Last ditch effort to narrow reporting requirements on crypto denied; alternative avenues still remain for industry to reduce scope of new rules
Posted on Aug 19, 2021 in News
The Senate approved the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684) (the Act), advancing the new legislation to the House for consideration. In an effort to raise revenue for part of the overall $1 trillion in infrastructure spending, the Act contains language that would amend federal law on digital asset information reporting by expanding reporting requirements for brokers,...
Legal Alert: Rev. Proc. 2021-34, IRS guidance for implementing the final Section 451 regulations
Posted on Aug 17, 2021 in Legal Alerts
On August 12, 2021, the IRS released Rev. Proc. 2021-34, setting forth procedural guidance to implement the final Section 451 regulations (Final Regulations). In a lengthy 70-page piece of guidance, the revenue procedure not only provides accounting method changes and the terms and conditions to comply with the Final Regulations by its effective date, (tax years beginning on or after...
Legal Alert: Budget Reconciliation Act I – Setting the Stage: Senate provides slim details of Budget Resolution Agreement
Posted on Aug 11, 2021 in Legal Alerts
On Monday, August 9, the Senate released the framework for the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Resolution Agreement, and subsequently passed the resolution in a 50-49 partisan vote on August 10. The resolution now goes to the House, as both chambers of Congress must pass the final reconciliation bill. The framework totals $3.5 trillion in Budget Reconciliation instructions. The instructions...
New proposed legislation adds information reporting requirements for digital assets
Posted on Aug 5, 2021 in News
The proposed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would explicitly impose information reporting on cryptocurrency transfers in the same way information reporting is required on transfers of stock or securities. Therefore, both sales price and “basis” – typically original acquisition price – would be reported to the IRS, which would inform the IRS of a taxpayer’s sale of...
Legal Alert: FY 2022 Green Book goes big for green energy
Posted on Jun 1, 2021 in Energy Tax, Legal Alerts
On May 28, 2021, Treasury released the General Explanations of the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2022 Revenue Proposals, more commonly referred to as the Green Book. The issuance of the Green Book provides further detail on the White House’s American Jobs Plan, one of the major proposals in the development of an infrastructure bill. The Green Book’s release comes as Congress works...
Illinois General Assembly passes $42 billion budget with several key tax provisions
Posted on Jun 1, 2021 in State and Local Tax
On Memorial Day, and stretching into the early hours of June 1, the Illinois Legislature approved the state’s $42 billion budget for fiscal year 2022. It is anticipated that the budget’s tax provisions are expected to generate more than $600 million in additional revenue by addressing what governor J.B. Pritzker and others in the General Assembly have deemed corporate tax “loopholes.”...
Legal Alert: Warren bill fundamentally changes financial account reporting requirements and substantially increases IRS funding
Posted on May 28, 2021 in Legal Alerts, Tax Accounting
On May 24, 2021, Sen. Warren introduced Senate Bill 1788, the “Restoring the IRS Act” (the Proposed Legislation). The Proposed Legislation generally (1) imposes new information reporting obligations on financial institutions relating to various types of transaction information associated with an account of an individual or business at that institution, (2) provides for significantly...
Legal Alert: Rev. Proc. 2021-26 provides accounting method change procedures for CFCs seeking to use the alternative depreciation system
Posted on May 26, 2021 in Legal Alerts, Tax Accounting
Recently released Revenue Procedure 2021-26 (the Revenue Procedure) provides taxpayers with guidance regarding accounting method changes made on behalf of foreign corporations. The Revenue Procedure: Allows controlled foreign corporations (CFCs) to obtain automatic consent to change depreciation methods to use the alternative depreciation system under section 168(g) (ADS) (or...
State of play: A May methods update
Posted on May 19, 2021 in Legal Alerts, Tax Accounting
At last week’s ABA May Tax Meeting, government attorneys from both the Internal Revenue Service National Office Income Tax & Accounting division (IT&A) and the Department of the Treasury provided updates to taxpayers and practitioners on the status of guidance projects, and offered clarification regarding certain recent legislative proposals. IT&A leadership acknowledged...
The Made in America Tax Plan Webcast Series
Posted on May 11, 2021 in Presentations
This three-part series focused on President Biden’s Made in America Tax Plan and addressed changes to federal provisions, energy taxes and changes for companies with non-US operations.April 21 | An Overview of the Legislation Highlighting Key Federal Tax ProvisionsAs part of Biden’s American Jobs Plan, the President has rolled out his opening offer to change the American corporate tax...
Georgia Governor Signs Taxpayer Fairness Act Limiting Administrative Deference in Georgia Tax Controversies
Posted on Apr 30, 2021 in State and Local Tax
On April 29, 2021, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed SB 185, limiting the application of administrative deference in Georgia tax controversies. This law seeks to level the playing field in state tax litigation matters by reducing the level of deference accorded to the Department of Revenue’s interpretations of ambiguous laws. The law provides that “all questions of law decided by a...
Tax on Broadband Service Providers is New York’s Newest Bad Idea
Posted on Dec 11, 2020 in State and Local Tax
Companion bills recently introduced in New York State (A. 11180 and S. 9112) would impose a temporary tax on businesses that provide broadband internet access service. Revenues generated from the tax would be earmarked to fund the provision of broadband internet access services to students in the state during the COVID-19 pandemic. The tax proposal would assess an “annual charge”...
Something to Keep an Eye On: Texas Comptroller Says Web-Based Services for Eye Doctors Is Taxable Data Processing
Posted on Oct 6, 2020 in State and Local Tax
The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts issued a private letter ruling concluding that several services provided to optometrists and ophthalmologists were subject to sales tax as data processing. Specifically, the Comptroller determined that the taxpayer’s web-based software system, which doctors use to manage patient relationships, schedule appointments, refill prescriptions,...
Mississippi DOR issues marketplace facilitator guidance for food delivery
Posted on Sep 22, 2020 in State and Local Tax
Mississippi Notice 72-20-09 provides additional guidance on Mississippi’s marketplace facilitator law, which took effect on July 1, 2020. The Notice explains that a sale facilitated and delivered by a third-party food delivery service is not a “retail sale” by the facilitator. Rather, the restaurant will charge sales tax on the selling price it charged for the food. But if a...
Washington Court Games the Sales Tax Trade-In Exclusion
Posted on Jun 21, 2019 in State and Local Tax
The Washington Court of Appeals upheld the Washington Department of Revenue’s denial of a sales tax exclusion for trade-ins of software and hardware. GameStop provides customers with a trade-in credit for software and hardware and allows customers to apply these credits towards future purchases of software and hardware. The Department denied GameStop’s exclusion for two reasons: the...