Federal
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July 18, 2024
Top International Tax Cases To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2024
Tax attorneys will be tracking several high-stakes cases in the second half of 2024 that could define the bounds of the IRS' ability to craft regulations or lodge direct challenges aimed at what it sees as the tax avoidance maneuvers of multinational corporations. Here, Law360 looks at key international tax cases to follow during the rest of the year.
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July 17, 2024
Much Of Pillar 1 Treaty Agreed On, OECD Official Says
Agreement has been reached on the bulk of a multilateral pact to implement new taxing rights that are part of a revamp of the international tax system and on expansions to a part of the taxing rights plan, an OECD official said Wednesday.
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July 17, 2024
Tax Court OKs Added Penalty Over Nixed $20.7M Deduction
The U.S. Tax Court found Wednesday that a Georgia partnership should be assessed a negligence penalty alongside a previously assessed accuracy penalty tied to a disallowed $20.7 million charitable contribution deduction, agreeing with an argument by the IRS.
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July 17, 2024
Spouse Relief Not Available For Errant Refund, Tax Court Says
A Maryland woman who along with her husband received an erroneous refund from the Internal Revenue Service isn't entitled to innocent spouse relief because that relief is available only for unpaid taxes or deficiencies, the U.S. Tax Court said Wednesday.
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July 17, 2024
Tax Court Nixes $22.6M Deduction For Historic Renovation
The U.S. Tax Court denied Wednesday a $22.6 million deduction to a partnership for a conservation easement on its 11-story historic building in downtown Cleveland, saying the easement did not prevent the scale of development on the property that the partnership had claimed.
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July 17, 2024
Tax Court Says IRA Deduction Claim Correctly Rejected
The Internal Revenue Service correctly disallowed a New Hampshire couple's claimed individual retirement account deduction because they never actually made a contribution to such an account, the U.S. Tax Court said Wednesday.
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July 17, 2024
Gov't Views On OECD Risk Guidance Vary, Economists Say
In allocating risk among different components of a business for transfer pricing purposes, analysts need to consider governments' varying interpretations of guidance from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a panel of economists said Wednesday.
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July 17, 2024
Connell Foley Adds Wilson Elser Tax Pro In Group Upgrade
Connell Foley LLP strengthened its tax and estate team this week with the promotion of several attorneys up to partner and the addition of a mergers and acquisitions and corporate restructuring tax expert previously of counsel at Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP.
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July 17, 2024
The Tax Angle: Child Care, Medical Debt, Small Biz Relief
As talks take place on Capitol Hill over the impact the expiration of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will have on small businesses and child care, here's a peek into a reporter's notebook on a few developing tax stories.
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July 17, 2024
IRS Plans August Hearing On Stock Buyback Tax Rules
The Internal Revenue Service will hold a public hearing Aug. 27 on proposed regulations governing a new excise tax on repurchases of corporate stock, the agency said Wednesday.
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July 17, 2024
IRS Issues Fixes For Clean Electricity Credit Regs
The Internal Revenue Service issued corrections Wednesday that it said fix a number of errors in proposed regulations concerning the clean electricity production and investment tax credits established by the Inflation Reduction Act.
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July 17, 2024
Treasury Finalizes Rules To Target 'Killer B' Transactions
The U.S. Treasury Department published final regulations Wednesday aimed at so-called Killer B transactions, which involve certain corporate reorganizations with at least one foreign affiliate that ultimately allow U.S. companies to avoid domestic taxes.
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July 17, 2024
Rising Star: Cravath's Kiran Sheffrin
Kiran Sheffrin of Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP has advised companies from Anheuser-Busch InBev to Valvoline on multibillion-dollar deals, including a $50 billion combination resulting in the formation of pharmaceutical giant Viatris, earning her a spot among the tax law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.
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July 17, 2024
Woman Can't Escape Suit Over Partner's $1.1M FBAR Debt
A woman whose late romantic partner owed $1.1 million in reporting penalties on hidden financial accounts in France and Switzerland can't stop the government from pursuing a suit against her for half the value of her home, a New York federal court ruled.
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July 17, 2024
Baker McKenzie Adds EY Partner To Mexico City Office
Baker McKenzie has appointed a new partner from EY Mexico to its North American tax practice group in Mexico City.
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July 16, 2024
Intracompany Prices Should Reflect Acquired IP, Panelists Say
When one company buys another for its intellectual property, the subsequent pricing of that asset between the now-related entities should reflect the value of what was acquired, transfer pricing specialists said Tuesday at a conference in Washington, D.C.
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July 16, 2024
More Geographic Adjustments 'On The Table' For Amount B
Countries' ability to make further adjustments for geographic differences in the streamlined transfer pricing approach known as Amount B — part of the OECD's plan for reallocating taxing rights among jurisdictions — is "still on the table," an official from the organization said Tuesday.
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July 16, 2024
Tycoon's Pilot Says Feds' Stock Tip Claims Don't Add Up
A private pilot who used to work for convicted insider trader and U.K. billionaire Joe Lewis is arguing federal prosecutors can't use allegations that his own trades were suspicious to ramp up a sentence for a separate tax evasion charge.
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July 16, 2024
7th Circ. Says Foreign Retirement Not Shielded In Bankruptcy
A professor who filed for bankruptcy in Illinois can't protect his Canadian retirement account from creditors because the account is ineligible under a state law shielding accounts that qualify as retirement plans under the Internal Revenue Code, the Seventh Circuit ruled Tuesday.
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July 16, 2024
Tax Court Grants Installment Gain Recognition On Stock Sales
The U.S. Tax Court rejected Tuesday a claim by the IRS that a man and his cousin who had each sold stock in 2002 to an employee stock ownership trust for more than $4 million had to recognize the entirety of their deferred gain the following year.
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July 16, 2024
Connecticut Contractor Fined $1.75M For Tax Evasion
A Connecticut contractor was ordered to pay a $1.75 million fine for evading federal corporate and individual income taxes from 2006 through 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
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July 16, 2024
DC Circ. Upholds Dismissal Of Tax Whistleblower Award Case
The D.C. Circuit upheld Tuesday the U.S. Tax Court's dismissal of a Mississippi man's case seeking review of the denial of his whistleblower claim for 30% of the revenue collected by an Internal Revenue Service offshore voluntary disclosure program.
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July 16, 2024
Tax Court Says Deductions Properly Disallowed By IRS
A New York couple was properly denied tens of thousands of dollars worth of deductions on their federal income taxes by the Internal Revenue Service, since the pair neither qualified nor adequately substantiated their claims, the U.S. Tax Court said Tuesday.
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July 16, 2024
Contractor Asks Justices To Review $1.3M R&D Credit Suit
A construction company's shareholders asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a decision revoking their tax refund for the company's $1.3 million in claimed research credits, saying the Fifth Circuit wrongly deferred to the Internal Revenue Service in stopping their case from going to trial.
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July 16, 2024
Rising Star: Skadden's Melinda Gammello
Melinda Gammello of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP has advised numerous clients before the U.S. Tax Court and elsewhere on complex tax matters, including transfer pricing issues and the treatment of financial transactions within a company, earning her a spot among the tax law practitioners under 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.
Expert Analysis
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Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent
Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.
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Judicial Independence Is Imperative This Election Year
As the next election nears, the judges involved in the upcoming trials against former President Donald Trump increasingly face political pressures and threats of violence — revealing the urgent need to safeguard judicial independence and uphold the rule of law, says Benes Aldana at the National Judicial College.
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Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents
Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.
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What Recent Study Shows About AI's Promise For Legal Tasks
Amid both skepticism and excitement about the promise of generative artificial intelligence in legal contexts, the first randomized controlled trial studying its impact on basic lawyering tasks shows mixed but promising results, and underscores the need for attorneys to proactively engage with AI, says Daniel Schwarcz at University of Minnesota Law School.
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How FinCEN Proposal Expands RE Transaction Obligations
Against a regulatory backdrop foreshadowing anti-money laundering efforts in the real estate sector, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's proposed rule significantly expands reporting requirements for certain nonfinanced residential real estate transfers and necessitates careful review, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
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What To Know About Employee Retention Credit Disclosures
Employers that filed potentially erroneous employee retention credit claims should take certain steps to determine whether the IRS’ voluntary disclosure program is a good fit and, if so, prepare a strong application before the window closes on March 22, say attorneys at Dentons.
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Litigation Inspiration: A Source Of Untapped Fulfillment
As increasing numbers of attorneys struggle with stress and mental health issues, business litigators can find protection against burnout by remembering their important role in society — because fulfillment in one’s work isn’t just reserved for public interest lawyers, say Bennett Rawicki and Peter Bigelow at Hilgers Graben.
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Unpacking FinCEN's Proposed Real Estate Transaction Rule
Phil Jelsma and Ulrick Matsunaga at Crosbie Gliner take a close look at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's recently proposed rulemaking — which mandates new disclosures for professionals involved in all-cash real estate deals — and discuss best next steps for the broad range of businesses that could be affected.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Forget Everything You Know About IRAC
The mode of legal reasoning most students learn in law school, often called “Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion,” or IRAC, erroneously frames analysis as a separate, discrete step, resulting in disorganized briefs and untold obfuscation — but the fix is pretty simple, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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The Corporate Transparency Act Isn't Dead Yet
After an Alabama federal court's ruling last week rendering the Corporate Transparency Act unconstitutional, changes to the law may ultimately be required, but ongoing compliance is still the best course of action for most, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.
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How New EU Tax And Transfer Pricing Rules May Affect M&A
Companies involved in mergers and acquisitions may need to adjust fiscal due diligence procedures to ensure they consider potential far-reaching effects of newly implemented transfer pricing measures, such as newly implemented global minimum tax and European Union anti-tax avoidance directives and proposals, says Patrick Tijhuis at BDO.
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Employers, Prep For Shorter Stock Awards Settlement Cycle
Companies that provide equity compensation in the form of publicly traded stock will soon have one less day to complete such transactions under U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Nasdaq rules — so employers should implement expedited equity compensation stock settlement and payroll tax deposit procedures now, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Demystifying IRS' Claims Of $851B Return On Investment
The IRS' recently released analysis, estimating a $851 billion return on the government’s $80 billion investment in the agency, represents a huge increase over its 2022 estimate and that of the Congressional Budget Office and may be best viewed as a best-case scenario, says Joyce Beebe at the Baker Institute.