Advertisement
TOPICS

Tax

Businesses lagging in preparation for new health care laws

Many U.S. employers are lacking in preparation for—and awareness of—new health care laws, according to a survey. More than one-third (36%) of more than 800 corporate decision-makers said they are not very familiar with the requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, P.L. 111-148, according to a survey

Final rules on fiduciary fees are issued

The IRS issued final regulations on the controversial question of which costs incurred by trust and estates are subject to the 2% floor on miscellaneous deductions under Sec. 67(a) (T.D. 9664). The regulations will apply to tax years beginning on or after May 9, 2014. The final regulations retain from

Proposed rules would amend definition of acquiring corporation in corporate reorganizations

On Tuesday, the IRS issued proposed regulations under Sec. 381 that in certain acquisitions would change which corporation succeeds to the tax attributes, including the earnings and profits (E&P), of the transferor or distributor corporation (REG-131239-13). In earlier, related proposed regulations under Sec. 312, the IRS clarified that, in certain

Tax owed on full sale price where taxpayer won’t provide cost basis information

The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a deficiency notice of more than $5 million against a taxpayer who reported adjusted gross income of $22,921 and taxable income of $13,221 on his late-filed 2006 return (Hoang, No. 13-14398 (11th Cir. 5/2/14), aff’g T.C. Memo. 2013-127). Diep Hoang’s 2006 tax return

IRS announces two-year FATCA enforcement transition period

Foreign financial institutions that make a good-faith effort to comply with the requirements of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) will benefit from lighter enforcement during 2014 and 2015, the IRS announced on Friday (Notice 2014-33). The IRS is treating those years as a “transition period” for the implementation

Accounting across borders

CPA firms are finding international services a booming business, based on responses to a recent AICPA Private Companies Practice Section (PCPS) survey. The survey examines practitioners’ interest in expanding to new markets and growing an international clientele, as well as firms’ top international challenges and needs.

Conflicts of interest and client consent

Section 10.29 of Treasury Circular 230, Regulations Governing Practice Before the Internal Revenue Service (31 C.F.R. Part 10), generally prohibits a practitioner from representing a client before the IRS if the representation involves a conflict of interest. Under Section 10.29(a), a conflict of interest exists if: (1) The representation of

QSub election does not create an item of income

The Third Circuit affirmed the Tax Court’s opinion that an S corporation’s election to treat its wholly owned subsidiary as a qualified subchapter S subsidiary (QSub) did not create an item of income or tax-exempt income under Sec. 1366(a)(1)(A). It also determined that an increase in stock bases and declared

IRS provides simplified employer health care coverage reporting

The IRS released final regulations to implement simplified reporting requirements of employers to report health care coverage information under Secs. 6055 and 6056 starting in 2015 (T.D. 9660 and T.D. 9661). Sec. 6055 requires providers of minimum essential coverage and providers of coverage through an employer’s group health plan to

Final FATCA rules are issued

The IRS released regulations needed to implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). FATCA, enacted as part of the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act of 2010, P.L. 111-147, requires U.S. withholding agents to withhold tax on certain payments to foreign financial institutions (FFIs) that do not agree to

The de minimis safe harbor under the repair regulations

Among the more welcome changes adopted in the final tangible property repair regulations (T.D. 9636) is the de minimis rule related to the acquisition or production of property (Regs. Sec. 1.263(a)-1(f)). This rule provides for a safe harbor applied at the invoice or item level, based on the policies used

Final rules on substantial risk of forfeiture are released

The IRS finalized regulations that clarify when a substantial risk of forfeiture exists on the transfer of stock to an employee that is treated as compensation under Sec. 83. If a substantial risk of forfeiture exists, the employee does not have to recognize the income at the time of the

Guidance on repair regs. updates accounting method change procedures

The IRS in late February issued the second part of guidance on accounting method changes under the so-called repair regulations, which govern the treatment of expenditures incurred in acquiring, producing, or improving tangible assets (Rev. Proc. 2014-17, modifying and superseding Rev. Proc. 2012-20). The first part of the updated procedures

IRS delays health coverage mandate another year for midsize employers

The IRS in February delayed the so-called shared-responsibility requirement under Sec. 4980H for employers who have 50 to 99 full-time-equivalent employees (FTEs) in 2014. These employers will now have until 2016 to offer health care coverage to their employees or be subject to the shared-responsibility penalty. However, these employers will

Rollover contribution to second IRA disallowed

The Tax Court held that a taxpayer who received distributions from two individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and later transferred the amounts back into his IRAs had taxable income equal to the amount of the second transfer. According to the court, the plain language of Sec. 408(d)(3)(B) allows a taxpayer to

Tenth Circuit throws out IRS summonses

In a decision that creates a split from five other circuit courts, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals quashed IRS summonses that were issued after the 23-day period required under Sec. 7609(a)(1) (Jewell, Nos. 13-6069, 13-7038 (10th Cir. 4/28/14)). When the IRS issued four summonses to banks seeking records about nursing

“Killer B” anti-abuse regulations are on the way

Recognizing that taxpayers are exploiting the rules in ways it had not intended, the IRS on Friday announced that it will amend the existing regulations on cross-border reverse triangular reorganizations, popularly known as “Killer B” transactions (Notice 2014-32). Killer B transactions are designed to allow corporations to repatriate foreign subsidiary

IRS issues 2015 inflation adjustments for HSAs

The IRS issued the calendar year 2015 inflation-adjusted figures for the annual contribution limits for health savings accounts (HSAs) and the minimum deductible amounts and maximum out-of-pocket expense amounts for high-deductible health plans (Rev. Proc. 2014-30). Individuals who participate in a health plan with a high deductible are permitted a

SPONSORED REPORT

Get your clients ready for tax season

Help clients avoid surprises with year-end planning strategies for managing taxable income, maximizing deductions, and adjusting to OBBBA changes affecting individuals and businesses.

From The Tax Adviser

October 31, 2026

AI risks to the Sec. 7525 practitioner privilege

September 30, 2026

Navigating the QSBS rules in pass-through structures

September 30, 2026

Sec. 338(h)(10) elections in business acquisitions

August 31, 2026

2026 tax software survey