For years, Code § 1031 has been a popular way to defer taxation on the sale of capital gain assets. However, Code § 1031 has significant requirements, including complex timing and identification requirements and a requirement that the capital gain asset be exchanged with “like kind” property that, as of the enactment of the so-called Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017, must be real property. With the enactment of Code §§ 1400Z-1 and 1400Z-2 in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the ... Keep Reading »
Seizing the Opportunity with Qualified Opportunity Zones
The December 2017 tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the Act) provides significant tax incentives for taxpayers to invest in certain low-income communities designated as Qualified Opportunity Zones under Code Section 1400Z-1. Proposed regulations published by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in October 2018 provide additional guidance regarding Qualified Opportunity Zone investments (the Proposed Guidance). The following analysis is ... Keep Reading »
Cost-Sharing Regulations Revived By Ninth Circuit
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the Tax Court in Altera Corp. in the latest chapter of the dispute over the validity of cost-sharing regulations. The decision, issued on July 24, revives certain regulatory provisions previously invalidated by the Tax Court. (See Altera Corp. v. Commissioner, Dkt. Nos. 16-70597 & 16-70497 (9th Cir. 2018) rev’g 145 T.C. 91 (2015)). These regulations govern the allocation of stock-based compensation costs to a foreign ... Keep Reading »
Tax Reform: Insurance Company Provisions
Recent tax legislation, informally known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”) contains several changes that affect the insurance industry. A centerpiece of the Act lowers the corporate income tax rate to 21 percent, which generally applies to all corporations. Other reforms not specific to the insurance industry will also significantly affect many insurance companies. These include eliminating the corporate alternative minimum tax, a reduction of the general ... Keep Reading »
BEPS Developments Usher in New Era of International Taxation
Four years after the OECD and G20 countries adopted a 15-point action plan to attack base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS), a new era of international taxation was launched on June 7 when 68 countries signed a multilateral instrument. Several additional countries are committed to sign in the near future. The Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (MLI) is significant because it enables the rapid ... Keep Reading »