Tax Law Discourages U.S. Investment and Leaves Taxpayers in the Dark, According to New Report from Senate Finance Democrats
Posted on Jul 19, 2018 in News
A recent report released by the Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden asserts that the new tax legislation has resulted in “more complexity, loopholes and incentives to ship jobs overseas.” According to the report, the global intangible low taxed income (“GILTI”) provisions create a new web of complexity and leave taxpayers in the dark regarding future investment decisions....
Tax Reform 2.0 Not Expected to Address International Provisions
According to Republican Congressman Carlos Curbelo, tax reform 2.0 will not address international tax provisions, such as BEAT or GILTI. Instead, the next round of tax legislation is projected to focus on making the individual provisions permanent. The excluded provisions are expected to be addressed in a future, separate technical corrections bill. Curbelo also noted that the draft...Six Main Areas Identified For TCJA International Guidance
Posted on Jul 5, 2018 in International Tax, News
In anticipation of tax reform 2.0, six major international areas have been identified as prime for regulatory focus and guidance: the allocation of expenses to GILTI income; the application of the accumulated earnings tax under section 531 to GILTI; treatment of consolidated tax return filers for GILTI purposes; potential carve-outs to the base erosion and anti-abuse tax (or BEAT);...
New Rev. Proc. Provides that Citrus Replanting Costs Not Included in Automatic Accounting Method Changes
Posted on Jun 22, 2018 in News, Tax Accounting
Released Tuesday, Rev. Proc. 2018-35 provides that the new automatic change procedures under Rev. Proc. 2018-31 do not apply section 263A to replanting costs for damaged or lost citrus plants. Section 263A generally requires taxpayers to include the costs of certain property produced or acquired for resale to be included in inventory costs. However, under section 263A(d)(2)(A) as...
Guidance on Section 199A May Halt Benefitting Firms
The Treasury Department may issue guidance on section 199A in response to workarounds taken by law and accounting firms. The new section 199A provides a 20% deduction for qualifying pass-through businesses. Since its enactment, offices have been broken down into separate businesses to take advantage of the deduction; future guidance may halt this technique. According to an official at...Potential Phase Two of Tax Legislation Focuses on Making Individual Tax Changes Permanent
Posted on Jun 5, 2018 in Individual Taxation, News
House Republicans intend to roll out a second package of tax cuts this summer. The focus of the new bill is to make the individual tax cuts permanent, but it may also include other changes, such as cutting capital gains taxes and including incentives to boost business innovation. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady anticipates that the new bill would be approved in the...
Committee Hearing Discusses Tax Reform Impact and Next Steps
Posted on May 21, 2018 in International Tax, News
The House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing last Wednesday, May 16th, where Republicans and Democrats continued to be divided in their evaluations of the recent tax reform and its effects on jobs, the economy, and investment. In opening statements, Richard Neal criticized the new law for giving “83 percent of the tax savings to the top one percent.” Testimony during the hearing...
Rev. Proc. Offers Automatic Accounting Change for 606 Book-Tax Accounting Conformity
Posted on May 14, 2018 in News, Tax Accounting
An automatic method change is now available for taxpayers wishing to change their accounting method to comply with the new financial accounting standards issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) (“Topic 606”). Under the new standards of Topic 606, taxpayers recognize revenue from contracts with customers based on...
No Rules or Answers: Notices to Just Provide Notice
Posted on May 11, 2018 in News, Tax Accounting
Rather than provide “subregulatory guidance” or answer specific questions, future notices will simply notify taxpayers of regulations to come. According to Catherine Hughes of the Treasury’s Office of Tax Policy, the Treasury and IRS will not create new rules, but give a “heads up” of what proposed regulations are in the works. This has been seen in recent notices, including Notice...
New Notice Requests Recommendations for the IRS and Treasury 2018-2019 Priority Guidance
Posted on Apr 30, 2018 in News
Notice 2018-43 was released by the IRS, asking taxpayers for recommendations on the 2018-2019 Priority Guidance Plan. The Priority Guidance Plan is used each year by the Treasury and IRS to identify and prioritize what tax issues to prioritize and address through guidance such as regulations, rulings, procedures and notices. According to the Notice, there has been focus on the...
Fiscal Year Taxpayers Reminded about Blended Corporate Tax Rate
Posted on Apr 18, 2018 in News, Tax Accounting
Notice 2018-38, released April 16, reminds fiscal year taxpayers about the requirement to apply a blended tax rate under Section 15 of the Code to their taxable year that includes January 1, 2018. The Tax Cuts & Jobs Act (the “TCJA”) changed the corporate tax rate, effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, in the middle of fiscal year taxpayers’ tax year....
Transitional Guidance on Fines and Penalties Issued by IRS
Posted on Apr 3, 2018 in News, Tax Accounting
Last week, the IRS issued Notice 2018-23 to assist government officials and taxpayers with complying with Sections 162(f) and 6050X of the Internal Revenue Code. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act revised Section 162(f), which disallows deductions for fines and penalties, defined to exclude amounts paid as restitution or as reimbursement for investigations, or paid in suits where there is no...
Resignation of Treasury Official Expected to Result in Guidance Delays
Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary of Tax Policy Dana Trier stepped down from his position on February 23. Trier’s role focused on developing guidance on various aspects of the new tax reform law, including the partnership and international tax provisions. Practitioners have expressed concern that his departure will result in delays in issuing regulations, which could result in...Treasury Considering Treatment of Foreign Taxes Under Transition Tax
Under the new Tax Act, U.S. shareholders are charged a one-time tax on deferred foreign earnings of their foreign subsidiaries; these earnings and profits are measured as of November 2 if the amount is greater than on December 31. Taxpayers have brought to Treasury’s attention that the use of the November 2 date can result in an overstatement of earnings because foreign taxes...Eighteen Guidance Priorities and New Projects Released in Second Quarter Update to Priority Guidance Plan
Posted on Feb 12, 2018 in International Tax, News
The second quarter update to the 2017-2018 Priority Guidance Plan was released by the Treasury and IRS this past Wednesday. It sets forth eighteen priorities for guidance on tax issues stemming from the Tax Act, including for new sections 965 and 163(j), and other international sections. The update also contains projects that are hoped to be completed through June 30, 2018. These...