In light of the continuing challenges taxpayers are facing with the corporate alternative minimum tax, the IRS granted a waiver of the addition to tax for failure to pay estimated corporate AMT “in the interest of sound tax administration.”
News
Dirty Dozen list ends with easements, digital assets, and more
The IRS winds up its annual list of 12 scams and schemes by covering two broad categories: bogus tax-avoidance strategies and schemes with an international element.
Proposed regs. issued for 1% excise tax on corporate stock repurchases
Two sets of proposed regulations issued by the IRS provide guidance on the implementation of the new excise tax and on rules for the procedure and administration applicable to the reporting and payment of the tax.
Two home energy rebates not includible in gross income, IRS says
The IRS said it will not include the rebates provided under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 in individual purchasers’ gross income or in the cost basis of the property purchased.
AICPA: BOI ruling confuses businesses; enforcement should be delayed
In a letter to the Treasury secretary and the FinCEN director, the AICPA called for enforcement of beneficial ownership information reporting regulations to be suspended until after lawsuits are settled.
Supreme Court to decide estate tax impact of life insurance in closely held businesses
This term, the Supreme Court will answer the questions regarding the estate tax treatment of life insurance proceeds received by a closely held business and its shareholder redemption obligations. It heard oral arguments last week.
Dirty Dozen list from IRS opens with phishing, smishing scams
The IRS opened its annual Dirty Dozen list with scams that trick recipients into clicking a suspicious link, filling out personal and financial information, or downloading malware onto their computer.
Latest federal budget includes $20 billion rescission for IRS
The appropriations act enacted over the weekend that kept the federal government from shutting down included $12.3 billion for the IRS, but also codified an agreed-upon $20 billion cut in money allocated by the Inflation Reduction Act.
Enforcement, voluntary programs yield over $1 billion from ERC claims
On the deadline for businesses to offer to repay erroneous employee retention credit claims under the voluntary disclosure program (VDP), the IRS said assessments account for $572 million of the revenue, with the VDP and the claim withdrawal process accounting for the rest.
Taxpayer notice of third-party contact shortened under proposed regs.
The IRS would reduce the notice of third-party contact with respect to the determination or collection of the taxpayer’s tax liability to 10 days from 45 days in several circumstances involving statutory periods for assessments and collections that expire in one year or less.
Werfel says digital initiatives can transform ‘iconically unpopular’ IRS
Allowing taxpayers to communicate with the IRS almost entirely online will free the agency’s workers to handle other tasks, Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a speech Monday.
Decision holding Corporate Transparency Act unconstitutional appealed
The U.S. Justice Department filed an appeal Monday challenging the district court’s decision that the law, which requires businesses to report beneficial ownership information, is unconstitutional.
Plaintiffs: FinCEN should pause all CTA enforcement
The plaintiffs who won a summary judgment that bars enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act against them said the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network should pause beneficial ownership information reporting requirements for all businesses.
Federal court holds Corporate Transparency Act unconstitutional
While acknowledging that the law is well intentioned, the opinion from a U.S. district court in Alabama said Congress lacked authority to enact the business ownership information reporting requirement.
IRS renews focus on targeting high-income nonfilers
IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said Thursday that the effort will begin with compliance letters going out to high-income taxpayers in 125,000 cases where third-party information indicated federal tax returns have not been filed since 2017.
IRS announces delay for Form 1042 e-filing requirement
The Service said that U.S. withholding agents are administratively exempt from the requirement to e-file Forms 1042 during calendar year 2024, while foreign agents are exempt in calendar years 2024 and 2025.
FinCEN guide lists rules for some financial institutions’ access to BOI
The rules in the Small Entity Compliance Guide apply to access for some financial institutions and cover security and confidentiality, authorized use, administration of requests, and violations.
The clean-energy direct-pay election for not-for-profits and governmental entities
Under the Sec. 6417 direct-pay election, tax-exempt organizations, including not-for-profits and governmental agencies, can claim certain energy credits on their federal income tax returns, but to claim them for 2023, the direct-pay election must be made on a timely filed 2023 federal income tax return.
IRS to begin audits of personal, business use of corporate jets
IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said Wednesday that the audits will focus on business vs. personal use of aircraft by large corporations, large partnerships, and high-income taxpayers.
The ERC: Practitioners’ responsibilities to amend income tax returns
Practitioners must weigh applicable professional standards and exercise due diligence in assessing whether a taxpayer claiming an employee retention credit must amend one or more income tax returns to reduce deductions of wages for which the credit was claimed.
employee benefits & pensions
Profits interests: The most tax-efficient equity grant to employees
By granting them a profits interest, entities taxed as partnerships can reward employees with equity. Mistakes, however, could cause challenges from taxing authorities.