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Final Regulations Update Rules on Paying Tax in Installments

The IRS issued final regulations Tuesday governing the payment of tax liabilities in installments (TD 9473). The regulations reflect changes to the law made by various acts going as far back as 1996. IRC § 6159 allows taxpayers who cannot pay their tax liabilities in full an option to enter

IRS Releases Guidance on Expanded NOL Carryback Rules

The IRS on Friday provided guidance on the new expanded five-year net operating loss (NOL) carryback rules, which were recently amended by the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act, PL 111-92. The guidance is contained in Revenue Procedure 2009-52, and it explains how a taxpayer elects to carry back an

Tax Court Amends Rules to Allow Electronic Filing

The Tax Court has amended its procedural rules, effective Jan. 1, 2010, to allow electronic filing of documents submitted to the court (Tax Court Rule 26). The court set up a pilot electronic filing program in 2005. In 2008, the court added an electronic document access system to its Web

UBS Targets Come Into Focus

The IRS has released the selection criteria for identifying holders ofaccounts with Swiss bank UBS under a U.S. settlement agreement with the Swiss government negotiated in August. Under the agreement, UBS will turn over information concerning approximately 4,450 accounts for investigation. IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman also recently announced that about

IRS Pilot Program Will Allow Truncated Social Security Numbers on Information Returns

The IRS on Thursday announced a pilot program aimed at deterring identity theft (Notice 2009-93). Under the program, filers of certain paper information returns will be allowed to truncate the payee’s Social Security number on the payee statement. The change affects statements for 2009 and 2010. Only paper payee statements

Economic Optimism Levels Off, Execs Concerned About Government Policies

Optimism among CPA financial executives about the U.S. economy flattened after two quarters of improvement as managers paid more attention to potential challenges and concerns associated with the federal budget deficit, tax reform and regulatory requirements, according to a survey released Monday. Results from the Economic Outlook Survey Q4 2009,

President Signs Military Spouses Residency Relief Act

President Barack Obama signed into law the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act (PL 111-97), which will ensure that the spouses of military personnel who move because their spouse is posted for military duty will be treated as not having changed residency for tax purposes. Under the act, the fact that

President Signs Unemployment Bill With Tax Items

On Friday, President Obama signed into law a bill that includes changes to the first-time homebuyer credit, increased NOL carrybacks for small businesses, and mandatory e-filing for most tax return preparers. The bill cleared Congress on Thursday. The Senate had unanimously agreed to the bill, the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance

Court Negates Tax Planning Transaction

A district court held that a partnership’s reported capital loss stemming from nonperforming loans lacked economic substance and denied the claimed tax benefits. D. Andrew Beal owned a bank that was in the business of acquiring nonproducing loans (NPLs) at extreme discounts. With an associate and China Cinda Asset Management

Final Regs Issued on E-Postcards

The Pension Protection Act of 2006 introduced a new notification requirement for small tax-exempt organizations that are not required to file an annual information return under IRC § 6033(a)(1). In July, the IRS released final regulations spelling out what small tax-exempt organizations must do to meet this requirement. Practitioners should

Accountable Plan Reimbursements for Tools and Equipment

In a recent private letter ruling, the IRS clarified how employer reimbursement of employee expenses for tools, equipment, training or certification required as a condition of employment may qualify as an accountable plan under IRC § 62. Reimbursements under an accountable plan are excluded from gross income of employees and

Line Items

FIRST CIRCUIT DENIES TEXTRON WORK PRODUCT PRIVILEGE In a 3-2 decision, the First Circuit Court of Appeals overturned its earlier three-judge ruling and a district court to hold that the work product doctrine did not protect from IRS summons the tax accrual workpapers of aviation and industrial conglomerate Textron Inc.

Application of Six-Year Statute of Limitations Denied Again

The Tax Court, whose denial of a six-year statute of limitations in Bakersfield Energy Partners had been recently upheld by the Ninth Circuit, held in two more cases that an overstatement of basis did not allow the extended assessment period for a substantial omission of gross income under IRC §

Qualifying Child Definition Amended

The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, PL110-351, made several changes to the qualifying child (QC) definitions effective for tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2008. Section 501(a) of the act amended the age requirement (IRC § 152(c)(3)) to also require the QC to be younger

Salaries a BIG Offset

C corporations that elect S status are often subject to the built-in gains (BIG) tax under IRC § 1374. One of the aspects of the BIG tax that can be a trap for the unwary is the treatment of accounts receivable for cash-basis corporations. The fair market value of accounts

IRS Not Limited to Three Years for FPAA

The Fifth Circuit held that IRC § 6229(a) sets no deadline by which the IRS must issue an FPAA (final partnership administrative adjustment). Its interpretation of the relationship between the limitations period in sections 6501(a) and 6229(a) mirrors that of the Tax Court, the D.C. Circuit and the Federal Circuit

Tax Consequences of Mortgage Discharge

In the current real estate climate of decreased property values and excess inventories, many rental property owners are facing reduced cash flows due to vacancies. At the same time, the fair market value of their property may be close to or even less than the amount owed on the mortgage

“Unforeseen Circumstances” Exclusion From Gain on Sale of Home

Despite the recent downturn in the American housing market, one of the highest-value assets owned by most taxpayers remains their home. While many taxpayers have seen the value of their home decline, those in locales where home values have remained relatively strong—such as parts of some Southern and Midwestern states—could

Highlights

FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2009-06 to provide additional implementation guidance on accounting for uncertainty in income taxes and to eliminate the disclosures required by FASB Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Paragraphs 740-10-50-15(a) through (b) for nonpublic entities, including pass-through and not-for-profit entities. The new guidance involves requirements under what

Unrelated Child as a Qualifying Relative

One requirement for claiming a qualifying child (QC) for purposes of the dependency exemption deduction is that the child must be related to the taxpayer, that is, the taxpayer’s child (including stepchild or foster child), sibling, half-sibling, step-sibling or descendant of any of them (IRC § 152(c)(2)). However, dependents alternatively

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