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IRS Provides Liquidity Assistance, Relief

In response to the liquidity crisis, the IRS temporarily expanded the short-term financing exception to Sec. 956, which will permit corporations to access cash from their controlled foreign corporations (CFCs) without having an income inclusion for U.S. tax purposes.

Certain Debt Obligations Not Subject to AHYDO Restrictions

As a result of the recent deteriorating market conditions for debt obligations, the IRS has indicated that it will not regard specific debt obligations as applicable high-yield discount obligations (AHYDO) for purposes of Secs. 163(e)(5) and 163(i).

Transactions Between Private Equity Fund–Owned Portfolio Corporations: An Update

Editor: Frank J. O’Connell Jr., CPA, Esq. In today’s private equity environment, two common transactions between fund-owned portfolio corporations present challenging tax considerations: (1) asset sales between fund-owned portfolio corporations and (2) the acquisition by a fund-owned portfolio corporation of another portfolio corporation’s debt. (These were reviewed in Keller, “Transactions

IRS Clarifies Application of the Step-Transaction Doctrine

Editor: Frank J. O’Connell Jr., CPA, Esq. On May 8, 2008, the IRS issued Rev. Rul. 2008-25 to clarify the application of the step-transaction doctrine to situations in which an acquiring corporation (P) acquires a target corporation (T) by means of a reverse subsidiary merger followed immediately by a liquidation

IRS Increases Scrutiny of Performance-Based Plans Under Sec. 162(m)

Editor: Frank J. O’Connell Jr., CPA, Esq. Sec. 162(m) governs the deductibility of certain excessive employee compensation. In recent months the IRS has issued Rev. Rul. 2008-13 and Rev. Rul. 2008-32, providing for additional clarification related to certain components of the performance-based compensation rules contained within Sec. 162(m)(4)(C) and Regs.

Corporate Cancellation of Debt Relief

Editor: Frank J. O’Connell Jr., CPA, Esq. The recent economic downturn coupled with the tightening of the credit market has forced many financially distressed corporations to renegotiate the terms of their maturing debt obligations. As little as 12 months ago, these companies would have been able to refinance their maturing

Alternative Simplified Method for Claiming the Research Credit

Editor: Frank J. O’Connell Jr., CPA, Esq. On June 17, 2008, the IRS issued final and temporary regulations (T.D. 9401, Temp. Regs. Secs. 1.41-6T(j), 1.41-8T(b)(5), and 1.41-9T(d)) relating to the alternative simplified credit (ASC) method of computing the research and experimentation credit under Sec. 41(c)(5). The ASC was enacted in

Letter Ruling Reaffirms Favorable Treatment for Sale of Charter

Editor: Frank J. O’Connell Jr., CPA, Esq. Disposing of a valuable corporate charter is not as simple as a straight sale of the asset and can have unintended tax consequences if not properly structured. Corporations in certain regulated industries such as insurance or banking may have to jump through some

Hot Stock and the Active Trade or Business Regs.

An otherwise tax-free distribution that satisfies the active trade or business requirement of Sec. 355 for a tax-free separation may trigger tax under the “hot stock” rule of Sec. 355(a)(3)(B).

IRS Intensifies Focus on Worker Classification

As the IRS intensifies its scrutiny of worker classification, businesses may want to take a fresh look at how their policies, procedures, and documentation around engaging independent contractors might withstand IRS review.

The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008

The tax benefits the Economic Stimulus Act provides affect both individuals and businesses. The legislation’s purpose is to increase consumer and business spending in an effort to stimulate the economy.

Court Reverses Broad-Based FICA Exclusion for Severance Payments

In March 2008, the Federal Circuit reversed a decision of the Court of Federal Claims that the qualification of payments as supplemental unemployment benefits under Sec. 3402 required the payments to be treated as nonwages for FICA tax purposes.

Traps for the Unwary: Rollovers and the Sec. 338 Election

This item focuses on how to structure the transaction when one or more S corporation shareholders wish to roll over their S corporation investment. If structured incorrectly, a rollover can render a Sec. 338(h)(10) election unavailable.

Reduced Credit for Increasing Research Activities

A recent IRS chief counsel internal memorandum, AM 2008-002 (2/8/08), provides insight relative to electing the reduced credit available under Sec. 280C(c)(3) when claiming a research tax credit.

Sec. 199 Final Regs. on TIPRA Amendments and More

This item discusses how recent final regulations interpret statutory changes to Sec. 199 and how the regulations eliminate a potential issue in calculating taxable income for purposes of the Sec. 199 deduction.