiday scams and to protect their personal information.

November 28, 2022: The IRS released Tax Tip 2022-181, reminding taxpayers to be aware of gift card scammers during the holidays. One of the common scams used this time of year is con artists asking taxpayers to pay fake tax bills with gift cards. Scammers also sometimes use a compromised email account to request gift card purchases for family and friends.

November 29, 2022: The IRS warned taxpayers to be on alert for scammers using fake charities as a way to make money during the holiday season. The message came on Giving Tuesday as part of Nationwide Tax Security Awareness Week. Tips for avoiding fake charity scams include not giving into pressure, being wary of how donations are requested and not giving more than is needed.

November 29, 2022: The IRS released Tax Tip 2022-182, reminding people that they may be eligible for more than one filing status. The IRS suggests that taxpayers review their options and pick the one that makes the most sense for them.

November 29, 2022: The IRS announced that interest rates will increase for the first quarter of 2023. The new interest rates, published in Revenue Ruling 2022-23, begin January 1, 2023, and are as follows:

  • Overpayments: 7%
  • Overpayments for corporations: 6%
  • Corporate overpayments for portion exceeding $10,000: 4.5%
  • Underpayments: 7%
  • Large corporate underpayments: 9%

November 29, 2022: The IRS announced that the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, along with the American Bar Association, held its first centralized National Virtual Settlement Event in October. Over the course of four days, 44 cases were settled and at least 59 meetings took place with taxpayers, pro bono attorneys and representatives from the IRS Office of Chief Counsel.

November 29, 2022: The IRS
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Weekly IRS Roundup November 21 – November 25, 2022

by | Nov 28, 2022 | , ,

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of November 21, 2022 – November 25, 2022.

November 21, 2022: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2022-47, which highlights the following:

  • Revenue Procedure 2022-40: This revenue procedure provides that a plan sponsor that maintains a Section 403(b) individually designed plan will be permitted to submit a determination letter application for an initial plan determination, for a determination upon plan termination and in certain other circumstances.
  • Announcement 2022-22: This announcement contains a correction to Notice 2022-41, which contained a typographical error in the first sentence of the “GUIDANCE” section. The sentence included a reference to a “non-calendar year” cafeteria plan but should instead refer to any cafeteria plan.
  • Revenue Ruling 2022-21: This revenue ruling provides that the base period T-bill rate for the period that ended September 30, 2022, is 1.71%.
  • Notice 2022-56: This notice requests comments related to the qualified commercial clean vehicles provisions and the alternative fuel vehicle refueling property.
  • Notice 2022-57: This notice requests comments related to the tax credit for carbon oxide sequestration.
  • Notice 2022-58: This notice requests comments related to the tax credit for the production of clean hydrogen and the clean fuel production credit.

November 21, 2022: The IRS released Tax Tip 2022-178, reminding individuals that the amount they can contribute to their Section 401(k) plans in 2023 will increase to $22,500. All of the cost‑of‑living adjustments affecting dollar limitations for pension plans and other retirement-related items for tax year 2023 are included in Notice 2022-55.

November 21, 2022: The IRS released Notice 2022-62, which contains the 2022 Required Retirement Plan Amendments List. This list establishes the end of the remedial amendment period and the plan amendment deadline for changes in qualification requirements and Section 403(b) requirements set forth on the list for qualified individually designed plans and Section 403(b) individually designed plans, respectively.

November 22, 2022: The IRS released Tax Tip 2022-179, providing guidelines to help keep online personal information safe. The tips include the following:

  • Always protect personal data
  • Only shop at reputable retailers
  • Use security software
  • Choose strong passwords and two-factor authentication
  • Know the risk of public Wi-Fi
  • Learn to recognize and avoid scams
  • Be aware of compromised accounts.

November 22, 2022: The IRS encouraged taxpayers to get ready to file their 2022 federal income tax returns by gathering records, renewing expired tax ID numbers and bookmarking online tools at IRS.gov.

November 22, 2022: The IRS issued proposed regulations related to the foreign tax credit, which provide guidance with respect to the reattribution asset rule for purposes of allocating and apportioning foreign taxes, the cost recovery requirement and the [...]

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Weekly IRS Roundup November 14 – November 18, 2022

by | Nov 21, 2022 | , ,

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of November 14, 2022 – November 18, 2022.

November 14, 2022: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2022-46, which highlights the following:

  • Announcement 2022-21: The Office of Professional Responsibility announced recent disciplinary sanctions involving lawyers, certified public accountants, enrolled agents, enrolled actuaries, enrolled retirement plan agents and appraisers.

November 14, 2022: The IRS released Notice 2022-59, which provides the adjusted applicable dollar amount to be multiplied by the average number of covered lives for purposes of calculating the fee imposed by Sections 4375 and 4376 for policy years and plan years that end on or after October 1, 2022, and before October 1, 2023. The amount is $3.00, up from $2.79.

November 14, 2022: The IRS released Tax Tip 2022-174, which provides an overview of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TBOR). We have previously posted about TBOR.

November 15, 2022: The IRS released Tax Tip 2022-175, reminding people that Giving Tuesday is coming up and is a good time to review whether their charitable donation is tax deductible. Giving Tuesday is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

November 15, 2022: The IRS reminded taxpayers that IRS Free File will be closed after November 17. IRS Free File allows people with incomes of $73,000 or less to file a return online for free using brand name software.

November 15, 2022: The IRS Advisory Council issued its 2022 Public Report, which includes recommendations for new and continuing issues in tax administration. The report emphasized the need for “consistent and multi-year funding for the IRS to achieve its goals of providing efficient, effective, modern service to the nation’s taxpayers.” The 146-page report details recommendations for 21 issues, including:

  • IRS business and information technology modernization
  • Reduction in electronic filing threshold for information return filers
  • Alignment of electronic signature requirements on withholding certificates
  • Accelerated issuance of IRS Form 6166, Certification of US Residency
  • Series 8038 Form Redesign and Updates
  • Business Master File Transcript Delivery Service

November 15, 2022: The IRS issued Revenue Rule 2022-22, which provides the applicable federal rates for federal income tax purposes for December 2022. The short-term federal interest rate will increase to 4.55%, the mid-term rate will rise to 4.27% and the long-term rate will rise to 4.34%.

November 16, 2022: The IRS released Revenue Procedure 2022-39, which obsoletes Revenue Procedure 94-69, 1994-2 C.B. 804, and sets out the procedures for eligible taxpayers to file an amended return in accordance with Section 1.6664-2(c)(4)(ii) of the regulations. This revenue procedure also sets out the procedures for eligible taxpayers to avoid the Sections 6662(b)(1) and 6662(b)(2) accuracy related penalties to the extent that the taxpayers report errors resulting in additional tax or adequately discloses the tax treatment of an [...]

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Supreme Court Denies Certiorari in Whirlpool

by and | Nov 21, 2022 | , , ,

On November 21, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States denied certiorari in Whirlpool Financial Corp., et al., Petitioners v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, No. 22-9. This means that the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit’s decision remains in effect and is binding on the taxpayers who reside in that circuit. However, for taxpayers in other circuits, the Sixth Circuit’s decision is only persuasive authority and not binding precedent. Thus, it remains to be seen whether taxpayers in other jurisdictions will challenge the result reached in Whirlpool, and if they do, how appellate courts outside the Sixth Circuit will rule.

Prior coverage of this case can be found below:



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Update on IRS Enforcement Efforts

by and | Nov 16, 2022 | , , ,

We frequently post about the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) tax enforcement trends and announcements. Prior examples from this year include the release of a five-year strategic plan emphasizing enforcement, the plan to hire up to 200 additional attorneys to assist with litigation efforts, the implementation of the Large Partnership Compliance (LPC) Pilot Program, a focus on tax compliance of non-US citizens and residents, and the creation of a new Joint Strategic Emerging Issues Team to identify emerging “abusive transactions.” Over the past several weeks, the IRS has provided additional updates on its enforcement efforts and future plans, including the following:

  • The IRS is considering raising the economic substance doctrine more frequently in transfer pricing examinations—even those where taxpayers have transfer pricing documentation—and asserting penalties more often in transfer pricing cases. This follows the announcement last April that executive approval is no longer needed before asserting the codified economic substance doctrine under Internal Revenue Code Section 7701(o).
  • The IRS plans to grow the LPC program and envisions it functioning similar to corporate examinations conducted by the Large Business & International Division.
  • The IRS’s Criminal Investigation (CI) Division is highly focused on criminal digital asset cases and intends to make many of these cases public. This follows the recent release of the CI Division’s annual report.
  • The IRS intends to expend more resources on examinations of high-income/high-net-worth taxpayers.
  • The IRS has proposed to require the disclosure of more information regarding corporate taxpayers’ uncertain tax positions, including citations to contrary authorities, which, if finalized, will likely lead to more examinations and challenges to tax reporting positions.

Practice Point: Tax enforcement has been down over the past several years, including a slowdown in audit operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. With increased funding from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and proposed restrictions on access to IRS Appeals for certain matters, we expect more examinations and tax disputes in the near future. Taxpayers and their advisors should prepare. Consider working with your tax controversy advisor to discuss your more vulnerable return positions to see how to better defend against the impending tax enforcement wave!



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Update on Schedule UTP Comments

by and | Nov 14, 2022 | ,

We previously discussed the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) announcement regarding draft changes to Schedule UTP, Uncertain Tax Position Return Statement, and Instructions to Schedule UTP (Form 1120). The IRS requested comments by November 18, 2022.

On November 14, 2022, we submitted our comments to the IRS outlining some of our concerns with the draft changes, focusing primarily on the scope of disclosure. We made the following recommendations:

  • Reconsider whether any changes should be made to Schedule UTP given the current rules in place regarding other disclosures (g., Forms 8275 and 8275-R) and the serious privilege concerns raised by the additional disclosure requirements.
  • Remove the requirement to disclose any positions that are “contrary” to any authorities or, at a minimum, to any Private Guidance.
  • If changes are made to Schedule UTP, work with taxpayers to determine the appropriate standard for determining whether there is “contrary” authority and what steps a taxpayer or return preparer must take before being able to satisfy the jurat requirement.
  • Issue published guidance clarifying that proper disclosure on Schedule UTP will satisfy the adequate disclosure requirement for purposes of both the disregard of rules and regulations and substantial understatement of tax grounds for imposing penalties under I.R.C. § 6662.
  • If changes are made to Schedule UTP, delay the effective date to the 2023 tax year (processing year 2024).

We will continue to track potential changes to Schedule UTP and Form 1120 and will provide updates as they are made known.



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Weekly IRS Roundup October 31 – November 4, 2022

by | Nov 7, 2022 | , , , ,

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of October 31, 2022 – November 4, 2022.

October 31, 2022: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2022-44, which highlights the following:

  • Treasury Decision 9966: These final regulations increase the renewal user fee for enrolled retirement plan agents from $67 to $140 and also increase both the enrollment and renewal of enrollment user fees for enrolled agents from $67 to $140.
  • Proposed Regulations 113068-22: These proposed regulations relate to recordkeeping and reporting requirements for the average income test for purposes of the low-income housing credit.
  • Revenue Ruling 2022-19: This revenue ruling provides a rule for valuing noncommercial flights on employer-provided aircraft, including the three Standard Industry Fare Level (SIFL) rates: the Unadjusted SIFL Rate, the SIFL Rate Adjusted for PSP Grants, and the SIFL Rate Adjusted for PSP Grants and Promissory Notes.
  • Treasury Decision 9967: This document contains final and temporary regulations, which set forth guidance on the average income test for purposes of the low-income housing credit.

October 31, 2022: The IRS released COVID Tax Tip 2022-166, announcing that more than nine million people may qualify for tax benefits they did not claim by filing a 2021 federal income tax return. Many of these people may be eligible to claim some or all of the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit, the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit, among others, which were expanded last year under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and other legislation.

November 1, 2022: The IRS released COVID Tax Tip 2022-167, alerting taxpayers in areas covered by certain Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster declarations that they may have more time to file their returns and may qualify for penalty relief under Notice 2022-36.

November 2, 2022: The IRS released COVID Tax Tip 2022-168, reminding people to review their tax withholdings to avoid tax surprises, such as a balance due or a larger-than-expected refund.

November 3, 2022: The IRS requested comments on three notices related to different aspects of extensions and enhancements of energy tax benefits in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The IRS hopes that comments will aid the agency in drafting the related guidance items. Feedback should be submitted by December 3, 2022. The notices include:

  • Notice 2022-56, which requests comments related to the qualified commercial clean vehicles provisions and the alternative fuel vehicle refueling property
  • Notice 2022-57, which requests comments related to the carbon capture tax credit
  • Notice 2022-58, which requests comments related to the tax credit for the production of clean hydrogen and the clean fuel production tax credit.

November 3, 2022: The IRS
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Weekly IRS Roundup October 24 – October 28, 2022

by | Oct 31, 2022 | , ,

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of October 24, 2022 – October 28, 2022.

October 24, 2022: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2022-43, which highlights the following:

  • Revenue Procedure 2022-31: This procedure provides guidance on the development, printing and approval of 2022 substitute tax forms.
  • Revenue Procedure 2022-37: This procedure provides the amounts of unused housing credit carryovers allocated to qualified states under Section 42(h)(3)(D) of the Internal Revenue Code for calendar year 2022.
  • Notice 2022-41: This notice expands the application of permitted change-in-status rules for health coverage under a Section 125 cafeteria plan. Specifically, this notice addresses when a plan participant may want to revoke an employee’s election under the cafeteria plan for family coverage under a group health plan (other than a flexible spending arrangement) in order to allow one or more family members to enroll in a Qualified Health Plan through a Health Insurance Exchange in the individual market.
  • Notice 2022-46: This notice requests comments on tax credits for clean vehicles.
  • Notice 2022-47: This notice requests comments on energy security tax credits for manufacturing.
  • Notice 2022-48: This notice requests comments on incentive provisions for improving the energy efficiency of residential and commercial buildings.
  • Notice 2022-49: This notice requests comments on certain energy generation incentives.
  • Notice 2022-50: This notice requests comments on the elective payment of applicable credits and the transfer of certain credits.
  • Notice 2022-51: This notice requests comments on prevailing wage, apprenticeship, domestic content and energy community requirements under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
  • Notice 2022-52: This notice provides additional temporary relief from certain requirements under Section 42 by extending the placed-in-service deadlines for qualified low-income housing projects. The notice is a result of numerous inquiries received related to labor and supply chain disruptions delaying the construction, rehabilitation and restoration of properties.

October 24, 2022: The IRS reminded taxpayers who sell goods and provide services that they may receive a Form 1099-K, Payment Card and Third-Party Network Transactions, for transactions that amount to more than $600 for the year. Income from part-time work and side jobs is taxable, and taxpayers must report all their income unless it is excluded by law. Money received from friends and relatives as personal gifts or reimbursements for expenses is not taxable.

October 24, 2022: The IRS released COVID Tax Tip 2022-162, providing information related to early withdrawals from retirement funds.

October 25, 2022: The IRS reminded farmers, ranchers and farm workers that they can find ag-related tax information on IRS.gov.

October 26, 2022: The IRS released Tax Tip 2022-164, advising [...]

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The IRS Can Share Your Tax Information with Foreign Governments

by and | Oct 28, 2022 | , , ,

The recent Zhang v. United States case, Docket No. 21-17093 (9th Cir. Oct. 18, 2022), serves as a reminder that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) can force you to disclose and share your tax information with foreign governments. The taxpayers in Zhang appealed the decision from the US District Court for the Northern District of California denying their petition to quash an IRS summons for information. The summons was at the request of the Canadian tax authority pursuant to a bilateral tax treaty between the United States and Canada. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reaffirmed that the IRS can seek information for, and on behalf of, a foreign government as long as the request satisfies the accepted guidelines of requesting information in the United States—for example, the “good faith” requirement announced in United States v. Powell, 379 U.S. 48, 57-58 (1964).

So why do we highlight Zhang for you? In this ever-increasing world of tax information transparency, taxpayers need to be mindful of the ability of tax authorities to share information with each other and adjust their taxes accordingly. During a tax audit, it’s a strategic decision as to what tax information to share and what not to share with each tax authority. Telling different stories to different tax authorities could lead to more intrusive audits/scrutiny and higher overall tax bills and could even lead to criminal prosecution. Below are some basic principles to keep in mind:

  • There are three primary methods as to how countries share tax information with each other:
    • Automatic Exchanges
    • Spontaneous Exchanges
    • Targeted Requests
  • Automatic exchanges are becoming increasingly used by countries (g., BEPS Action 5 and the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) because they are automatic and routine and usually associated with standardized financial/bank transactions.
  • A spontaneous exchange occurs when one country sees something of interest and alerts another country about a potential tax issue or as part of a joint audit by the countries.
    • These exchanges are usually facilitated by provisions in bilateral tax treaties.
    • The IRS’s Internal Revenue Manual (g., IRM 4.60.1.3) has detailed instructions for IRS employees on how to handle these treaty exchanges.
  • Targeted requests (like in Zhang) are typically initiated by one country that is a party to an information exchange treaty to seek information needed by that country in its tax investigation of its resident or citizen.
    • In such a case where a foreign government makes a request of the US government through a treaty, the IRS Office of the Competent Authority on the US side handles the request. (See, e.g., IRM 4.60.1.2.2.4.)
    • If the US taxpayer does not comply with the IRS request for information made by the foreign government (usually in the form of an “Information Document Request”), the IRS can use its administrative summons power to enforce the summons in court (which is what happened in Zhang).

Practice Point: It is crucial to be strategic [...]

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