President Barack Obama on Friday signed into law the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014, which retroactively extends more than 50 expired tax provisions through 2014.
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New Law Creates Tax-Favored Savings Accounts for Disabled Taxpayers
Congress approved the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014, which will allow disabled individuals to save money to pay for their disability expenses in tax-favored accounts, called ABLE accounts.
Congress Passes Tax Extender Legislation
The Senate passed a bill to retroactively extend more than 50 expired tax provisions through 2014, by a vote of 76–16 on Tuesday evening. The extender bill passed the House of Representatives on Dec. 3, and it now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature.
Final Rules Govern Reporting of Specified Foreign Financial Assets
Individuals who are required to report interests in foreign financial assets to the IRS got guidance on the process in the form of final regulations.
Standard Mileage Rates Will Change Slightly in 2015
Optional standard mileage rates for use of a vehicle will change a little for 2015, the IRS announced, with the business use rate going up and the medical and moving rate going down.
Minimum Essential Coverage, Other Health Care Reform Guidance Issued
The IRS released health care guidance, including final regulations on minimum essential coverage, a list of hardship exemptions from individual shared-responsibility penalty, and indexed adjustments for certain calculations under the premium tax credit.
Rules Updated for Transit Fare Smart Cards and Qualified Transportation Fringe Benefits
The IRS announced that, beginning after Dec. 31, 2015, employers will no longer be permitted to provide qualified transportation fringe benefits in the form of cash reimbursement in geographic areas where a terminal-restricted debit card is readily available.
IRS Finalizes Rules on Relief From Failure to File GRAs
The IRS finalized proposed regulations to update the rules that apply to U.S. taxpayers that fail to file gain recognition agreements when they transfer certain property to foreign corporations in nonrecognition transactions.
G-20 Leaders Commit to Automatic Exchange of Tax Information
Leaders of the G-20 major economies endorsed the OECD’s global standard for automatic exchange of tax information at the G-20 summit in Brisbane, Australia.
IRS Fills in Details of One-a-Year IRA Rollover Rule
The IRS clarified how the recently announced change in how it interprets the statutory one-rollover-per-year rule for IRAs will affect 2014 rollovers and how the rules will apply starting in 2015.
Regulations Finalize Rules on All-Cash D Reorganizations
The IRS finalized temporary regulations regarding the determination of the basis of stock or securities in all-cash D reorganizations where no stock or securities of the issuing corporation is issued and distributed in the transaction.
Final Rules Determine How E&P Is Treated in Corporate Reorganizations
New rules under Sec. 381 will change which corporation succeeds to the tax attributes, including the earnings and profits (E&P), of the transferor or distributor corporation in certain acquisitions.
Filing Season Complications Loom, IRS Commissioner Tells AICPA
The 2015 tax filing season “will be one of the most complicated filing seasons we’ve ever had,” IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said in a keynote address Tuesday to hundreds of attendees at the AICPA National Tax Conference in Washington.
Proposed Rules Would Change Partners’ Treatment of Unrealized Receivables and Inventory Items
The IRS issued proposed regulations under Sec. 751 that would amend the rules governing how a partner measures its interest in a partnership’s unrealized receivables and inventory items and the tax consequences of a distribution to a partner reducing that interest.
2015 Inflation-Adjusted Items and Tax Tables Issued
The IRS issued the annual inflation adjustments for 2015 for more than 40 tax provisions as well as the 2015 tax rate tables for individuals and estates and trusts.
Defined Contribution Plans Can Offer Deferred Annuities to Older Participants
Qualified defined contribution plans will be allowed to provide lifetime income to plan participants by offering funds including deferred annuities among their assets, even if some of the funds are available only to older plan participants.
Pension Plan Limitations Are Increased for Inflation
Taxpayers will be allowed to contribute more money to their retirement savings in 2015 under new pension plan limits announced by the IRS.
Social Security Administration Announces 2015 Wage Base
The Social Security Administration announced that the wage base above which OASDI taxes are not due will increase from $117,000 to $118,500 in 2015.
Proposed Regs. Would Eliminate 36-Month Testing Period from COD Reporting Requirements
Because the IRS believes that requiring the filing of Form 1099-C at the expiration of a 36-month nonpayment of debt testing period “creates confusion for taxpayers” and does not increase tax compliance, the Service proposes to eliminate the rule.
Changes Made to IRS Streamlined Offshore Compliance Procedures
The IRS updated its streamlined offshore compliance program to provide procedures taxpayers residing both inside and outside the United States should use to participate in the program.
TAX PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
2025 tax software survey
AICPA members in tax practice assess how their return preparation software performed during tax season and offer insights into their procedures.
