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Weekly IRS Roundup April 15 – April 19, 2024

by , and | Apr 22, 2024 | , ,

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of April 15, 2024 – April 19, 2024.

April 15, 2024: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2024-16, which includes the following:

  • Announcement 2024-16, which describes the experience, structure and activities of the Advance Pricing and Mutual Agreement Program during calendar year 2023.
  • Proposed regulations, which would revise regulations pertaining to the advance notice provided to taxpayers before the IRS contacts third parties. These proposed regulations are intended to conform to the new statutory language of Section 7602(c) of the Internal Revenue Code (Code), enacted as part of the Taxpayer First Act of 2019, and provide exceptions to the 45-day advance notice requirement where delaying contact with third parties for 45 days after providing notice to the taxpayer would impair tax administration.
  • Announcement 2024-17, which contains corrections to proposed regulations under Code Sections 761 and 6417 that address certain electricity production credits.
  • Notice 2024-30, which expands the Nameplate Capacity Attribution Rule under Section 4.02(1)(b) of Notice 2023-29 to include additional attribution property. The notice also adds two 2017 North American Industry Classification System industry codes to the table in Section 3.03(2) of Notice 2023-29, which are relevant for purposes of determining the Fossil Fuel Employment rate (as defined in Section 3.03(2) of Notice 2023-29).
  • Notice 2024-32, which addresses the eligibility of loan borrowers through State Supplemental Loan programs and the loan size limitation for State Supplemental Loans. The notice also provides guidance on whether an issue of state or local bonds, the proceeds of which are used to finance or refinance qualified student loans or to finance qualified mortgage loans, is a refunding issue.
  • Proposed regulations, which would identify certain charitable remainder annuity trust transactions and substantially similar transactions as listed transactions. Material advisors and certain participants in these listed transactions would be required to file disclosures with the IRS and would be subject to penalties for failure to disclose.
  • Revenue Procedure 2024-19, which provides the process under Code Section 48(e) to apply for an allocation of environmental justice solar and wind capacity limitation as part of the low-income communities bonus credit program for 2024. The revenue procedure also describes how the capacity limitation for the 2024 program year will be divided across the facility categories described in Sections 48(e)(2)(A)(iii) and 1.48(e)-1(b)(2), the Category 1 sub-reservation described in Section 1.48(e)-1(i)(1) and the additional selection criteria application options described in Section 1.48(e)-1(h).
  • Revenue Ruling 2024-8, which provides the terminal charge and Standard Industry Faire Level mileage rates used for valuing noncommercial flights on employer-provided aircraft.

April 15, 2024: The IRS announced it has answered over one million more taxpayer phone calls this tax season, helped over 170,000 more people in person and saw 75 million more IRS.gov visits [...]

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Weekly IRS Roundup September 11 – September 15, 2023

by | Sep 19, 2023 | , ,

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of September 11, 2023 – September 15, 2023.

September 11, 2023: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2023-37, which includes the following:

  • Revenue Ruling 2023-16 provides the applicable federal rates for September 2023.
  • Revenue Ruling 2023-17 sets forth the underpayment and overpayment interest rates under Code Section 6621 for the calendar quarter beginning October 1, 2023.
  • Revenue Procedure 2023-29 provides the applicable percentage table used to calculate the premium tax credit under Code Section 36B.
  • Notice 2023-62 announces a two-year administrative transition period with respect to the requirement under Code Section 603 that catch-up contributions made on behalf of certain eligible participants be designated as Roth contributions. The notice also requests comments for further guidance with respect to Code Section 603.
  • Announcement 2023-25 and Announcement 2023-26 revoke tax-exempt classification for specified organizations.
  • Announcement 2023-28 corrects citations in Revenue Procedure 2023-27.

September 12, 2023: The IRS released Notice 2023-64, which provides interim guidance on the corporate alternative minimum tax (CAMT). The notice lists financial statements that meet the definition of an applicable financial statement, provides general rules for determining “financial statement income” and includes guidance on when corporations are subject to the CAMT. Notice 2023-64 supplements and clarifies Notice 2023-07 and Notice 2023-20.

September 12, 2023: The IRS released Revenue Procedure 2023-31, providing guidance on Form 8955-SSA, Annual Registration Statement Identifying Separated Participants With Deferred Vested Benefits, and Form 5500-EZ, Annual Return of A One-Participant (Owners/Partners and Their Spouses) Retirement Plan or A Foreign Plan, which must be filed for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2024. Revenue Procedure 2023-31 supersedes Revenue Procedure 2015-47.

September 12, 2023: The IRS published Tax Tip 2023-110, advising taxpayers to look out for scammers posing as charities and to ensure their donations are going to legitimate charitable organizations.

September 13, 2023: The IRS extended tax relief to individuals and businesses impacted by Hurricane Idalia in 28 counties in Georgia. As a result, affected individuals filing personal income tax returns on extensions expiring October 16, 2023, calendar-year partnerships and S corporations whose extensions expire on October 16, 2023, and calendar-year corporations whose 2022 extensions expire on November 15, 2023, now have until February 15, 2024, to file returns and pay related taxes.

September 14, 2023: The IRS announced an immediate moratorium through at least the end of the year on processing new claims for the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). The moratorium is in response to promoters who have aggressively marketed the credit to businesses without regard for their eligibility. Hundreds of criminal cases related to ERC claims are being worked, [...]

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Weekly IRS Roundup August 29 – September 2, 2022

by | Sep 6, 2022 | , ,

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of August 29, 2022 – September 2, 2022.

August 29, 2022: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2022-35, which highlights the following:

  • Revenue Ruling 2022-15: This revenue ruling provides interest rates for tax overpayments and underpayments for the fourth quarter, starting October 1, 2022. The new rates are as follows:
    • Individuals: 6% per year, compounded daily, for both overpayments and underpayments
    • Corporations: 5% for overpayments; 6% for underpayments
    • Corporate overpayments for the portion exceeding $10,000:5%
    • Large corporate underpayments: 8%
  • Revenue Ruling 2022-16: This revenue ruling provides the average annual effective interest rates on new loans under the Farm Credit System and also contains a list of the states within each Farm Credit System Bank territory.
  • Treasury Decision 9964: The IRS released final regulations, providing guidance to states wanting to inspect certain return information for the purpose of administering state laws related to tax-exempt organizations. The final regulations reflect changes to the Internal Revenue Code made by the Pension Protection Act of 2006.

August 29, 2022: The IRS announced that September is National Preparedness Month and urges everyone to develop or update their emergency plans, especially with hurricane season approaching and the ongoing threat of wildfires.

August 29, 2022: The IRS released Tax Tip 2022-132, highlighting the Security Summit’s summer series, Protect Your Client; Protect Yourself. Professionals from the IRS, state tax agencies and others in the tax industry joined forces for a five-week series focused on the fundamentals of data and information security.

August 30, 2022: The IRS released Tax Tip 2022-133, clarifying taxpayer obligations during a Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

August 31, 2022: The IRS announced that Edward Killen will become division commissioner of its Tax-Exempt and Government Entities (TE/GE) division, effective September 30, 2022. The current TE/GE Commissioner, Sunita Lough, is retiring. Chief Privacy Officer Robert Choi will replace Killen as deputy commissioner of TE/GE.

August 31, 2022: The IRS released COVID Tax Tip-134, reminding parents of refunds and tax credits they may be missing if they do not normally file a tax return.

August 31, 2022: The IRS asked for comments on Form 7205, which is used to claim deductions for energy-efficient commercial buildings. The IRS wants to standardize the procedures for claiming the deduction and invites comments by October 31, 2022.

September 1, 2022: The IRS released Tax Tip 2022-135, providing suggestions to tax professionals on ways to protect clients from identity theft.

September 2, 2022: The IRS issued a statement acknowledging that it released confidential information from Form 990-Ts, which should not have been made public. Form 990-T is a business tax return used by tax-exempt entities to report and pay income [...]

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Weekly IRS Roundup February 20 – February 26, 2022

by | Feb 28, 2022 | , ,

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of February 20, 2022 – February 26, 2022. Additionally, for continuing updates on the tax impact of COVID-19, please visit our resource page here.

February 22, 2022: The IRS issued a correction to final regulations published on January 25, 2022, relating to the treatment of domestic partnerships that hold stock in foreign corporations.

February 22, 2022: The IRS issued a news release announcing the release of an updated list containing information about Low Income Taxpayer Clinics available around the country.

February 23, 2022: The IRS issued Revenue Ruling 2022-05 and an accompanying news release, setting forth the overpayment and underpayment interest rates under Section 6621 of the Code for Q2 2022.

February 24, 2022: The IRS issued final regulations relating to required minimum distributions under Section 401 of the Code with respect to certain employee pension and retirement plans.

February 24, 2022: The IRS issued a further correction to final regulations published on January 25, 2022, relating to the treatment of domestic partnerships that hold stock in foreign corporations.

February 24, 2022: The IRS issued a news release promoting its “Where’s My Refund?” online and mobile tools as ways for taxpayers to check on the status of their tax refunds.

February 24, 2022: The IRS issued a news release, providing an update to a Fact Sheet containing answers to frequently asked questions regarding the Premium Tax Credit under Section 36B of the Code, as expanded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA).

February 25, 2022: 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 Washington, DC, office for this week’s roundup.



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

by , and | Jun 22, 2018 | , , ,

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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Tax Court Addresses “Issue of First Impression” Defense to Penalties

by | Aug 3, 2017 | ,

We previously posted on what we called the “issue of first impression” defense to penalties and the recent application of this defense by the United States Tax Court (Tax Court) in Peterson v. Commissioner, a TC Opinion. We noted that taxpayers may want to consider raising this defense in cases where the substantive issue is one for which there is no clear guidance from the courts or the Internal Revenue Service. Yesterday’s Memorandum Opinion by the Tax Court in Curtis Investment Co., LLC v. Commissioner, addressed the issue of first impression defense in the context of the taxpayer’s argument that it acted with reasonable cause and good faith in its tax reporting position related to certain Custom Adjustable Rate Debt Structure (CARDS) transactions. For the difference between TC and Memorandum Opinions, see here.

The Tax Court (and some appellate courts) has addressed the tax consequences of CARDS transactions in several cases, each time siding with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In its opinions in those other cases, the Tax Court has found that the CARDS transaction lacks economic substance. The court in Curtis Investment concluded that the CARDS transactions before it was essentially the same as the CARDS transactions in the other cases with only immaterial differences. Applying an economic substance analysis, the Tax Court held the taxpayer issue lacked a genuine profit motive and did not have a business purpose for entering into the CARDS transactions. (more…)



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