When Your Captive Is Not In the Insurance Business

Income Tax, Tax, Tax Controversy

In a recent Tax Court Memorandum opinion, the Tax Court (the “Court”) held that a microcaptive insurance arrangement did not meet the requirements to be classified as insurance for federal income tax purposes, and thus upheld the Internal Revenue Service’s (the “IRS”) Notice of Deficiency (the “Notice”) against the company and its related taxpayers who…
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Estate Tax Charitable Deduction Limited to Value of Property Received by Charity

Charitable Giving, Current Events, Estate and Gift Tax, Estate Planning

The Ninth Circuit recently upheld a 2016 Tax Court case that the charitable deduction for estate taxes was limited to the post-death value of the property actually received by the charity rather than the value of such property that was included in the decedent’s gross estate. Following its decision in Ahmanson Foundation v. U.S., 674…
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Assignor Beware: Partnership Interest Held to be Limited Partner Interest Rather than Assignee Interest 

Estate Planning, Tax, Tax Controversy

Overview The Tax Court recently held that a partnership interest assigned to a revocable trust was not an assignee interest but rather was a limited partnership interest, and as result, the discounts for lack or marketability and lack of control were reduced and eliminated respectively. The Estate of Frank D. Streightoff (the “Estate”) argued that…
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IRS Continues Aggressive Stance on Charitable Contributions

Charitable Giving, Tax

Overview In a recent Tax Court decision handed down in a Memorandum opinion, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) showed that it will continue to be aggressive in denying charitable deductions for transactions they might view as taking abuse of the charitable deduction available under Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) §170. In Chrem v. Comm’r, TC Memo…
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Champions Retreat Denied Deduction for Golf Course Conservation Easement

Charitable Giving, Tax, Tax Controversy

The Tax Court recently struck down another conservation easement under Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) IRC § 170(h). This case follows several other high-profile conservation easements that have been struck down recently. IRC § 170(h) and the related Treasury Regulations contain a myriad of technical requirements in order for an easement to qualify for the deduction,…
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Estate Planning for Nontaxable Estates

Estate Planning

In the wake of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, P.L. 115-97 (Dec. 22, 2018), estate planning has seen a return to its genesis. At its core, estate planning is about making sure assets pass to the right people, at the right time, and in the right manner. For most estates, the estate tax tail…
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