IRS Addresses Estate and Gift Tax Exemption “Claw-back”

Overview As of November 23, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) published proposed regulations providing some valuable guidance with respect to the upcoming sunset of the increased estate and gift tax exemption in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”). With the TCJA, the estate tax exemption amount was increased from $5.49 Million to $11.18…
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High Stakes 1031 Goes Bust: Exelon

Background In a recent case out of the Seventh Circuit, a large corporate taxpayer lost a involving three like-kind transactions under IRC 1031. Applying the substance over form doctrine, the Court upheld the imposedtax liability of approximately $437,000,000 and accuracy related penalties under IRC 6662(a) of approximately $87,000,000. In this case, Exelon Corporation (“Exelon”) sold…
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Another Technicality Attack by the IRS in Belair Woods

On September 20th, 2018, the Tax Court issued its memorandum decision granting a partial summary judgment in favor of the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”). This decision arrives after a series of other decisions relating not about the traditional valuation disputes and battles of the experts, but instead a quick “gotcha” by the IRS negating the…
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No, a Lessee Cannot Grant a Conservation Easement

In the recent Harbor Lofts case, the Tax Court clarified that a long-term lessee of real property is not entitled to take a deduction with respect to a grant of a conservation easement on that same property.With this case, we are reminded again that easements can be completely denied, even when a substantial interest in…
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An Avalanche on Rose Hill: 5th Circuit Upholds Denial of Conservation Easement Deduction

On August 14, 2018 the 5th Circuit upheld the Tax Court’s September 9, 2016 bench opinion in PBBM-Rose Hill, LTD v. Comm’r. The case involved a $15,160,000 conservation easement deduction under IRC § 170(h) that was denied based on a technicality relating to strict compliance with the extinguishment regulations under Treas. Reg. § 1.170A-14(g)(6)(i) and a rejection of…
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Estate Inclusion: The New Estate Plan, Step-Up

Background The traditional estate planning game has been to: (1) ensure client wishes were achieved by drafting wills and trusts such that the assets within the client’s estate served the intended purposes and landed in the hands of the desired beneficiaries, and (2) minimize or eliminate estate (and generation skipping) taxes. Since 2000, a few…
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Playing with a Loaded Deck: CARDS and the Economic Substance Doctrine

BACKGROUND THE PARTIES On July 2nd, 2018, the Tax Court released its ruling in Roy E. Hahn, et al. v. Comm’r, TC Memo 2018-100. The case revolved around whether the taxpayers were entitled to deduct certain losses from a Custom Adjustable Rate Debt Structure (CARDS) transaction. The primary reason for this article is not to…
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The Marital Partnership, the Joint Return, and the Non-Disregarded Entity

When husband and wife own a partnership together, a common misconception is that because a joint return is filed for the husband and wife, the partnership can be treated as a disregarded entity and not have to file its own return. Unfortunately for some, it is sometimes realized after the reliance on this erroneous fact,…
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Unlocking the HELOC Interest Deductions: Clarifications from the IRS

The IRS published an Information Release on February 21, 2018 clarifying that certain home loan mortgage interest deductions many thought were lost under the new tax act may still be deductible. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“TCJA”), which was enacted on December 22, 2017, suspends from 2018 until 2026, any deduction for…
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Directions

[**Practice Alert: Corporate Transparency Act is Here: What You Need to Know**](https://esapllc.com/practice-alert-cta-mar-2024/)
[**Practice Alert: Corporate Transparency Act is Here: What You Need to Know**](https://esapllc.com/practice-alert-cta-mar-2024/)