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McDermott’s Real-Time Tax Disputes Insights
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IRS Roundup January 13 – 17, 2025

by , , and | Feb 4, 2025 | , , ,

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of January 13, 2025 – January 17, 2025.

TAX CONTROVERSY-RELATED DEVELOPMENTS

January 15, 2025: The US Department of the Treasury (Treasury) and the IRS published final regulations, providing guidance on the resolution of federal tax controversies by the IRS Independent Office of Appeals (IRS Appeals). These final regulations are applicable to requests for IRS Appeals consideration made on or after February 14, 2025.

The Taxpayer First Act of 2019 (TFA) codified IRS Appeals and prescribed that its consideration should be “generally available to all taxpayers” who wished to resolve their federal tax controversies. Proposed regulations published on September 13, 2022, identified 24 exceptions to the term “federal tax controversy.” These exceptions preclude IRS Appeals from considering taxpayer challenges to the constitutionality of statutes and the validity of regulations, as well as the procedural validity of notices and revenue procedures. During the comment period for the proposed regulations, the exceptions regarding statutory/regulatory challenges were the focus of most public comments by far. However, the exceptions were left almost entirely unchanged in the final version of the regulations.

Practice Point: Because the TFA prescribes that IRS Appeals consideration should be “generally available to all taxpayers,” we expect judicial challenges to the validity of the final regulations on Administrative Procedure Act and substantive grounds. In the interim taxpayers should continue asserting their arguments challenging the validity of deficient guidance on constitutional or other grounds.

  • Relatedly, the IRS issued Announcement 2025-6, which describes three pilot initiatives that will test changes to existing Alternative Dispute Resolution programs. These programs are designed to help taxpayers resolve tax disputes earlier and more efficiently. The pilots focus on Fast Track Settlement, a program that allows IRS Appeals to mediate disputes between a taxpayer and the IRS while the case is still within the jurisdiction of the examination function, and Post-Appeals Mediation, a program in which a mediator helps foster a settlement between IRS Appeals and the taxpayer.

CLEAN ENERGY-RELATED DEVELOPMENTS

January 14, 2025: The Treasury and the IRS published final regulations regarding the clean electricity production credit under Internal Revenue Code (Code) Section 45Y and the clean electricity investment credit under Code Section 48E, established by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). These final regulations provide rules for determining greenhouse gas emissions rates resulting from the production of electricity, petitioning for provisional emissions rates, and determining eligibility for these credits in various circumstances. The final regulations affect all taxpayers who claim the clean electricity production credit with respect to a qualified facility or the clean electricity investment credit with respect to a qualified facility or energy storage technology, as applicable, that is placed in service after 2024.

January 15, 2025: The IRS issued Notice 2025-9, which provides a safe harbor for the incremental cost of certain qualified commercial clean vehicles placed in service in calendar year [...]

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Weekly IRS Roundup December 16 – December 20, 2024

by , and | Dec 31, 2024 | , ,

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of December 16 – 20, 2024.

December 16, 2024: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2024-51, which includes the following:

  • Treasury Decision 10009, which provides guidance regarding the advanced manufacturing investment credit under § 48D of the Internal Revenue Code (Code). The guidance reflects changes made by the CHIPS Act of 2022. The § 48D credit may be claimed for qualified investments in an advanced manufacturing facility that engages in the manufacturing of semiconductors or semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
  • Treasury Decision 10010, which provides the rules for claiming the Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit under Code § 45X. The regulations describe the requirements for the production of eligible components, including the domestic production requirement. The regulations also provide rules regarding the sale of eligible components to unrelated persons, as well as rules that apply to sales between related persons. They include definitions of eligible components, rules related to calculating the credit, and specific recordkeeping and reporting requirements.
  • Treasury Decision 10014, which finalizes 2013 proposed regulations under Code § 752, which relates to a partner’s share of a partnership recourse liability. The final regulations adopt a proportionality rule in instances where more than one partner bears the economic risk of loss of the partnership recourse debt. The regulations also provide guidance regarding how partnership recourse debt should be allocated in tiered partnership structures, as well as guidance on the related-party rules. Interestingly, no new notice of proposed rulemaking or opportunity for public comment was provided regarding these regulations in the 11 years since the 2013 proposed regulations were issued.
  • Revenue Ruling 2024-27, which publishes the base period T-bill rate for the period ending September 30, 2024, pursuant to Code § 995(f). The rate for this period is 4.93%.

The IRS also released Notice 2025-1, which provides guidance on the corporate bond monthly yield curve, the corresponding spot segment rates used under § 417(e)(3), the 24-month average segment rates used under § 430(h)(2), the interest rate on 30-year Treasury securities under § 417(e)(3)(A)(ii)(II) as in effect for plan years beginning before 2008, and the 30-year Treasury weighted average rate under § 431(c)(6)(E)(ii)(I) of the Code.

The IRS also issued Revenue Ruling 2025-1, which provides the January 2025 applicable federal rates for purposes of Code § 1274(d) and relates to the determination of issue price in the case of certain instruments issued for property.

December 17, 2024: The IRS issued Revenue Procedure 2025-8, which modifies the procedures under Code § 446 and Treasury Regulation § 1.446-1(e) for obtaining automatic consent of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue (Commissioner) to change methods of accounting for expenditures paid or incurred in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2021, to comply with § 174 or to rely on interim guidance provided in Notice 2023-63, 2023-39 I.R.B. 919, as modified by Notice 2024-12, 2024-5 I.R.B. 616.

December 18, 2024: In Notice 2025-4 the [...]

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Weekly IRS Roundup June 24 – June 28, 2024

by , and | Jul 2, 2024 | , , ,

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of June 24, 2024 – June 28, 2024.

June 24, 2024: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2024-26, which includes the following:

  • Notice 2024-45, which provides the inflation adjustment factors and applicable amounts for the credit for Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit under § 45V of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) for calendar years 2023 and 2024.
  • Notice 2024-46, which provides that payments made by Norfolk Southern to individuals affected by the 2023 train derailment incident in East Palestine, Ohio, are considered “qualified disaster relief payments” under Code § 139, which should be excluded from gross income if they are not otherwise covered by insurance.
  • Notice 2024-50, which adds polyoxymethylene to the list of “taxable substances” subject to an excise tax under Code § 4672(a). The effective date of this modification for purposes of Code § 4662(e) refund claims is July 1, 2022.
  • Notice 2024-51, which provides the 2023 reference price under Code § 45K(d)(2)(C), applicable in determining the credit amounts provided under Code § 43 and § 45I and that percentage depletion for oil and natural gas produced from marginal properties and oil credits under Code § 613A.

June 25, 2024: The IRS apologized to hedge fund manager Ken Griffith and other taxpayers affected by the tax data leak perpetrated by former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn.

June 26, 2024: The IRS highlighted challenges it encountered during the 2024 filing season and objectives for the upcoming fiscal year in a semi-annual report to Congress. Among other issues, the IRS identified delays in issuing refunds to identity theft victims, misleading telephone measures that lead to poor resource allocation decisions, and delays in processing Employee Retention Credit claims as key taxpayer challenges.

June 26, 2024: The IRS announced it will mail time-limited settlement offers in July 2024 to eligible taxpayers who participated in Syndicated Conservation Easements and substantially similar transactions that are under audit. The settlement offer will require substantial concession of income tax benefits and the application of penalties.

June 26, 2024: The IRS, through its Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee, released its 2024 annual report, which contains a total of 12 recommendations for Congress and the IRS to help improve tax administration.

June 27, 2024: The IRS extended the deadline to file federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments for certain individuals and businesses in Mississippi that were affected by severe weather since April 8, 2024. The new deadline is November 1, 2024. The extended deadline is available to taxpayers in any area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), including individuals and households that reside or have a business in Hancock, Hinds, Humphreys, Madison, Neshoba and Scott counties.

June 28, 2024: The [...]

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IRS Changes Position on Approval for Assertion of Codified Economic Substance Doctrine

by | Apr 29, 2022 | ,

In March 2010, Congress codified the economic substance doctrine in Internal Revenue Code (Code) Section 7701(o). The codification clarified that a conjunctive analysis applies in determining if the doctrine applies. The codified economic substance doctrine applies when a transaction does not have economic substance or lacks a business purpose. When the doctrine applies, a taxpayer is subject to a 20% strict liability penalty (40% in the case of undisclosed transactions) on any underpayment attributable to the disallowed tax benefit claimed.

Congress acknowledged that the codified economic substance doctrine should be applied sparingly, and the Joint Committee on Taxation, in a report issued prior to the enactment of the doctrine, provided detailed guidance on when the doctrine should apply. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued guidance shortly after the codification acknowledging these points. The IRS also put in place detailed procedures for examiners to follow in determining whether to assert the codified economic substance doctrine.

One of the procedures put in place was the approval by the Director, Field Operation before the codified economic substance doctrine could be formally asserted. An approval request was to be made after consultation with the revenue agent’s manager and local counsel. Additionally, taxpayers were to be provided “the opportunity to explain their position.”

On April 22, 2022, the IRS’s Large Business & International (LB&I) Division issued a memorandum—LB&I-04-0422-0014—to all LB&I and Small Business/Self Employed examination employees (Updated Guidance). The Updated Guidance removes the requirement to obtain executive approval before asserting the codified economic substance doctrine. The Updated Guidance states that this change aligns penalties for lack of economic substance with other assessable penalties which do not require executive approval. However, the changes do not remove the supervisory approval requirement under Code Section 6751.

In connection with the Updated Guidance, revisions are being made to the relevant provisions of the Internal Revenue Manual (IRM). The IRM revisions eliminate some of the considerations previously set forth in the four-step process that revenue agents were required to undertake in determining whether the doctrine should be applied.

Practice Points: Although the Updated Guidance has no impact on the substance of the codified economic substance doctrine itself, the change is disappointing news. As a result of the relaxed rules for the doctrine’s assertion, taxpayers can reasonably assume that the doctrine may more frequently be asserted on audit. Thus, it is now even more important to properly document transactions to demonstrate they have sufficient economic substance and a business purpose.



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Weekly IRS Roundup September 20 – 24, 2021

by | Sep 27, 2021 | , ,

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of September 20 – 24, 2021. Additionally, for continuing updates on the tax impact of COVID-19, please visit our resource page here.

September 22, 2021: The US Department of the Treasury (Treasury) and the IRS published final regulations under IRC § 301. The regulations update existing regulations under IRC § 301 to reflect statutory changes made by the Technical and Miscellaneous Revenue Act of 1988, which changes provide that the amount of a distribution of property made by a corporation to its shareholder is the fair market value of the distributed property. The regulations affect shareholders that receive a distribution of property from a corporation.

September 22, 2021: The IRS introduced a new webpage that provides information to taxpayers whose large refunds are subject to further review by the Joint Committee on Taxation.

September 22, 2021: The IRS released instructions for Form 1065, U.S. Return of Partnership Income, to reflect the addition of Schedules K-2 and K-3. The new schedules assist partnerships in providing partners with the information necessary for the partners to complete their returns with respect to the international tax provisions of the IRC. The IRS also released related instructions for Form 1120-S, U.S. Income Tax Return for an S Corporation, to reflect Schedules K-2 and K-3, which assist with reporting items of international tax relevance from the operation of an S corporation.

September 24, 2021: The Treasury Department and the IRS published final regulations under IRC under sections 250 and 951A addressing the calculation of qualified business asset investment for qualified improvement property under the alternative depreciation system. The regulations also deal with the transition rules relating to the impact on loss accounts of net operating loss carrybacks allowed by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The final regulations affect United States shareholders of controlled foreign corporations, domestic corporations eligible for the section 250 deduction and taxpayers that claim credits or deductions for foreign income taxes.

September 24, 2021: The IRS released its weekly list of written determinations (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandums and Chief Counsel Advice).

Special thanks to Robbie Alipour in our Chicago office for this week’s roundup.



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Weekly IRS Roundup September 6 – September 10, 2021

by | Sep 13, 2021 | ,

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of September 6, 2021 – September 10, 2021. Additionally, for continuing updates on the tax impact of COVID-19, please visit our resource page here.

September 7, 2021: The US Department of the Treasury and the IRS issued Notice 2021-53, which provides guidance to employers on reporting the amount of qualified sick and family leave wages paid to employees in 2021 on Form W-2.

September 7, 2021: The IRS announced that the deadline for third quarter estimated tax payments is September 15, 2021.

September 8, 2021: The IRS postponed various tax filing and payment deadlines for victims of Hurricane Ida in parts of New York and New Jersey. Victims now have until January 3, 2022, to file various individual and business tax returns and make tax payments for deadlines that occurred starting on September 1, 2021.

September 9, 2021: The IRS postponed various tax filing and payment deadlines for victims of Hurricane Ida in parts of Mississippi. Victims now have until November 1, 2021, to file various individual and business tax returns and make tax payments that were originally due October 15, 2021.

September 10, 2021: The IRS announced that the cost of home testing for COVID-19 is an eligible medical expense that can be paid or reimbursed under health flexible spending arrangements, health savings accounts, health reimbursement arrangements or Archer medical savings accounts.

September 10, 2021: The IRS issued temporary regulations authorizing the assessment of any erroneous refund of employment tax credits paid under Internal Revenue Code § 3131, 3132 and 3134.

September 10, 2021: The IRS released its weekly list of written determinations (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandums and Chief Counsel Advice).

Special thanks to Emily Mussio in our Chicago office for this week’s roundup.



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Biden Spending Proposal Calls for 10% IRS Budget Increase

by , and | Apr 21, 2021 | , ,

The Biden Administration has requested a $1.2 billion increase in funding for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as part of its proposal for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY 2022) discretionary funding released in a letter from Office of Management and Budget Acting Director Shalanda Young on April 9, 2021. The additional funding would bring the IRS FY 2022 budget to $13.2 billion, which represents a 10.4% increase over the 2021 enacted budget.

The additional funding would be used to increase IRS enforcement, especially for oversight of high-income individuals and corporate tax returns to ensure compliance with existing tax laws. The discretionary request also seeks an additional $417 million to fund a multiyear tax enforcement initiative aimed at increasing tax compliance and revenues. In total, the discretionary request would increase resources for tax enforcement by nearly $1 billion. Other funds appropriated to the IRS would be used for development and improvement of online tools and better telephone and in-person customer service for taxpayers.

Apart from IRS spending, the discretionary spending proposal includes $191 million for the US Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to create a database that tracks the ownership and control of certain companies and organizations.

The discretionary spending proposal is intended as a starting point for congressional appropriators and will be followed by the president’s full budget proposal—including tax changes and pay-fors—later in the spring.

Practice Point: We believe that the US Congress is likely to appropriate additional funds for tax enforcement in the FY 2022 budget. Taxpayers should begin preparing for additional IRS audits and scrutiny of return positions. Such preparation may include examining prior tax return positions and ensuring they have audit-ready files.



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The Next Normal — Tax Responses to COVID-19

by | Jun 18, 2020 |

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has thrown our personal and professional lives into a constant state of change, as we deal with social distancing, e-learning, remote working, and Zoom. In this American Bar Association article, Andrew R. Roberson, a partner in US and International Tax at McDermott Will & Emery, describes how the constant change or “next normal” rings true in the tax world as well, both for taxpayers and practitioners, as we all adapt to today’s challenges.

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Joint Committee Releases Overview of Its Refund Review Process

by and | Jan 10, 2019 | , , , , ,

Clients ask us all of the time, “What is the Joint Committee on Taxation’s (JCT) process for reviewing refund claims granted by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?” Recently, the JCT has released an overview of its process. Wait, what? After the IRS has agreed to issue you a refund, there is a congressional committee that has to check the IRS’s work? Yep!

Internal Revenue Code (IRC) §6405 prohibits the IRS/US Department of the Treasury from issuing certain refund payments to taxpayers until 30 days after a “report” is given to the JCT. Only refunds “in excess” of $5 million for corporate taxpayers and $2 million for all other taxpayers (partnerships, individuals, trusts, etc.) are required to be reported to the JCT. A refund claim is an amount listed on an amended return (e.g., Forms 1140X and 1120X), tentative carrybacks (e.g., Forms 1139 and 1045), and refunds attributable to certain disaster losses. Numerous types of refund payments are excepted from JCT review, including refunds claimed on originally filed returns, resulting from litigation and employment taxes. It is important to note that this process is not limited to the IRS Examination stage; it can also occur at the IRS Appeals stage or even in tax court litigation. (more…)



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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.

Read the full article. 



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