Split dollar life insurance arrangements can take on a number of forms, and the exact structure of the arrangement determines the tax consequences, which can become complicated quickly. In a recent case out of the District Court of Ohio, the court held that an insurance arrangement between a single member C corporation, Peter E. McGowan…
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Recently, there seems to have been a higher number of cases than usual coming down from courts regarding Tax Court jurisdictional issues. My colleague Parker Durham covered a few of them in a recent article.[1] In a recent case out of the Court of Federal Claims, yet another jurisdictional issue arose.[2] In the present case,…
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Taxpayers who are issued a notice of deficiency by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) have ninety (90) days from the date such notice of deficiency is mailed to file a petition with the Tax Court for a redetermination of the deficiency.[1] Last year, the Tax Court dismissed several cases for lack of jurisdiction when the…
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Monetized Installment Sales, as previously written upon by Gray Edmondson,[1] have been subject to increased scrutiny by the IRS in recent years, making its “Dirty Dozen” list in each of the last three years.[2] The IRS remains on the offensive in scrutinizing such transactions, issuing proposed regulation under Internal Revenue Code Section 6011 in August…
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Most tax law is made up of very detailed statutes, regulations, case law, and other guidance. Layered on top of that body of law are a number of “judicial doctrines” that seek to serve as a backstop to formalistic analyses that could result in unintended tax results, allow taxpayers to place the form of transactions…
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The recent opinion from the United States District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee, continues the saga of the case of CIC Services, LLC (“CIC”) and has implications for taxpayers seeking to recover attorneys’ fees under the Equal Access to Justice Act (“EAJA”) and for its broader reflections on governmental fairness, particularly those looking to challenge…
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How is relief of debt treated for tax purposes? Does it matter if the debt is recourse or non-recourse? Does it matter if the debtor is a separate entity guaranteed by the owner(s)? Does it matter if the debt is forgiven as part of a sale of property securing the debt? These issues were addressed…
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The Tax Court recently issued an order declining to grant either the IRS’s or taxpayers’ motions for partial summary judgement.[1] The taxpayers in question are the shareholders of a subchapter S corporation that in prior, now closed years, deducted losses from the corporation in excess of their adjusted bases in the corporation’s stock. The IRS…
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We have covered timing and delivery issues in several articles, such as the recent Demuth and Hoensheid cases.[1] Similarly, the recent Tax Court case of Gage v. Comm’r dealt with the taxpayers that believed they paid a $875,000 settlement to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) in December of 2012.[2] Unfortunately for the…
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Charitable remainder annuity trusts, or CRATS, are excellent estate planning vehicles and provide a litany of benefits to those who implement them, but as Devin Mills discussed in his recent article on the 2023 IRS Dirty Dozen list, the IRS considers CRATS as one of the legitimate tax strategies that are often abused by taxpayers.[1]…
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