President Biden has proposed major changes to the Federal tax laws, some of which are sought to be effective earlier in 2021 (i.e., we are already operating under these changes, if they later become adopted), as compared to the effective date the new tax law changes may be passed by Congress or a later effective date (such as beginning January 1, 2022). The Biden administration proposals must first be approved by Congress. As Congress is now considering these tax law change proposals, the following is a summary of some of the most important:
- Increase the corporate income tax rate from 21 ...
The State of South Carolina has now adopted legislation allowing “pass through” entities to elect each year to be taxed at the entity level on their active trade or business income instead of having their owners taxed at the individual level on this income. This includes partnerships, S-corporations and LLCs taxed as partnerships or S-corporations. This election can be filed for tax years beginning after December 31, 2020.
South Carolina has now joined a growing number of states that have enacted federal state and local tax “workaround” legislation, and which shifts state ...
Each municipality and county in South Carolina (a taxing jurisdiction) is authorized to impose a business license tax based on the gross income of a business that operates within its borders. Businesses operating in South Carolina have been faced with registration requirements, filing deadlines, and rate classes that vary by taxing jurisdiction. The South Carolina Business License Tax Standardization Act (the Act) was signed into law by the Governor on September 30, 2020, and seeks to simplify the burdens of complying with business license tax requirements. The majority of the ...
On March 17, 2020, the South Carolina Department of Revenue announced, through SC Information Letter #20-3, that all South Carolina tax filing and payment deadlines starting on April 1, 2020 were extended to June 1, 2020. Penalties and interest are waived by SCDOR during this period. This includes not only state income taxes, but also sales taxes, admission taxes, and other taxes administered by SCDOR.
The IRS had initially announced that the due date for 2019 federal income tax payments was extended to July 15, 2019, but that the April 15th tax return filing date was not extended. The ...
In response to the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced Tuesday that Americans will have until July 15th to pay their 2019 federal income taxes – and without late payment penalties or interest during this extended payment due date. The IRS has now followed with the issuance of specific guidance in IRS Notice 2020-17.
Under the new IRS notice, any person with a Federal income tax payment due April 15, 2020, is affected by the COVID-19 emergency and is considered an “Affected Taxpayer”.
For an Affected Taxpayer, the due date for making ...
In what is appearing to be a fairly fluid situation with the United States Treasury Department and the IRS, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced, via Twitter, that not only tax payments but also the filing of individual tax returns will be extended from April 15 to July 15. Secretary Mnuchin specifically tweeted that “At @realDonaldTrump’s direction, we are moving Tax Day from April 15 to July 15. All taxpayers and businesses will have this additional time to file and make payments without interest or penalties.”
This tweet from the Treasury Secretary represents a ...
President Trump signed the “Taxpayer First Act”, H.R. 3151, into law on July 1, 2019. The Taxpayer First Act may be one of the most significant “taxpayer rights” laws since the adoption of the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998. The key feature of the new law is its requirement that, within the next 12 months, the IRS submit to Congress a “written comprehensive customer service strategy”, and within 24 months “make available the updated guidance and training materials [under the strategy] … [which will be] easily understood … and provide ...
Under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Congress enacted the new Section 199A 20% profit deduction for owners of pass-through businesses, and which include Subchapter S corporations, LLCs, sole proprietorships, and even certain trusts. Section 199A is intended to provide a deduction to owners of these pass-through business entities who do not otherwise benefit from the new 21% flat tax Congress has given to corporations under the new tax law.
The 20% pass-through deduction is not applicable generally to certain businesses that provide services, such as doctors, lawyers ...
The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) will be releasing guidance on the tax treatment and reporting requirements of “virtual currencies” (i.e., cryptocurrencies) very soon, according to Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Charles (“Chuck”) Rettig.
Commissioner Rettig’s statement was prompted by a letter sent to him on April 11, 2019 by a bipartisan group from the House of Representatives. The letter urged the IRS to issue guidance on the tax consequences and basic reporting requirements for virtual currencies. In particular, the Representatives’ letter ...
On March 27, 2019, the Senate Finance Committee launched an investigation into the abuse of syndicated conservation easement transactions. The transactions being investigated involve promoters selling interests in tracts of land to taxpayers looking for large tax deductions. The taxpayers get allegedly inflated appraisals of those tracts of land and grant conservation easements on that land. The resulting charitable deductions are then split among the taxpayers.
Fourteen separate letters were sent to individuals who appear to be associated with the promotion of syndicated ...
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“TCJA”) added new Section 461(l) to the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”). This new Code section limits the ability of noncorporate taxpayers, including individuals and “pass-thru” business entities (e.g., partnerships and S corporations), to deduct business losses against nonbusiness income. This new rule works together with the passive activity loss limitation rules of Code Section 469.
In particular, Section 461(l) denies noncorporate taxpayers a deduction for “excess business losses.” An “excess business loss” ...
Under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Congress enacted a new Section 199A 20% profit deduction for owners of pass-through businesses, and which include Subchapter S corporations, LLCs, sole proprietorships, and even certain trusts. Section 199A is intended to provide a deduction to owners of these pass-through business entities who do not otherwise benefit from the new 21% flat tax Congress has given to corporations under the new tax law. While Section 199A is intended to benefit these generally smaller types of business entities and their owners, the new tax law is riddled with ...
Under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Congress enacted a new Section 199A 20% profit deduction for owners of pass-through businesses, and which include Subchapter S corporations, LLCs, sole proprietorships, and even certain trusts. Section 199A is intended to provide a deduction to owners of these pass-through business entities who do not otherwise benefit from the new 21% flat tax Congress has given to corporations under the new tax law. While Section 199A is intended to benefit these generally smaller types of business entities and their owners, the new tax law is riddled with ...
Under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Congress enacted a new Section 199A 20% profit deduction for owners of pass-through businesses, and which include Subchapter S corporations, LLCs, sole proprietorships, and even certain trusts. Section 199A is intended to provide a deduction to owners of these pass-through business entities who do not otherwise benefit from the new 21% flat tax Congress has given to corporations under the new tax law. While Section 199A is intended to benefit these generally smaller types of business entities and their owners, the new tax law is riddled with ...
A bedrock of IRS administrative practice has been the voluntary disclosure. Where an individual or business has not filed tax returns or believes they may have criminal tax exposure for prior actions, IRS procedures have long-sanctioned a form of “criminal tax amnesty” if the taxpayer voluntarily comes forward before being contacted by the IRS, discloses his tax misdeeds, fully cooperates to correct the back tax issues, and then becomes compliant going forward. In exchange for this “voluntary disclosure”, while criminal tax prosecution may not be recommended, the ...
The Tax Court recently issued a full T.C. opinion which will impact a tremendous number of conservation easement donations. In Pine Mountain Preserve, LLLP v. Commissioner, 151 T.C. 4 (2018) the Tax Court found a reservation of rights to construct certain improvement within a floating building envelope resulted in a conservation easement failing to constitute a qualified real property interest granted in perpetuity. As a result, no deduction was allowed for the grant of the conservation easement.
Taxpayers have commonly reserved the right to construct improvements within a ...
On January 18, 2019, Treasury and the IRS issued final regulations for the new Section 199A 20% profit deduction for pass-thru businesses adopted under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts. The new regulations are eagerly anticipated because filing season for the first year of the new tax law, 2018 generally, is now upon us. The final regulations were issued after public comments were received in response to proposed Section 199A regulations issued last August. The IRS, in IR-2019-04 (January 18, 2019), also released a new set of additional proposed resolutions under Section 199A ...
Aside from corporate tax reductions, one of the most important aspects of the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act beginning this year is the new 20% deduction for "pass-through" businesses - i.e. businesses that are not corporations. With the corporate tax rate being reduced to a flat 21%, the 20% deduction for other forms of businesses was designed to give a reduction to these businesses approximating the lower corporate tax rate. However, this 20% deduction, found in new Internal Revenue Code § 199A, is saddled with exclusions, phase-outs, technical issues, and uncertainties so that many ...
The new 20% deduction for "pass-through" business owners under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is raising many questions from owners of real estate-related businesses. Can these owners qualify for this important deduction, and under what conditions?
For most pass-through business owners (such as owners of LLCs, Subchapter S corporations, and partnerships), the deduction is the lessor of (1) the "combined qualified business income" of the taxpayer, or (2) 20% of the excess of taxable income over the sum of any net capital gain. The term "combined qualified business income" is then defined ...
Aside from corporate tax reductions, one of the most important aspects of the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act beginning this year is the new 20% deduction for "pass-through" businesses - i.e. businesses that are not corporations. With the corporate tax rate being reduced to a flat 21%, the 20% deduction for other forms of businesses was designed to give a reduction to these businesses approximating the lower corporate tax rate. However, this 20% deduction, found in new Internal Revenue Code § 199A, is saddled with exclusions, phase-outs, technical issues, and uncertainties so that many ...
Congress enacted the new Section 199A 20% profit deduction for the owners of pass-through businesses, and which include Subchapter S corporations, LLCs, sole proprietorships, and even certain trusts. Section 199A is intended to provide a deduction to owners of these pass-through business entities who do not otherwise benefit from the new 21% flat tax Congress has given to corporations under the new tax law. While Section 199A is intended to benefit these generally smaller types of business entities and their owners, the new tax law is riddled with complexity and exceptions, and so ...
After months of eager anticipation, today the Department of the Treasury released regulations defining and refining certain requirements set forth in the "Opportunity Zone" law.
While the Opportunity Zone statute provided a framework for tax-deferred investments, most projects have been on hold pending the regulatory framework. The regulations released today answer many questions, while others remain unaddressed. According to today's release, more guidance will be forthcoming by the end of the year.
Some highlights of the proposed regulations include:
Substantial ...
Changes have been made to the income tax withholding tables and estimated tax rates as a result of the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Taxpayers should pay extra attention now to their tax withholdings and estimated tax payments in order to avoid penalties.
Taxpayers can generally avoid underwithholding/estimated tax penalties if they:
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- Pay 90% of the current year liability, or
- Pay 100% of the prior year liability.
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However, If a taxpayer’s adjusted gross income for the prior year was more than $150,000, the taxpayer must then have withholdings or estimated tax payments for the current year ...
The IRS has issued Proposed Regulations now under the new Section 199A 20% profit deduction for pass-through entities. The Proposed Regulations provide important guidance on the definition of "Qualified Business Income" - which is the starting point for determining the amount of the deduction.
New Section 199A, adopted by Congress under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and effective January 1, 2018, provides a 20% deduction for pass-through businesses - i.e. businesses that are not corporations. With the corporate tax rate under the TCJA being reduced to a flat 21%, the 20 ...
On August 8th, the IRS released its much-awaited Proposed Regulations on the new Section 199A 20% profit deduction for pass-through businesses. The new deduction applies to essentially all types of businesses other than C corporations, and was created under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Individuals can begin claiming the deduction on their upcoming 2018 tax returns. The Proposed Regulations issued by the IRS, and released through Announcement IR-2018-162, provide important guidance to taxpayers and tax practitioners alike on this new federal income tax deduction.
The ...
The Internal Revenue Service today issued its much-anticipated Proposed Regulations on the new Section 199A 20% deduction for owners of pass-through business entities. This important deduction was created under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the most significant tax reform legislation in over 30 years.
The Proposed Regulations, embodied primarily in Proposed Treasury Regulations § 1.199A-1 through 6, were announced by the IRS in Announcement IR-2018-162, and are available through the IRS website, www.irs.gov. The IRS issued a related Announcement IR-2018-164, and which ...
The IRS recently announced it will be shutting down its successful Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) for unreported foreign bank accounts and income. The program will end September 28, 2018. Under the OVDP, first started in 2009, over 50,000 individuals have come forward to report previously unreported foreign bank accounts and income. The IRS reports it has raised over $11 billion in taxes, penalties and interest through the OVDP.
The U.S. income tax system is perhaps the most expansive in the world. U.S. citizens and permanent residents must report their worldwide ...
UPDATE: In Notice 2018-18, published March 1, 2018, the IRS announced its intention to issue regulations clarifying that S corporations will be subject to the extended carried interest holding period.
Prior to the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "Act"), one of the more controversial and hotly-debated tax benefits was the so-called "carried interest," which allowed certain fund managers and venture capital firms to pay income taxes on what would typically be considered ordinary income at favored long-term capital gains rates. Both Presidential candidates took aim at the ...
Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Congress is now offering a new 20% deduction for "pass-through" businesses - i.e. businesses that are not corporations. With the corporate tax rate being reduced under the new law to a flat 21%, the 20% deduction for other forms of businesses was designed to give a reduction to these businesses approximating the lower corporate tax rate. If applicable, the 20% deduction can be claimed by the owners of S corporations, partnerships, sole proprietorships, and even the beneficiaries of trusts. These are business entities that do not pay income tax at the ...
Aside from corporate tax reductions, one of the most important aspects of the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act beginning this year is the new 20% deduction for “pass-thru” businesses – i.e. businesses that are not corporations. With the corporate tax rate being reduced to a flat 21%, the 20% deduction for other forms of businesses was designed to give a reduction to these businesses approximating the lower corporate tax rate. However, this 20% deduction, found in new Internal Revenue Code § 199A, is saddled with exclusions, phase-outs, technical issues, and uncertainties so that many ...
South Carolina's gas tax is one of the lowest in the country. The result is the deplorable condition of the state's highway system and roads. South Carolina is a conservative state, politically, and any tax increase, gas or otherwise, is often seen as political suicide for our state's elected officials.
Due to a groundswell of outcry, however, from residents, businesses, and even now from public officials, the state is about to pass major legislation to fund much-needed road improvements, and with the funding to be from a variety of new "fees" (note the aversion to referencing anything ...
All U.S. citizens and permanent residents are required to annually file a U.S. income tax return reporting their worldwide income from all sources. Additionally, U.S. citizens and permanent who have an interest in or signatory authority over foreign bank and financial accounts holding $10,000 or more at any time during the year must independently identify and report these interests to the U.S. Department of Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network ("FinCEN"). This annual disclosure must be filed electronically using Form 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial ...
In Notice 2017-10, the IRS has determined that certain conservation easements are now "listed transactions" for purposes of federal tax reporting. "Syndicated" conservation easements are conservation easements donated by a pass-through entity (such as an LLC or partnership) interests in which have been sold, or syndicated, by a promoter to outside investors. Because the charitable deductions generated by conservation easements themselves cannot be sold, promoters circumvent this by selling interests in the underlying donor LLC or partnership entity and then passing the ...
Residents of South Carolina are required to file an income tax return, even if they do not earn income in the state. A resident is an individual who is "domiciled" in South Carolina. South Carolina law does not define domicile. The South Carolina Administrative Law Court (ALC) in a recent decision, however, has analyzed whether a taxpayer was domiciled in South Carolina for purposes of our state income tax. Floyd v. S.C. Dept. of Rev., Admin. Law Ct., Dkt. No. 15-ALJ-17-0458-CC (February 11, 2016).
The taxpayer was a native of Spartanburg, South Carolina. She lived in Oxford ...
The "hobby loss" rules of Internal Revenue Code Section 183 are commonly overlooked limitations that restrict the amount of loss a taxpayer may claim from an "activity not engaged in for profit" - i.e., a hobby. The definition of these activities is framed in the negative; a hobby is any activity other than those for which losses are allowed under Section 162 (ordinary and necessary business expenses) and Section 212 (investment expenses).
Generally, Sections 162 and 212 business and investment expenses can not only offset the income generated by those activities, but net losses over ...
The South Carolina Supreme Court recently ruled against Duke Energy Corporation (“Duke”) in Duke’s claim for a $126 million state income tax refund. The issue came down to whether gross receipts from Duke’s sales of short-term investments should be included in the apportionment fraction used by South Carolina to divide income among South Carolina and other states in which Duke operates. The South Carolina Supreme Court’s opinion is important because it can pose significant hurdles to businesses with multi-state operations that have planned with investment income to ...
On February 16, 2016, a new income tax credit for taxpayer's who construct, purchase, or lease solar energy property was enacted, and is effective for income tax years beginning after 2015. L. 2016, H3874 (to be codified at S.C. Code § 12-6-3770). The credit is scheduled to sunset on December 31, 2017. The credit is equal to 25% of the cost, including installation cost, of solar energy property. The maximum credit that can be claimed is $2,500,000. The credit is claimed over five years in equal annual installments. To qualify for the credit, the solar energy property must be located on the ...
Residents of South Carolina are required to file an income tax return, even if they do not earn income in the state. A resident is an individual who is “domiciled” in South Carolina. South Carolina law does not define domicile. The South Carolina Administrative Law Court (ALC) in a recent decision, however, has analyzed whether a taxpayer was domiciled in South Carolina for purposes of our state income tax. Floyd v. S.C. Dept. of Rev., Admin. Law Ct., Dkt. No. 15-ALJ-17-0458-CC (February 11, 2016).
The taxpayer was a native of Spartanburg, South Carolina. She lived in Oxford ...
South Carolina offers multi-state companies an alternative method of allocating and apportioning their income as an incentive for planning new facilities or expanding existing facilities in the State. Generally, a company that transacts or conducts business partly within and partly outside South Carolina is subject to income tax based on the portion of its business carried on in the State. The portion of a company's income carried on in South Carolina is determined by allocation and apportionment. The law requires that certain classes of income, less related expenses, be ...
Federal and South Carolina law provide income tax incentives to make it easier to save for college. Contributions made to a 529 plan (technically known as a "qualified tuition program" or "QTP") may be deductible for South Carolina income tax purposes. Earnings on contributions made to a 529 plan are not subject to federal or South Carolina income tax if they are used for qualified education expenses.
A 529 plan is a plan operated by a state designed to help families set aside funds for future college costs. Each state can establish its own 529 plan and plans differ from state to state. South ...
The South Carolina Economic Impact Zone Community Development Act of 1995 established an income tax credit for qualified manufacturing and production facilities. The credit is designed to encourage capital investment in the state through the formation of new businesses and the retention and expansion of existing businesses. Known as the "investment tax credit", the credit was initially limited to businesses making qualified investments in 27 designated counties in South Carolina, but has been expanded statewide.
The credit applies for qualified manufacturing and ...
Internal Revenue Code Sec. 1411, passed by Congress in 2012, introduced a new tax on passive income that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2013, the tax on "net investment income" (NII).
The new tax was created to help pay for health care reforms that were enacted in 2010. The rate is 3.8% of the lower of net investment income or the amount of modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) over specific thresholds. Modified adjusted gross income is adjusted gross income increased by the foreign earned income exclusion (but also adjusted for certain deductions related to the foreign earned income). For ...
South Carolina provides an income tax credit to a taxpayer who invests in motion picture related projects. Specifically, the state provides a credit equal to 20% of the cash invested by a person in a company that: (1) develops or produces a qualified South Carolina motion picture project or (2) constructs, converts, or equips a motion picture production facility or post-production facility in South Carolina. Key requirements of each credit are:
- Motion Picture Project Credit
- The credit is earned when cash only is spent. This credit, when combined with a taxpayer's other South ...
South Carolina provides a tax credit to corporations against the state corporate income, or state corporate license fees, equal to 20% of the qualifying costs of establishing a corporate headquarters in South Carolina, or expanding or adding to an existing corporate headquarters. The credit is made up of two parts, the real property costs and the personal property costs. Key Features of the credit are:
- A corporation may qualify for only the real property portion of the credit, or may qualify for both the real and personal property portions of the credit.
- Any unused credit may be carried ...
Update: As of June 16, 2016 all community development tax credits have been claimed.
South Carolina provides valuable tax incentives to people who support Community Development Corporations (CDCs) and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). A 33% credit is provided for each dollar invested in or donated to a certified CDC or CDFI. S.C. Code § 12-6-3530. This credit is commonly referred to as the community development tax credit.
The community development tax credit was enacted in 2000 and is scheduled to sunset on June 30, 2020. A total of $5 million in credits are ...
Individuals and businesses seeking to sell trade or investment property may have taxable capital gains or other income from the sale. Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code provides an opportunity to instead exchange this property for other property of a "like kind", and to defer, postpone, or even exclude altogether (at death) this tax.
Like all tax rules, Section 1031 contains important definitions and terms, which must be considered in understanding how this tax mechanism works.
3 Property Rule - An Exchangor may identify as Replacement Property like-kind property of any ...
South Carolina offers a statutory incentive to new and expanding businesses that create jobs in our state. The Job Tax Credit ("JTC"), codified in S.C. Code Ann. § 12-6-3360, permits certain businesses to reduce their corporate income tax liability annually by a maximum of 50%. Any unused credit may be carried forward for up to 15 years. There are three types of JTCs: (1) the "traditional" annual job tax credit, (2) the "annual" small business job tax credit, and (3) the "accelerated" small business job tax credit. This blog will address the "traditional" JTC only.
To qualify for JTC, a ...
South Carolina offers many tax credits that can be used to reduce or even eliminate state income taxes and license fees. Examples of these tax credits include the new jobs credit, infrastructure credit, corporate headquarters credit, abandoned buildings credit, biomass resource credit, research credit, community development credit, venture capital credit, historic rehabilitation credit, and conservation easement credit (and many others).
A taxpayer will sometimes seek to claim more than one state tax credit at the same time, which raises the question of how the tax credits ...
Rehabilitating or renovating an existing building can often be more expensive than greenfield construction. South Carolina provides several tax credits to encourage the use of abandoned buildings. The tax credits are available for the renovation or rehabilitation of qualifying buildings which have been abandoned. Recently issued guidance by the South Carolina Department of Revenue provides guidance on:
- Abandoned Building Income Tax Credit (SC Rev. Rul. #15-7)
- Statutes: Title 12, Chapter 67
- Form to Claim: TC-55
- Repeal Date: December 31, 2019
- Textile Mill Income Tax Credit (SC ...
The income of a multi-state business subject to tax in South Carolina is ordinarily determined by allocating certain income to South Carolina and apportioning the remainder of the business's income based on the ratio of South Carolina sales to gross sales everywhere. However, the law permits a taxpayer or the South Carolina Department of Revenue to use an alternative method when the ordinary allocation and apportionment rules do not fairly represent the extent of a taxpayer's business activities in South Carolina.
On December 23, 2014 the South Carolina Supreme Court issued an ...
On December 2, 2014, the South Carolina Department of Revenue issued S.C. Temporary Revenue Ruling No. 14-8 and No. 14-9 regarding the income and property tax treatment for married same-sex couples.Same-sex couples filing a federal income tax return with a married filing status must now file a South Carolina income tax return using the same married filing status.
In S.C. Temporary Revenue Ruling No. 14-8, the Department of Revenue instructs same-sex couples who are legally married under any state law to file their 2014 South Carolina income tax return as a married couple - either ...
Robert is a veteran tax return preparer of 20 years, who walks into his office on February 2, 2015 to begin a busy income tax filing season. Julie and Michelle stop by Robert's office and give their wage and income statements to Robert for the calendar year 2014. They tell Robert they were legally married in Massachusetts on July 4, 2013, but they are South Carolina residents now and wish to file both a federal and South Carolina income tax return as a married couple. Shortly thereafter, another couple, Mark and Brad, walk into Robert's office and state they were married in South Carolina on ...
In Colleen Therese Condon and Ann Nichols Bleckley v. Nimrata (Nikki) Randhawa Haley, et al., Civil Action No. 2:14-4010-RMG (November 12, 2014), the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina (Charleston Division) held that South Carolina's prohibition of marriage for same sex couples who otherwise meet all other legal requirements for marriage in the state is unconstitutional and violates the Due Process Clause and Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The District Court also invalidated as a matter of law ...
The United States Tax Court recently determined the value of a conservation easement using a subdivision development method in the case of Schmidt v. Commissioner, TC Memo 2014-159. The case involved a taxpayer who purchased a 40-acre parcel of vacant land in May 2000 for $525,000, with the intention of subdividing and developing it. The taxpayer began the process of obtaining the required permits and approvals to develop the property. The facts indicated that the taxpayer would receive all required permits and approvals to develop the property, but the taxpayer ultimately granted ...
In a recent private letter ruling, PLR 201405005, the IRS validated a succession plan implemented by a Subchapter S corporation to transition share ownership from retiring co-owners to certain key employees. An S corporation is a small business corporation which has made an election to be taxed under Subchapter S of the Internal Revenue Code and which, among other things, may not have more than one class of stock.
Specifically, the IRS concluded that profit on a redemption of the owners' shares by the company for notes will:
1. be taxed to them as capital gain reportable on the ...
On July 24, 2013 the South Carolina Supreme Court issued its opinion in the case of Centex International, Inc. v. South Carolina Department of Revenue, Opinion No. 27288. In a 3-2 decision, the Court found that a partnership did not qualify for the infrastructure tax credit and that its corporate owners could not claim the infrastructure tax credit. The partnership clearly incurred infrastructure expenses, but the Department of Revenue argued that only a corporate taxpayer was entitled to earn and claim the credit. The Court agreed.
The Court framed its analysis by reciting general ...
On June 11, 2013 the "South Carolina Abandoned Buildings Revitalization Act" was signed into law by the Governor. The Act provides new incentives for the rehabilitation, renovation, and redevelopment of abandoned buildings in South Carolina. Taxpayers meeting the requirements of the Act can receive a tax credit equal to 25% of the cost of rehabilitating property against either (1) state income taxes and corporate license fees, or (2) property taxes.
In order to qualify for the credit a taxpayer must rehabilitate an abandoned building for commercial use. A building with an ...
The IRS has long been aware of U.S. taxpayers living overseas who have not filed federal income tax returns or Reports of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts ("FBARs"). Earlier this year, the IRS announced the reopening of its successful Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program ("OVDP") allowing individuals with unreported foreign bank account income to come forward and report this income, and to pay the related tax, interest and certain reduced civil penalties, but without criminal prosecution. The IRS has now announced a new alternative compliance procedure designed to provide ...
The Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, in Kaufman v. Shulman, Docket No. 11-2017P-01A (1st Cir., July 19, 2012), reversed a Tax Court decision siding with the IRS which had disallowed a couple's conservation easement deduction. The Tax Court had disallowed the deduction because a provision in a subordination agreement with the couple's lender violated the Treasury Regulations' "extinguishment provision". The Court of Appeals reversed the Tax Court, finding that the Tax Court and IRS interpretation of this regulation was unreasonably restrictive and inconsistent with ...
Landowners may be allowed a federal income tax deduction for the contribution of a conservation easement restricting donated property. A qualified conservation contribution is a donation of a qualified real property interest to a qualified organization which is exclusively used for conservation purposes. The conservation easement must also be protected and the restrictions on the use of the property must be granted in perpetuity. The contribution must be made to governmental units, churches, schools, hospitals, or Section 501(c)(3) public charities and supporting ...
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, in the recent case of Watson, P.C. v. US, 109 AFTR 2d 2012-1059, 668 F. 3d 1008 affirming the district court below, held that an S-corporation shareholder's 2002 and 2003 reported salaries were unreasonably low, and reclassified dividends paid by the corporation to the shareholder as additional salary, thus subjecting that income to additional employment taxation under the Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA).
Generally, earnings from self-employment and employee wages are subject to withholding for Social Security and Medicare ...
A landowner who donates a conservation easement to a qualifying organization can benefit from state tax incentives, in addition to the available federal income tax deduction. South Carolina provides an important transferable income tax credit for landowners who donate a conservation easement on property located in South Carolina. The income tax credit is equal to twenty-five percent of the amount of a charitable deduction resulting from the donation of a conservation easement.
The twenty-five percent credit is subject to several caps. First, the credit may not exceed $250 per ...
U.S. citizens that work or receive income from abroad are subject to U.S. income taxes on foreign income. The tax is applicable regardless of where U.S. citizens reside. U.S. taxpayers receiving foreign income must file an income tax return with the IRS reporting all foreign income and must pay the reported U.S. tax liability. U.S. taxpayers may be eligible for a partial foreign income exclusion as well as a housing cost exclusion. Foreign earned income is defined to include wages, salaries, or professional fees, and other amounts received as compensation for personal services ...