Generally, expenses related to activities that are not engaged in for profit are not deductible.[2] In a recent memorandum opinion[3], the United States Tax Court reiterated the criteria upon which the Court considers if an activity is engaged in for profit. While the recent decision was not a landmark case[4], it provides some cautionary guidance…
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A recent Chief Counsel Advice Memorandum (“CCA”) discusses certain tax consequences pertaining to a taxpayer owning cryptocurrency native to a blockchain that undergoes a protocol upgrade. CCA 202316008. In the hypothetical scenario discussed in the CCA, a hypothetical blockchain, very similar to Ethereum, underwent a change in the method in which it approved and processed…
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It is fairly common to make charitable gifts of property prior to a sale transaction. Often, those gifts are of real property or closely-held business interests. This is for good reason. Structured properly, not only do donors generally receive a charitable income tax deduction equal to the fair market value of the donated property, they…
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In a recent Notice issuance, the IRS and Treasury put taxpayers on notice that they intend to issue guidance related to the treatment of certain nonfungible tokens (“NFTs”) as collectibles under IRC § 408(m). Notice 2023-27 does not itself pass any regulations but instead puts taxpayers on notice for future guidance and that the IRS…
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So, you mooned in the short term on a completely degenerate gamble and want to offset income with charitable giving. First off, good on you for wanting to do the right thing. Second, don’t mess up. It may seem really simple that if you send some cryptocurrency to a qualifying organization, you should be able…
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Have you ever heard someone referred to as a “trust fund baby?” Such term usually carries a negative connotation and references a younger person whose parents established a trust fund which provides for the child’s financial security for life. Such term also perpetuates an unfortunate misconception: that trusts are only available to, and utilized by,…
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In a recent appellate decision from the Ninth Circuit, a taxpayer/attorney/neurosurgeon/corporate shareholder who helped develop a patented imaging technology was held liable for ordinary income assessments with respect to annual royalty payments related to patent royalty income. Facts Dr. Aaron Filler, a licensed attorney and neurosurgeon, contributed to the development of a certain Diffusion Tensor…
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Generally speaking, tax follows the facts. One can of course change those facts, but when done so merely superficially, intended results may not follow. Some may be more familiar with the phrase “putting lipstick on a pig.” Well, that seems to be more or less the case in the recent opinion released in the Eighth…
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On February 2, 2022, the Tax Court issued a memorandum opinion in the case of John M. Larson (“Larson”).[1] This case involves a dispute going back more than 20 years. Mr. Larson was an attorney and CPA. He and two other men, Robert A. Plaff and David Amir Makov, promoted a fraudulent tax shelter transaction…
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In another recent case involving a multi-entity tax savings strategy, pitched as the “integrated tax plan,” particularly leveraging “management fees,” we see again the Tax Court scrutinizing the legitimacy of the structure, incorporating a C corporation and a partnership, and in turn allowing the IRS to whipsaw the taxpayers.[1] Facts Around late 2009 through early…
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