Robert Willens

3758 Results

MKC Will Acquire Reckitt Benckiser's Food "Division": July 21, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; McCormick & Company, Inc., ("MKC"), has caused quite a stir with its announcement of a definitive agreement to acquire the "Food Division" of Reckitt Be...

Change In Lifestyle Confirms Change Of "Domicile": July 21, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 139 Print Report; In 1982, petitioner, a West Point graduate, started working for Colgate-Palmolive Company, ("CP"), in its New York City, ("NYC") headquarters. He and his wi...

CCI Will Be Acquiring "Real Property": July 20, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Crown Castle International Corp., ("CCI"), recently announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire LTS Group Holdings LLC, ("L"), a pr...

Capital Contributions Not Part of a Tax Avoidance Plan: July 20, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 138 Print Report; P is the common parent of an affiliated group of corporations. P has, since its incorporation, incurred a net operating loss (NOL) every year. The P group experienced...

"Work" Tax Credits Depend on Certification: July 19, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 137 Print Report; The taxpayer, (TP), a domesticcorporation, argues that the Commissioner improperly refused tax credits, some $3.4 million thereof, under the WOTC and WtW tax cr...

Payment To Hedge Fund Employee Taxable In Year Received: July 18, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 136 Print Report; In January 2005, H joined Paulson & Co., Inc., (PCI), as a senior analyst in PCI's New York City office. PCI is an 'S' corporation. H received a base salary of...

Foreign Partner's Redemption Gain Not Effectively Connected Income: July 17, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 135 Print Report; GMM was established in 1959 and was organized under the laws of Greece. GMM had no office, employees, or business operation in the United States. P is a limited liability compa...

Removing NGLs From Natural Gas Constitutes "Processing": July 17, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; X is a limited partnership organized under the laws of State. X is a publicly traded partnership within the meaning of Sec. 7704(b) of the Internal Revenue Code. X is engaged i...

Will PNC Dispose Of Its $13 Billion BlackRock Stake?: July 17, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; In a recent earnings call, the C.E.O. of PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., ("PNC"), as he always is, was asked about the bank's large stake in BlackRock. In par...

IEG Holdings Mounts A Most Unusual Tender Offer: July 14, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; IEG Holdings Corporation, ("IGH"), is offering to exchange four shares of its authorized but unissued common stock for each share of common stock of LendingClub Corpo...

Taxpayer Assessed "Early Withdrawal" Tax: July 14, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 134 Print Report; The taxpayer, (PR), retired from Southwestern Bell Telephone (SBT)in 2003, when he was 52 years of age, and received almost $1 million of lump-sum distributions...

"Carryovers" Means Carryforwards Not Carrybacks: July 13, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 133 Print Report; Metro One Telecommunications, (M), operated call centers throughout the U.S. For the 2002 tax year, M was subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax, (AMT). In 2004, M cl...

Vantiv, Inc./Worldpay Group plc Update: July 12, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The announcement that Vantiv, Inc., ("VI"), and Worldpay Group plc, ("WG"), had reached an agreement to combine their operations strongly suggested that the...

Government Grants Are Includible in Gross Income: July 12, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 132 Print Report; A State enacted "Program" in Year 2. The Program, which is administered by Entity, (E), offers a "$x" grant to P who purchase a B. P must either p...

"Burdensome" Regulations Likely To Be Eliminated: July 11, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Executive Order #13789, issued by President Donald J. Trump, on April 21, 2017, instructed the Secretary of the Treasury to review all "significant tax regulations" i...

Joint Returns and the "Insolvency" Exclusion (Of COD Income): July 11, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 131 Print Report; During the 1986 tax year the taxpayer was discharged from indebtedness in the amount of "$x" and, at the time of the discharge of indebtedness, the taxpayer...

Affiliate's Activities Did Not Create "Nexus" For Online Retailer: July 10, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; TP was an out-of-state online retailer of apparel...via its website. TP's affiliate was a wholesaler of the same products. TP's sales to Washington residents were made...

No Reasonable Cause For Late Filing of Estate Tax Return: July 10, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 130 Print Report; NY died on August 14, 2008, and her son, AY, became theexecutor of her estate. The Estate's tax return was due by November 14, 2009, and the Estate's ta...

Liberty/HSN: A "Creeping" 'B' Reorganization: July 7, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Liberty Interactive Corporation, (LIC), and HSN, Inc., (HSN), announced that they have entered into an agreement whereby LIC will acquire the stock of HSN it does not already o...

Allocating Impermissible Tenant Service Income: July 7, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 129 Print Report; Company, (C), has elected to be treated as a real estate investment trust, (REIT). C has an "a%" interest in OP, a State B limited partnership which owns co...

Will Vantiv Stock Be Taxable To Domestic Shareholders of Worldpay?: July 6, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The Boards of Worldpay Group plc, (WG), and Vantiv, Inc., (VI), "have reached an agreement in principle on the key terms of a potential merger (the &quo...

Royalties Are Not "Rents From Real Property": July 6, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 128 Print Report; The X trust owns the fee to certain iron-ore bearing lands, or undivided interests in such lands, which are subject to outstanding leases running to various lessees.<...

Can EQT Effect A Spin-Off After Acquiring Rice Energy?: July 5, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The Wall Street Journal is reporting, see "Jana Takes Roughly 5% Stake In Energy Conpany EQT," DJ, July 3, 2017, that the estimable Jana Partners LLC has taken a more...

Data Center Operator Exempt From Sales Tax: July 5, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 127 Print Report; Petitioner owns a condominium interest in a high-rise building in Manhattan (NYC) and plans to develop the property exclusively for use as an Internet data center fac...

Supreme Court Rules That "Statute Of Repose" Cannot Be Tolled: July 3, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The Securities Act of 1933 "protects investors by ensuring that companies issuing securities...make a full and fair disclosure of information relevant to a public offering...

An Obligation Subject To A Condition Subsequent Is "Unconditional": July 3, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; On April 23, 2009, CMC and petitioner entered into an agreement pursuant to a document titled "PRA" that consisted of five documents including a document titled "...

Sprint Is Not A "Utility": July 3, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; New York City Administrative Code Sec. 11-1102(a) provides that every utility and every vendor of utility services shall pay an excise tax based upon a percentage of its gross...

PA. Board Of Finance Denies Sony A Loss Deduction: July 3, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 126 Print Report; Petitioner, Sony Corporation of America (formerly known as Sony USA Inc.), a New York corporation, filed a Pennsylvania Corporate Tax Report (RCT-101) in which it reported Penn...

RAD And WBA Enter Into An Asset Purchase Agreement: June 30, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Rite Aid Corporation, ("RAD"), and Walgreen Boots Alliance Inc., ("WBA"), have decided to call off the merger, which had been announced on October 27, 2015...

Sec. 368(a)(1)(F) Takes Precedence in the Case of an Overlap: June 30, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 125 Print Report; The instant situations involve two existing corporations each ofwhich wasreincorporated under the laws of a state other than that of their original incorp...

Hockey Team Permitted A Deduction For Full Cost Of Pregame Meals: June 29, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Petitioners own the Boston Bruins, a National Hockey League, ("NHL"), franchise based in Boston, Massachusetts, through three "pass-through" entities, D, MH...

Sale Of Franchise Yields Capital Gains: June 29, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 124 Print Report; GT, a partnership, was formed in 1997 to bid on a "request for proposal," ("RFP"), from TC and CRB, a county and a city, respectively, "to take care of...

Intercompany Royalties Deductible For New Jersey CBT Purposes: June 28, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 123 Print Report; Parent is headquartered in Texas, but does business in New Jersey, ("NJ"). Its primary business is to "create and develop computer software programs," which...

CVRs Will Be Used In Miramar Acquisition And CM Bags PVTB: June 27, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Sientra, Inc., ("Parent"), has formed DAC, ("Purchaser"), for the purpose of acquiring all of the stock of Miramar Labs, Inc., ("Company"). Purcha...

Personal Use Of Dwelling Unit Bars Deduction Of Expenses: June 27, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 122 Print Report; Petitioner, ("P"), owns a 50 percent membership interest in Legend of French Lick, LLC, ("FL"), a limited liability company that elected to be taxed as a pa...

Recent Developments Surrounding HAIN, AAL, And EXC: June 26, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Hain Celestial, ("HAIN"), finally completed its study of various accounting errors the company was accused of making, and with the completion of the study was able to...

Interests In Real Property Or Royalty Interests?: June 26, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 121 Print Report; TP has elected to be treated as a real estate investment trust, (REIT). TP owns an approximately"a%" interest in Partnership, (PS). PS owns an approxi...

"Termination Income" Is "Qualifying" Income: June 23, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 120 Print Report; X is a publicly traded partnership, an "MLP." X is engaged in the transportation, storage, and distribution of refined petroleum products and crude oil. X anticipates...

Taxpayer Never Abandoned His NYC "Domicile": June 22, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 119 Print Report; For the year 2007, petitioner filed a New York nonresident and part year resident tax return...indicating his address as South Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach, Florida. No New Y...

EQT Corporation And Rice Energy, Inc. To Pursue "Triangular Merger": June 21, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; EQT Corporation, ("E"), and Rice Energy, Inc., ("R"), have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which the former will acquire all of the assets,...

Substantial Intercorporate Transactions Require A Combined Return: June 21, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 118 Print Report; Petitioner, HMC-New York, Inc., was incorporated on November 1, 2001 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Harbert Management Corporation, ("HMC"). HMC sponsored public equ...

Can Sprint's Net Operating Loss Shelter Yahoo! Inc.'s Gains?: June 20, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Now that Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO or Altaba) has finally divested its core business, attention has once again turned to the question of whether a tax-efficient method exists for YHOO...

The Merchant Cannot Be Asked To Refund Contested Sales Tax: June 20, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 117 Print Report; Plaintiffs filed this putative class action against defendants (Dunkin' Brands, Inc. et al.)...alleging that plaintiffs were unlawfully charged sales tax...when purchasing...

An 'S' Corporation And Its Shareholders Are Related Persons: June 19, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 116 Print Report; Petersen, ("P"), was incorporated in Utah in 1980 and filed a subchapter S election in 1989. In August 2001, the company formed an employee stock ownership plan, (&qu...

Vesting Of Whole Foods' Options Will Produce Massive Deductions: June 19, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; On June 15, 2017, Amazon.com, Inc., ("A"), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with Whole Foods Market, Inc., ("W"). In the merger, a newly-created...

Verizon's Earnings Will Be Penalized By Yahoo Restructuring Costs: June 19, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; On June 13, 2017, to everyone's immense relief, Verizon Communications, Inc. completed its acquisition of Yahoo! Inc.'s "operating business." Verizon expects...

Repayment Of Foreign Taxes Is A "Refund" Thereof: June 16, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 115 Print Report; Petitioner, ("P"), is a U.S. citizen who lived and worked in the U.K. On her federal income tax returns for 2003-2005, she claimed foreign tax credits based upon the...

FHN To Acquire CBF In A "Back-To-Back" Merger: June 15, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; First Horizon National Corporation, ("FHN"), and Capital Bank Financial Corporation, ("CBF"), have entered into a definitive agreement "that will creat...

Selling Expenses Are Not Deductible Under Sec. 212: June 15, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 114 Print Report; The petitioner, (D), an individual, owned 168,936 shares of W Corporation, (W), in 1937. To enable him to sell, through a group ofunderwriters, 60,000 of those...

What If Yahoo! Inc. Became A "RIC?": June 14, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The question has arisen, on numerous occasions, whether Yahoo! Inc., soon to be renamed Altaba, Inc., could solve its "tax problem," without any assistance from Aliba...

A Creditor's Interest Is Not a QFOBI: June 14, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 113 Print Report; At M's death, in 2001, PP Corporation, (PP), had 5,000 Class A and 50,000 Class B shares outstanding. M held 862 Class B shares. In addition, M owned 50 percent o...

Can Pandora Media, Inc. Deduct Its "Termination" Payments To KKR?: June 13, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; A subsidiary of Sirius XM recently announced an agreement with Pandora Media, Inc., ("P"), pursuant to which such subsidiary will purchase $480 million in newly issue...

Partnerships and Subpart F Income: June 13, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 112 Print Report; P is engaged in the business of manufacturing machines in the U.S. PRS, an entity classified as a partnership for U.S. tax purposes, is organized under the laws of Co...

SINA Corporation Distributes "Property" Dividends: June 12, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; SINA Corporation, ("SINA"), describes itself as "a leading online media company serving China..." SINA recently announced the details of its proposed distri...

Pandora Media, Inc. Receives A "PIPE": June 12, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; As of December 31, 2016, Pandora Media, Inc., ("P"), was in possession of federal net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $818,500,000. Thus, it seems unlik...

An FSC And Its Owner Are Not "The Same Taxpayer": June 12, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 111 Print Report; Ford Motor Company, ("F"), made an overpayment to the I.R.S. for the taxes it owed in 1992, while Ford Export Services, B.V., ("E"), a former Foreign Sales...

iHeart Communications Seeks To Retire Debt Tax Efficiently: June 9, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; iHeartMedia, Inc., ("IHM"), owns all of the stock of iHeartCommunications, Inc., ("IHC"). IHC, in turn, owns all of the stock of CCO Outdoor Holdings, Inc.,...

CFCs and Partnerships: June 9, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 110 Print Report; S, a wholly owned Country X subsidiary of P, a domestic corporation, is a controlled foreign corporation, (CFC). S is not engaged in any U.S. business activity and do...

Disgorgement Is A "Penalty": June 8, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Initially, the only statutory remedy available to the S.E.C. in an enforcement action was to seek an injunction.... In the absence of statutory authorization for monetary remed...

Forced Sale of Stock Not An Involuntary Conversion: June 8, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 109 Print Report; TP owned shares of common stock of X Corporation, (X). X had been taken over by Y Corporation, (Y), through a merger between Z Corporation, (Z), an indirect wholly ow...

Who Is An "Active Participant?": June 7, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 108 Print Report; On their 2008 joint Federal income tax return, petitioner and his wife each claimed a $6,000 I.R.A. deduction. Respondent disallowed petitioner's deduction. The d...

World Point Terminals, Inc. To "Roll Up" World Point Terminals, LP: June 6, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The latest "MLP Rollup" by its general partner involves World Point Terminals, Inc., (WPTI), and its "captive" limited partnership, World Point Terminals, L...

Financing The Construction Of The L.A. Rams New Stadium: June 6, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 107 Print Report; The National Football League (the "League") recently approved the relocation of "Team" (which we believe to be the Los Angeles Rams) to "City A."...

Taking For Public Use: June 5, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 106 Print Report; M Corporation, (M), was ordered by a U.S. District Court to dispose of its stock interest in N Corporation, (N), on the ground that M's ownership of such stock vi...

CBS Radio To Engage In "Split-Off RMT" Transaction: June 5, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; CBS Corporation's plan to divest itself of its radio operations is rapidly nearing completion. In what the company accurately refers to as a "split-off," CBS Corp...

REITS Spin-Offs Are Not Entirely Extinct: June 5, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The so-called "PATH" Act, enacted on December 7, 2015, had as one of its central tenets the virtual elimination of spin-offs in which a real estate investment trust (...

LIN And PX Finally Tie The Knot: June 2, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Linde AG, ("LIN"), and Praxair, Inc., ("PX"), announced that the companies have entered into "a definitive business combination agreement to come toget...

Deducting Contributions to a Welfare Benefit Fund: June 2, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 105 Print Report; Pursuant to a settlement agreement, Company, (C), became obligated to contribute Note to Trust to provide for Trust's payments of employees' post-retirement m...

CBRL's Special Dividend Is Not "Extraordinary": June 1, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., ("CBRL"), has announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.20 per share, a 4.3 percent increase over the company'...

Carbon Credits Constitute "Good" REIT Income: June 1, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 104 Print Report; Taxpayer, ("TP"), is a real estate investment trust, ("REIT"). TP owns and manages "A" acres of commercial forestland. TP owns S, a foreign corpor...

Illinois Targets Investment Managers/ESV Will Acquire ATW: May 31, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The Illinois Senate passed a piece of legislation last week (on May 23rd) that is, to say the least, troubling. It is a punitive bill that targets investment managers by subjec...

When Does Underpayment Interest Begin To Run?: May 31, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 103 Print Report; In Year 1, TP made a gift of an undividend 1/2 interest in real property to X. The gift's value was Amount 1. During those years, the unified credit, (UC), agains...

Supreme Court Defines "Residence" For Patent Infringement Actions: May 30, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Petitioner, ("P"), which is organized under Indiana law, manufactures fruit drink mixes. Respondent, ("R"), which is organized under Delaware law, is a comp...

"Downstream" 'C' Reorganization With "Boot": May 30, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Parent/Target, (P/T), is owned by two individuals, SH1 and SH2. SH1 and SH2 are husband and wife. P/T owns greater than 80 percent of the stock of Corp 1; and also owns greater...

"RMT" Transaction With "Overlapping Ownership" And "Hook Stock": May 30, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 102 Print Report; More than "a%" of Distributing's stock is publicly-traded and widely held, and less than "b%" of Distributing's stock is owned by "Owner A"...

No Withholding on Capital Gain Dividends: May 26, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 101 Print Report; Sec. 1441 of the Internal Revenue Code provides that all persons having the control, receipt, custody, disposal, or payment of dividends...or other "fixed or det...

Bobbleheads Are Not "Sold" To Baseball Fans: May 25, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Pursuant to R.C. 5739.02, an excise ("sales") tax is levied upon all "retail sales" made in the state of Ohio. By virtue of R.C. 5741.02, a corresponding ta...

"Representatives" Create Nexus: May 25, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 100 Print Report; Scholastic Books Clubs, Inc., ("SBC"), is incorporated under the laws of Missouri. SBC sells books and other educational materials by mail order and via the Internet...

HRG Will Sell FGL: May 24, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The long-awaited sale of Fidelity & Guaranty Life, ("FGL"), a majority-owned subsidiary of HRG Group, Inc., ("HRG"), was announced on May 24, 2017. Pres...

I.R.S. Addresses Permissible Services For a REIT: May 24, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 99 Print Report; Company, (C), intends to make an election to be taxed as a real estate investment trust, (REIT), for its taxable year beginning January 1, 1992. C's portfolio con...

'B' Reorganization Denied Due To Liability Assumption: May 23, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 98 Print Report; Sixty percent of the stock of Y Corporation, (Y), is owned by Z Corporation, (Z). X Corporation, (X), proposes to acquire 100 percent of the stock of Y. &nb...

PFE Denied Over $8 Million In Refund Interest: May 22, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; On September 11, 2009, Pfizer, Inc., ("PFE"), timely filed its 2008 income tax return. The tax return so filed showed what must be a record overpayment in the amount...

HRG/Spectrum--Downstream Merger Is The Best Outcome: May 22, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; HRG Group, Inc., (HRG), owns approximately 60 percent of the stock of Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc., (SPB). HRG, it seems safe to say, has a very large unrealized gain with re...

HUN's Reasons For "Changing Course" Become Apparent: May 22, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Huntsman Corporation, ("HUN"), was going to spin-off its pigments and additives business, to be operated by a new subsidiary named Venator Materials Corporation, in a...

Delayed Conversion Ratio Setting Not a Deemed Distribution of Stock: May 22, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 97 Print Report; Company, (C), has two classes of stock outstanding. The first class is common stock which iswidely held and publicly traded on a national exchange. The second c...

Refund Claim Filed After Deadline Had Passed: May 19, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 96 Print Report; Under Sec. 6511(a) of the Internal Revenue Code, a claim for a tax refund "shall be filed...within three years from the time the return was filed or two years from the tim...

TEGNA's Spin-Off Meets The Active Business Requirement: May 18, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; TEGNA, Inc., the broadcasting giant, is spinning off the stock of its subsidiary, Cars.com. The spin-off is intended to be tax-free. Cars.com, of course, is a well-known "...

Usual or Customary Services: May 18, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 95 Print Report; The university is exempt from federal income tax under Sec. 501(c)(3) and has been classified as an educational organization described in Sec. 170(b)(1)(A)(ii)....

No Real And Meaningful Likelihood Of Participating In Growth: May 17, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 94 Print Report; P owns Sub 1. P acquired the stock of Sub 2. A few years later, P contributed the stock of Sub 2 to Sub 1 in exchange for shares of Sub 1 Class A stock, Class B stock, and Sub...

Huntsman Changes Course: May 16, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Huntsman Corporation, ("HUN"), was going to separate its pigments and additives business by means of a spin-off. In fact, it received an I.R.S. ruling concluding that...

Is ILG, Inc. Free To Engage In “Capital” Transactions: May 16, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; ILG, Inc., (“ILG”), was incorporated in May 2008 in connection with a spin-off by its former owner, IAC. At that time, ILG became an independent pub...

YHOO's Unusual Repurchase Offer: May 16, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Once Yahoo!, Inc., ("YHOO"), completes the sale of its "core business" to Verizon, (the "Sale Transaction"), it will be classified as a "regi...

Change In Conversion Ratio Not A Deemed Distribution Of Stock: May 16, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 93 Print Report; Company, (C), has outstanding "x" shares of common stock and "y" shares of preferred stock. The preferred stock pays a per share dividendsub...

Spin-Off "Trends": May 15, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; There have been several recent developments in the world of spin-offs that bear watching. Not only has the I.R.S. issued several recent pronouncements regarding these transacti...

New York Resident Must Amortize Premium On "Foreign" Bonds: May 15, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Petitioner, a New York resident, purchased, at a premium, municipal bonds issued by a state other than New York. Petitioner does not buy or sell municipal bonds in a trade or b...

Modification of Options: May 15, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 92 Print Report; On Date T, CA, a holding company completed the sale of "v" of its shares to the public for "$w" per share. The net cash proceeds of the sale were...

Verizon Will Pay Handsomely For Straight Path: May 12, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; After reaching an agreement to be acquired by AT&T, Straight Path Communications, Inc., ("SP"), abruptly terminated that agreement and promptly entered into a muc...

Plan To Avoid Sec. 83 Was Unsuccessful: May 12, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 91 Print Report; Through the "UMLIC" entities, petitioners acquired and serviced portfolios of distressed debt.... In December 1998, petitioners organized and elected 'S' corp...

Members Of PLLC Are Not "Limited Partners": May 11, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 90 Print Report; C, B, and M are practicing attorneys in Mississippi. On July 12, 2001, they reorganized their law firm as a professional limited liability company, ("PLLC"). C, B, an...

I.R.S. Will Rule Again On "Leveraged" Spin-Offs: May 10, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Currently, the most popular variety of spin-off is the so-called "leveraged spin-off." In a leveraged spin-off, which is inevitably part of a 'D' reorganizati...

Redemption Did Not Precipitate Taxable Stock Dividend: May 10, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 89 Print Report; C is a holding company whose subsidiaries are engaged in banking, leasing, and computer service. C's common stock is publicly held and traded over-the-counter.

Sinclair Stock Will Be Taxable To Tribune Media Shareholders: May 9, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., (SB), announced an agreement pursuant to which it will acquire 100 percent "of the shares" of Tribune Media Co., (TM). The trans...

Basis Cannot Arise Without An "Actual Economic Outlay": May 9, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 88 Print Report; Olson & Associates of NW Florida, Inc., ("O")), was a Florida corporation organized in 2001 (and dissolved in 2011). Throughout its existence, O was an electing s...

Amounts Transferred To A "QSF" Are Deductible: May 8, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Parent, ("P"), designs, develops, manufactures, and markets...industrial products. P owns Sub 1. Sub 2 and Sub 3 are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Sub 1. Sub 4 is a wh...

YHOO's "Subpart F" Problem: May 8, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; President Trump's tax plan calls for the institution of what is popularly known as a "territorial" tax system. Under such a taxation system, foreign earnings coul...

Redemption Not Inconsistent With a 'B' Reorganization: May 8, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 87 Print Report; P is a State X corporation which is actively engaged in business. It is authorized to issue 400 shares of $100 par value Class A common stock, of which none is curren...

Step Transaction Doctrine Disregards Intermediate Steps: May 5, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 86 Print Report; MP is a citizen and resident of Peru. On February 5, 1997, MP incorporated petitioner, (P), under the laws of Florida. VI, a corporation organized under the laws of P...

I.R.S. Addresses The Tax Treatment Of "Unconventional" Spin-Offs: May 4, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; 1. P corporation, ("P"), owns all of the stock of D corporation, ("D"), which, in turn, owns all of the stock of C corporation, ("C"). The fair ma...

Not All Cash Purchases of Stock Taint a 'B' Reorganization: May 4, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 85 Print Report; An individual owned 90 percent of the outstanding stock of X Corporation, (X). In June, 1968, he purchased, for cash, 50 percent of the outstanding stock of Y Corpora...

Using Appreciated Property As Merger Consideration: May 3, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; An interesting deal is unfolding in Europe in connection with which some very well known companies will be solidifying their relationship. In particular, the Arnault Family Gro...

How Not To Conduct a Workout: May 3, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 84 Print Report; In 1981, B was organized as a limited partnership. B acquired a parcel of land and constructed a 12-story office building on it. B borrowed $21,600,000 from IF, a ban...

Liquidation Of Phantom Stock Produced Capital Gains: May 2, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 83 Print Report; HI-2, a partnership, was created to hold "phantom stock" in HOC. Phantom stock is not actual stock, but a form of deferred compensation that HOC gave to its employees...

ANGI To Undergo A Transformation: May 2, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; IAC and Angie's List, (ANGI), announced an intricate transaction which will result in the combination of ANGI and IAC's "HomeAdvisor" unit "into a new pu...

Software Systems Designer Cannot Deduct "EMBA" Expenses: May 1, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Petitioner wife, ("PW"), has a bachelor of science degree in computer sciences from the University of Washington; and a master of sciences degree in computer engineer...

Online Travel Companies Best Chicago In Tax Battle: May 1, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The City of Chicago, (the "City"), enacted the "CHAT" ordinance in 1973, well before the invention of the Internet and the resulting appearance of online tr...

Modification of Terms of Installment Note Not a Disposition: May 1, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 82 Print Report; In Year 1, Company, (C), completed a transaction ("the Original Transaction") in which: (i) C adopted an employee stock ownership plan, (ESOP); (ii) C facil...

Is CIT’s Stock Buyback A Partial Liquidation?: April 28, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; CIT Group, Inc., (“CIT”), is flush with cash. As a result, it is offering to purchase shares of its common stock for cash, up to an aggregate purchase pri...

"Warranty Work" Subjects Foreign Corporation To State Taxation: April 28, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 81 Print Report; Plaintiff, Cheng Shin Rubber USA, is a Georgia-based wholesale tire distributor that sells tires to Les Schwab, ("LS"), in Oregon. Plaintiff ships the tires from a po...

Observations On President Trump's Tax Reform Proposal: April 27, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; To much fanfare, President Trump released, in very broad terms, his vision for reforming the U.S. tax system. The proposals incorporate many of the ideas he espoused on the cam...

Debenture Exchange Does Not Taint a 'B' Reorganization: April 27, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 80 Print Report; X Corporation, (X), acquired all of the stock of Y Corporation, (Y), in exchange for voting stock of X. Prior to the exchange, Y had an issue of six percent, 10-year...

COST's Latest Special Dividend: April 26, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Costco Wholesale Corporation, ("COST"), announced that its Board of Directors, for the second time in the last 26 months, has declared a "special cash dividend&q...

New Jersey Uses The McKesson Decision To Its Advantage: April 26, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 79 Print Report; "The Corporation" is a New Jersey corporation that, in 1997, elected to be taxed as an 'S' corporation. Until February 2010, Mr. P, a non-resident of the Gard...

BDX To Acquire BCR In A Fully Taxable Transaction: April 25, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Becton, Dickinson and Company, ("BDX"), and C.R. Bard, Inc., (BCR), have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which "BDX will acquire BCR for $317 per...

Incidental Future Benefit: April 25, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 78 Print Report; TP is a railroad that transports coal throughout various central and southern states. In 1981, Competitor, (CO), joined with others to construct a pipeline thro...

Extension Of Settlement Date Of VPFC Not A Realization Event: April 24, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Respondent determined a deficiency in decedent's 2008 Federal income tax in the amount of $41,257,103. Decedent was the founder and CEO of Monster Worldwide, Inc., ("M...

"Percentage" Rents Are Not "Rents From Real Property": April 24, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Pursuant to a bankruptcy plan to be approved by the Bankruptcy Court, the taxpayer, ("TP"), will engage in a reorganization whereby one of its subsidiaries, Distribut...

Settlement of Nonrecourse Debt Produces Gain And COD Income: April 24, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 77 Print Report; Mr. Y acquired eight rental real estate properties secured by nonrecourse mortgages held by X. X later became insolvent and its assets were taken over by Y1. Mr. Y had defaulte...

Not All Redemption Premiums Are "Deemed Distributions": April 21, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 76 Print Report; Mr. A, Mr. B, and Mr. C owned all of the stock of T. T's sole asset was a contract to provide a fixed quantity of Product M to one customer at a fixed price. Ther...

Goldman Sachs Group Benefits From "Trump" Market: April 20, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; While the first quarter earnings presented by Goldman Sachs Group, (GS), were, in many ways, disappointing to investors, the one area in which GS excelled was with respect to i...

Backup Generators Are "Real Property": April 20, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 75 Print Report; The property at issue is backup power equipment situated on leased premises around Manhattan and emergency backup generators, each capable of generating between 400 a...

What Is a Principal Residence?: April 19, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 74 Print Report; During 2000, husband, (H), moved into a St. Louis, (STL), residence owned by CB. On August 10, 2000, CB executed a quitclaim deed in favor of H and herself for the ST...

Payments To Asbestos Trust Fund Not Deductible: April 18, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 73 Print Report; In its 2008 franchise tax reporting period...Owens Corning, ("OC"), made a one-time payment of $2,195,316,694 into an asbestos trust fund. It included the payment as...

Florida's Tax On Satellite Companies Is Not Unconstitutional: April 17, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Enacted in 2001 by the Florida Legislature, the Communications Service Tax, ("CST"), imposed a 6.8 tax rate on cable service and a 10.8 percent tax rate on satellite...

Swift/Knight--Reverse Acquisition?: April 17, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Swift Transportation Company, (STC), and Knight Transportation, Inc., (KTI), recently announced a business combination which will, in form, constitute an acquisition by STC of...

Applying the Origin of the Claim Doctrine: April 17, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 72 Print Report; TP's stock is owned by P. TP is in the financial services business. One of the services TP provides is an escrow account....

Qualcomm To Refund Royalty Overpayments: April 13, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; BlackBerry Limited, (BBRY), announced a "binding interim arbitration decision" awarding BBRY a staggering $814,868,350.00 in "royalty overpayments" made to...

"Bearer Share" Regulations Found To Be Valid: April 13, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 71 Print Report; In the case of a foreign corporation, Sec. 887(a) of the Internal Revenue Code imposes for each taxable year a tax equal to four percent of the foreign corporation's U.S. s...

ELA Regulations Are Valid: April 12, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 70 Print Report; On April 26, 1965, petitioner acquired all of W's outstanding stock for $5. As of that date, W changed its name to I. As of December 31, 1966, I owed petitioner $...

When To Measure The Debt/Equity Ratio: April 11, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 69 Print Report; M Corporation, (M), owned 50 percent of the stock of N Corporation, (N). Unrelated foreignindividuals owned the remaining 50 percent. M sought to acquire the 50...

The Case For Choosing A Limited Liability Company Format: April 10, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Commerce Clearing House, ("CCH"), an important source of tax information, does a wonderful job of laying out the myriad considerations new business owners should take...

"Drop Down" Of Property To MLP Not A "Disguised Sale": April 10, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; C is a joint venture among affiliates of X corporation and Y corporation that is currently engaged in "Business." C and its subsidiaries hold all of the general partn...

Acquiring Mutual Fund Acquires "Substantially All" of the Properties: April 10, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 68 Print Report; The Trust is a State A business trust organized on Date 1 and registered as an open-end management investment company with the S.E.C. &nbs...

Programming Delivered Via Satellite Is Tangible Personal Property: April 7, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 67 Print Report; Petitioner is an Iowa corporation engaged in publishing and television broadcasting. The portion of its "entire net income" allocated to New York was determ...

Investment Manager's Income Is Apportioned To Washington: April 6, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Taxpayer, ("TP"), is (vis a vis the state of Washington) an out-of-state company that provides investment advisory and management services. TP has but one customer, t...

Dividends Are Reported Only When Received: April 6, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 66 Print Report; TP, a domestic corporation, owns shares in another corporation. Such other corporation declared a cashdividend payable on January 2, 1937 to shareholders of rec...

Withdrawals Constitute Deemed Distributions: April 5, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 65 Print Report; X is a closely-held corporation with three equal shareholders, A, B, and C, who are physicians and employees of X. On August...

Liberty Interactive To "Split-Off" GCI Liberty Tax-Efficiently: April 4, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Liberty Interactive Corporation, ("LIC"), we had previously written, was going to face some challenges effecting tax-free spin-offs or split-offs, because the company...

Delaware Court Upholds ETE's Right To Terminate WMB Merger: April 4, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 64 Print Report; This action arises from a well-known merger agreement (the Agreement), which was never consummated, under which ETE, a Delaware limited partnership, agreed to acquire the asset...

Cruise Ship Taxation Might Be Addressed As Part Of Tax Reform: April 4, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; For as long as I can remember, the manner in which cruise ship operators are taxed has been a favorite topic of politicians and pundits criticizing the inequities in the U.S. t...

Not All Transaction Costs Are "Facilitative": April 3, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Taxpayer, ("TP"), is a holding company. Its subsidiaries include regulated C companies engaged in "D." In Year 1, TP and Company E, ("CE"), negoti...

"Holds Substantially All" (Part 2): April 3, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 63 Print Report; T Corporation, (T), owned all of the stock of X Corporation, (X), Y Corporation, (Y), and W Corporation, (W). T formed a new corporation, P, and the latter formed a t...

Fees Paid To Department Of Energy Are Not "Decommissioning" Costs: March 31, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 62 Print Report; Nextera Energy, Inc., (NEI), owns several Florida power companies. These companies operate nuclear power plants. Nuclear power plants utilize fuel in the form of rods of enrich...

Would G.M.'s "Dividend Stock" Be "Sec. 306" Stock?: March 31, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Greenlight Capital, (Greenlight), has, to much fanfare, proposed that General Motors, (GM), should distribute "a second class of common stock," what Greenlight refers...

FASB Alters Accounting For Callable Debt Securities: March 31, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The Financial Accounting Standards Board, ("FASB"), has altered the manner in which one accounts for the premium at which callable debt securities are purchased. It d...

Virginia Couple Denied FTHBC: March 30, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 61 Print Report; On October 31, 2003, WC purchased certain property ("Vp") on VC in Dumfries, Virginia, ("D"), moved into the house ("Vh") on that proper...

Court Finds Intragroup Royalty Payments Are Deductible: March 29, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 60 Print Report; See's Candies, Inc., ("S"), is a California corporation selling candy in Utah. It has had a physical presence in Utah through its stores. It also sells candy by c...

Remedy Of "Reformation" Is Hard To Come By: March 29, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; In a recent case, the judge was decidedly unsympathetic to the entreaties of taxpayers who asked the court to ignore the form of their transactions that (i) they had agreed to,...

Neighborhood Land Rule Protects Church From UBTI: March 28, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 59 Print Report; Y was incorporated as a church. Y purchased three parcels of land. The properties are contiguous to Y's current location....

Amazon.com Scores Major "Transfer Pricing" Victory In Tax Court: March 27, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The Internal Revenue Service determined deficiencies in Amazon.com's ("ACI") Federal income taxes of $8,380,790 and $225,653,149 for 2005 and 2006, respectively....

A YHOO "Liquidation" Is Not In The Cards: March 27, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Now that the sale of Yahoo! Inc.'s "core" business is nearing completion, attention is once again focused on the company's "investment" assets and t...

Summer Employees Not "Away From Home": March 27, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 58 Print Report; The Summer Work Travel Program, ("SWTP"), is administered by the U.S. Department of State. RL was a citizen of Finland. He entered the U.S. on May 21, 2012, and depar...

Producer of "Blister Packs" Is Engaged In "MPGE": March 24, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 57 Print Report; TP is a provider of pharmaceutical products for senior citizens in healthcare facilities. The medications at issue are those provided in "blister packs."

YHOO's Proxy Materials Shed Little Light On The $15 Billion Tax Question: March 23, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Yahoo's recently filed proxy materials provide an update on the company's progress in divesting its business operations and on the nature and scope of the company's...

Corporation Without Employees Is "Active": March 23, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 56 Print Report; The stock of P is owned by four individuals. For over five years, P has owned all of the stock of X and Y. P is a pureholding company. X has been engaged in the...

"Blank Check" Company To "Invert": March 22, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The parent company of Cision, and another corporation, Capital Acquisition Corp. III, ("CLAC"), recently announced the execution of a definitive agreement "in wh...

Public Law 86-272 Narrowly Construed in Illinois: March 22, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 55 Print Report; Client, (C), is a C Corporation that is incorporated in the state of Connecticut. C is a managing general underwriter, specializing in the marketing, underwriting, pr...

Deutsche Bank's Rights Offering: March 21, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Deutsche Bank A.G., ("DB"), is planning an unusual rights offering which will, it hopes, raise approximately 8 billion euros to shore up its capital base. The offerin...

"Solely" Leaves No Leeway: March 21, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 54 Print Report; R, an individual, is the sole proprietor of each ofIG and RD. R's home consists of 7,272 square feet of living space, which includes the garage. R's two...

Passive Income "Inclusions" Constitute Qualifying REIT Income: March 20, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 53 Print Report; TP is a real estate investment trust, (REIT). TP owns stock of several foreign subsidiaries that are classified as associations and for which elections have been made...

Donnelley To "Monetize" LKSD Stock: March 17, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; In October 2016, R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company & Subsidiaries, ("RRD"), distributed, in a tax-free transaction, 80.75 percent of the stock of its subsidiaries...

When Is Property "Condemned": March 17, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 52 Print Report; TP owns and manages rental properties, consisting of trailers, cabins, cottages, and rooming houses. Due to local slum cleara...

Bonuses Deductible Only In Year Paid: March 16, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 51 Print Report; TP pays bonuses to its eligible employees under its incentive compensation plan ("ICP"). The aggregate amount of bonuses accrued for book purposes is finali...

Actelion's Spin-Off Is Definitively Taxable: March 15, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Information released by Actelion in advance of its general shareholders' meeting establishes, conclusively, that the "demerger" to be undertaken in connection wit...

Prepaid Bonus Deductible in Year Paid: March 15, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 50 Print Report; W, an individual, failed to report his income from BFC, an 'S' corporation, consistent with the Form K-1 that BFC prepared for him. W calculated his share of...

Intel/Mobileye--Israeli Withholding Tax: March 14, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; A subsidiary of Intel Corporation, (INTC), will commence a tender offer to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Mobileye N.V., (MBLY) for $63.54 in cash. Will tax...

"SILO" Assets Excluded From N.J. Property Fraction: March 14, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 49 Print Report; Plaintiff is a wholly-owned, indirect subsidiary of Altria Group, Inc., ("MO"). Plaintiff is organized under the laws of Delaware and has its principal place of...

FFH Will Deliver Sufficient Stock For A Reorganization: March 14, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; It had been unclear whether the acquisition by Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, ("FFH"), of Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG, ("AWH"), would q...

FASB Changes The Reporting Of Pension Cost: March 13, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The Financial Accounting Standards Board, ("FASB"), has decided that the financial statement reporting of "net periodic pension cost" is due for an overhaul...

Health Care Reform Also Has Tax Implications: March 13, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The legislation designed to "Repeal and Replace The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" contains numerous tax provisions. Some of the most unpopular tax levie...

Is Stock Sale Gain Passive Income?: March 13, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 48 Print Report; A, a U.S. corporation, is a wholly-owned, indirect subsidiary of B, a publicly traded Country M corporation that is the common parent of a global group of companies e...

HUN's Spin-Off Features A "High Vote/Low Vote" Format: March 10, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Huntsman Corporation, (HUN), is in the final stages of effecting a spin-off of its pigments and additives business. A new corporation, Venator Materials Corporation, (VMC), has...

Integrating a Redemption and Share Issuance: March 10, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 47 Print Report; NL, Inc., (NL), was organized and incorporated in Delaware in 1938. 500 shares were authorized of which 100 were issued and outstanding. The petitioner, (N), owned 48...

MCK Eyes A "Reverse Morris Trust" Transaction: March 9, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; McKesson Corporation, ("MCK") and Change Healthcare Holdings, Inc., ("CHC"), recently announced their intention to form a joint venture, which will be treat...

When Is Property Involuntarily Converted?: March 9, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 46 Print Report; A domestic corporation owned 100 shares of stock in a foreign corporation. In the current year, two subscription rights were awarded with respect to each share in the...

Executing a Contract to Purchase Is Not a Purchase: March 8, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 45 Print Report; FH and DD were organized for the purpose of constructing and operating rental housing projects. They leased a tract of land on which they constructed residential unit...

South Dakota Circuit Court Rejects The Notion Of "Economic Nexus": March 7, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The South Dakota legislature recently enacted, and the Governor signed into law, a bill that would impose sales tax collection obligations on certain purveyors of goods and ser...

Redeemed Shareholder Found to Acquire a Prohibited Interest: March 7, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 44 Print Report; In Rev. Rul. 72-380, 1972-2 C.B. 201, two brothers and their father owned all of the stock of X Corporation, (X). In 1966, X...

Payment Of Irish "Wealth" Tax Does Not Create "Resident" Status: March 6, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Mr. John P. McManus, ("M"), filed a refund claim with the I.R.S. His refund claim arises in connection with a three-day backgammon match that took place in the U.S. F...

Will Morgan Stanley's Payments Run Afoul Of Old Colony Trust?: March 6, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; It was widely reported last week that, due to "operational issues" the firm has identified, Morgan Stanley conveyed to several million of its clients "incorrect&...

Who Can Replace Converted Property - The Sequel: March 6, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 43 Print Report; The deceased and his wife owned undivided 1/2 interests as tenants in common in certain improved real property ("the CS property"). The CS property was leas...

Medical Expense Deduction Allowed For "Alternative Medical Treatment": March 3, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The issue is whether petitioner, ("P"), is entitled to deduct, as medical expenses, amounts paid for treatment not routinely or universally recognized. P suffers from...

Fiduciary Can File "Triple-Eye" Agreement: March 3, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 42 Print Report; X Corporation, (X), has outstanding a single class of commonstock, 1/2 of which was owned by a father and the other 1/2 of which was owned by his son. Under the...

Perrigo Will "Monetize" A Royalty Stream: March 2, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 41 Print Report; Perrigo Company plc, ("PRGO"), an "inverted" entity, has signed a definitive agreement to divest its rights to the "royalty stream" for the global...

Warren Buffett Loves Dividends: March 1, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; This year's eagerly awaited version of the "Warren Buffett letter" contained, surprisingly, an excellent tutorial on the taxation of intercorporate dividends, and...

Stock Of Investment Adviser Is Worthless: March 1, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 40 Print Report; TP was incorporated in Year 1 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of P1, itself a wholly owned subsidiary of P2. In Year 2, TP acquired 100 percent of the issued and outstanding e...

Random House Is A Manufacturing Corporation: February 28, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 39 Print Report; Random House, (RH), and its publishing groups published works of fiction and non-fiction in various formats. During the years at issue, sales of printed books account...

DGI And MDA To Engage In A "Cross-Border" Business Combination: February 27, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates, Ltd., (MDA), a Canadian corporation, and DigitalGlobe, Inc., (DGI), a domestic corporation, have entered into a definitive merger agreement...

When Does Accrual Cease?: February 27, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 38 Print Report; M, a domestic corporation, uses the accrual method of accounting. M made a secured loan to A in 1975. During 1975 and through...

Reorganizations That Are Part of a Larger Sec. 351 Transaction: February 24, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 37 Print Report; On Date 1, Corporation B, (CB), incorporated Corporation A, (CA). CB agreed that, until CB contributed assets to CA, CA would remain a "shell" corporation w...

M.B.A. Expense Primer: February 23, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Education expenses are deductible (as miscellaneous itemized deductions in the case of an employee) if the general requirements of Sec. 162 of the Code, and the speci...

The Alter Ego Doctrine: February 23, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 36 Print Report; W was the sole shareholder of WC. W also operated a soleproprietorship. During the taxable years 1974-1976, the corporation incurred $114,472.91 in federal tax...

B. Riley Financial, Inc. Will Acquire FBR & Co.: February 22, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; B. Riley Financial, Inc., (BRF), recently signed a "stock for stock merger agreement" to acquire FBR & Co., (FBR)...in "a transaction valued at $160.1 millio...

Guaranteed Payments Attract Self-Employment Tax: February 22, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 35 Print Report; In September, 1999, petitioners, husband, (H), and wife, (W), and HB formed a California limited liability company named I. I is a medical technology company that pro...

REIT Dividend Eligible For The Dividends Received Deduction: February 21, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 34 Print Report; For the tax years ended December 31, 1999 through February 10, 2006, the taxpayer, ("TP"), was an Alabama banking corporation known as "SB." Effective as of...

Sixth Circuit Endorses Roth IRA/DISC Strategy: February 21, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Summa Holdings, Inc., ("SH"), is the parent corporation of a group of companies that manufacture a variety of industrial products. JBJ, an individual, owned 23.18 per...

"IVF" Expenses Not Deductible: February 17, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 33 Print Report; Plaintiff, ("P"), is a homosexual male. P and his partner decided to attempt to have a child through an in vitro fertilization, ("IVF"),...

SoftBank Stakes Its Claim: February 16, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; As is by now well-known, SoftBank Group Corp., ("SB"), and Fortress Investment Group LLC, ("FIG") have entered into a definitive merger agreement pursuant t...

Partnership Assets Cannot Be Attached: February 16, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 32 Print Report; Following service of a notice of levy on a bank covering unpaid income tax due from a taxpayer, it was discovered that the bank was not in possession of any property,...

Arconic "Monetizes" Large Portion Of Alcoa Stake: February 15, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Arconic, Inc., (ARNC), in connection with its spin-off of the company now known as Alcoa Corporation, did not engage in a total separation but, instead, retained some 19.9 perc...

Man's Best Friend: Movement Of Dog Establishes Change Of Domicile: February 15, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 31 Print Report; Petitioner, ("P"), filed Form IT-203 (New York State Nonresident and Part-Year Resident Income Tax Return) for each of the years 2009 and 2010. The Division of Taxati...

Tax Issues Surrounding An Investment In "PFICs": February 14, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; In this week's edition of Barron's, the estimable Andrew Bary authored an article in which the merits of investing with the likes of Bill Ackman and Dan Loeb was discus...

Stock Not Subject To A "Substantial Risk Of Forfeiture": February 14, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 30 Print Report; In March 2002, H, an individual, formed THI. THI was an 'S' corporation. On December 6, 2002, H filed articles of amendment changing the name of the corporation to DTRI...

"Expansion" Business Deemed Conducted For Five Years: February 13, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; D is engaged in Business X that includes Segment A and Segment B. Each of Segment A and Segment B is engaged in Operation A and Operation B. D wholly owns DO. DO wholly owns DU...

Towers And Cables Are "Like Kind" Property: February 13, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Taxpayer, ("TP") is a communications services provider.... TP owns fee simple or long-term leasehold interests in multiple wireless communications tower sites across...

Sec. 212 Is a Remedial Section: February 13, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 29 Print Report; The taxpayer, (JS), purchased 4,000 shares of Montgomery Ward & Co., (MW), stock in 1954 and 1955 at a total cost of $296,870.20. &nbs...

Interest In Pension Plan Not An "Asset" For Insolvency Purposes: February 10, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; This case involves the tax treatment of a canceled debt. Sec. 61(a)(12) of the Internal Revenue Code defines "gross income" to include income from cancellation of deb...

Genentech Is A "Manufacturing Corporation": February 10, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 28 Print Report; Genentech, Inc., ("G"), is a Delaware corporation with a principal place of business in California. G earns business income in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. G is...

Fee and Expense Allocations Do Not Produce "Preferential Dividends": February 9, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 27 Print Report; TP elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (REIT) for its taxable year ended Date 1. Previously, shares of a single class of common stock of TP were iss...

How Will PFE Fare Under Tax Reform?: February 8, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Pfizer, Inc., (“PFE”), in 2015, generated approximately $21.7 billion in “U.S. Revenue” and approximately $27.1 billion in “Internationa...

Intangible Property Did Not Have a "Business Situs" in Alabama: February 8, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 26 Print Report; Mr. G, (G), was a resident of Florida. On March 17, 1997, O, an 'S' corporation, sold its assets to AARC, a Florida corporation and an affiliate of JFF, an Al...

A Non-Resident's Stock Option Income Is Taxed in New York: February 7, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 25 Print Report; Petitioner was a resident of Connecticut. Petitioner was employed by American Airlines, Inc., (AA), for many years until his retirement on April 30, 2005. While so em...

The Gap, Inc. — A “Victim” Of Tax Reform?: February 6, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; It is by now well-known that the centerpiece of the House Republicans’ vision for tax reform is the replacement of our current, income based, approach to taxati...

Altria Group's Relationship With AB InBev Clarified: February 6, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Altria Group, Inc., ("MO"), at one time, owned 430 million shares of SAB Miller, an approximate 27 percent stake therein. At that level of ownership, there was no que...

Chronological Order Controls In Allocation of Accumulated E&P: February 6, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 24 Print Report; Corporation, (C), has outstanding three classes of preferred stock and one class of common stock. The classes of preferred stock are: First Preferred Series, Other Pr...

OKE Eyes A Basis Step-Up: February 3, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; ONEOK, Inc., (OKE), and ONEOK Partners, L.P., (OKS), have reached a definitive agreement which envisions the "roll-up" of OKS, thus terminating its existence as a pub...

Taxpayer's Driver's License Made Him a Resident of Virginia: February 3, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 23 Print Report; Two classes of residents, a domiciliary resident and an actual resident, are set forth in Virginia Code Sec. 58.1-302. The do...

Johnson & Johnson/Actelion Update: February 2, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; We have been fielding quite a few questions regarding how an Actelion shareholder will be taxed on his or her receipt of the package of consideration being offered (b...

LLC's Activities Not Imputed To Member Thereof: February 2, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 22 Print Report; California's franchise tax is imposed on every corporation that is "doing business" within California.... The phrase, doing business, means "actively engaged...

Suit To Enjoin JCI/TYC Merger Fails: February 1, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; In January 2016, Johnson Controls, ("JC"), announced that it was going to merge with an Irish company named Tyco, ("TYC"). The merger t...

Parent Denied Worthless Stock Deduction: February 1, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 21 Print Report; P is the common parent of a consolidated group that owns Asset 1 (basis $10, value $10) and all the stock of S1 (basis $5, value $5). &nbs...

What Is LQ Up To?: January 31, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Recently, La Quinta Holdings, Inc., ("LQ"), announced plans "to propose the separation of LQ's real estate business from its franchise and management busines...

Tesco And Booker Group To Effect A "Scheme Of Arrangement": January 31, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The boards of each of Tesco PLC, ("T"), and Booker Group plc, ("BG"), have reached an agreement on the terms of a recommended "share and cash merger.&q...

Does Basis Disappear In a Dividend Equivalent Redemption?: January 31, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 20 Print Report; C is a domestic corporation engaged in manufacturing. C has one class of voting stock outstanding of which approximately 36.7 percent is held directly and constructiv...

Goodwill Impairment Test Is Simplified: January 30, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The Financial Accounting Standards Board, ("FASB"), has taken additional steps to simplify the procedures for determining whether, and the extent to which, an entity&...

Distributing More Than "Net Contraction Proceeds": January 30, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 19 Print Report; X is a corporation principally engaged in the service station business in two different localities: the "d" locality and the "e" locality. X also...

Rents and Royalties Not "Passive" Income: January 27, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 18 Print Report; D is a second-tier subsidiary within an affiliated group that files a consolidated tax return. P, the common parent of the group, is a holding company. &nbs...

JNJ To Acquire ATLN: January 26, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Johnson & Johnson, ("JNJ"), and Actelion Ltd., ("ATLN"), have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which JNJ "will launch an all-cash te...

'S' Corporation Dividends Constitute Nonbusiness Income: January 26, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 17 Print Report; One of the more complicated determinations the tax code demands is the proper classification of distributions made by electing small business corporations, i.e., 'S' co...

SXCP Faces An Uncertain Future: January 25, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., (SXCP), has been a master limited partnership, (MLP), and, accordingly, its taxable income has not been subjected to entity level taxation. Inste...

"Economic Presence" Alone Justifies Imposition Of Tax: January 25, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 16 Print Report; Capital One Financial Corporation ("COFC") and its subsidiaries were incorporated, headquartered and domiciled outside of Oregon. One of COFC's subsidiaries, Capi...

Attempt To Assign Income To A Corporation Fails Miserably: January 24, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 15 Print Report; Petitioner, ("P"), is a financial consultant developing investment portfolios for clients. P started his career with Waddell & Reed, Inc. The clients of Waddell &...

How To "Shift" Debt In A Spin-Off: January 23, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Over the last few years, one of the most common characteristics of spin-offs has been the wholesale "shifting" of debt from the distributing corporation to the distri...

I.R.S. Finalizes Regulations Regarding An MLP's "Qualifying Income": January 23, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 14 Print Report; In what may be the last set of regulations we may see for quite some time, the I.R.S. finalized regulations addressing the question of when the income earned by a publicly trad...

Excise Tax or Non-Pecuniary Loss Penalty?: January 20, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 13 Print Report; In 1989, JS Corporation, (JS), separated its pension plan into two separate plans: one for retired employees and one for active employees. JS then liquidated the reti...

Preliminary Purchase Of Active Business Does Not Spoil Spin-Off: January 19, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 12 Print Report; Distributing, ("D"), is a State A corporation, the stock of which is both publicly traded and widely held. D owns 100 percent of the stock of Sub 1. Sub 1 conducts Bu...

I.R.S. Shortens A Converted REIT's "Recognition Period": January 18, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; In order to shore up the repeal of the General Utilities doctrine, in the The Tax Reform Act of 1986, Congress enacted certain rules that subject an 'S' corporation, as...

Tax Consequences Of Reynolds American And Clayton Williams Deals: January 18, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; On January 17th, two business combinations were announced. One involves the acquisition by British American Tobacco, p.l.c., (BATS), of the stock of Reynolds American, Inc., (R...

Community Activist Cannot Deduct Legal Fees: January 18, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 11 Print Report; GF or petitioner was an adjunct professor of English at both Barnard College and Columbia University. Petitioner filed a New York State resident income tax return for 2009 wher...

IEG Seeks To Play David To One Main's Goliath: January 17, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; In one of the stranger transactions we have encountered, IEG Holdings Corporation, ("IEG"), is attempting to acquire a company substantially larger than itself. In pa...

Sale Of "Spectrum" Constitutes An "Involuntary Conversion": January 17, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Taxpayer, ("TP"), owns and operates a television station...that operates in the "upper 600 MHz band." TP's station operates pursuant to licenses and per...

Involuntary Sales Are Covered By Sec. 267: January 17, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 10 Print Report; On August 2, 1960, a "notice of levy" was served on JM, an individual, for the purpose of seizing and selling his shares of NW, Inc., (NW),stock and a...

Video Game Producer Is an "Eligible Production Company": January 13, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 9 Print Report; Plaintiff was created for the sole purpose of producing a "Man vs. Wild" video game based on the Discovery Channel's "Man vs. Wild" television...

FASB Proposes Changes To Classification Of Indebtedness: January 12, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The Financial Accounting Standards Board, ("FASB"), as part of its wide-ranging simplification initiative, has now tackled the issue of how indebtedness should be cla...

Stanley Black & Decker To Purchase Assets: January 12, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; At the risk of oversimplification, there are, essentially, two ways to acquire a "business;" (i) a purchase of the assets of the business, or (ii) a purchase of the s...

Foreign Taxes Imposed on Exempt Income Are Creditable: January 12, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 8 Print Report; P is a U.S. corporation. S is a German limited liability company. P owns all of S's stock. S's capital was increased; a portion of the increase represented a...

SCAI Will Be Acquired By UNH In A "Reorganization": January 11, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; UnitedHealth Group, Inc., ("UNH"), and Surgical Care Affiliates, Inc., ("SCAI"), have announced a plan and agreement which envisions a tender offer on the p...

Crossing the "Super-Control" Line: January 11, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 7 Print Report; X has outstanding one class of stock consisting of 1,000 shares of voting common stock. A owned 900 shares and B owned the remaining 100 shares. ...

"Correcting" a Prohibited Transaction: January 10, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 6 Print Report; On May 20, 1981, the Zs, husband and wife, incorporated their farming operation under the name of ZFI ("the Corporation"). Each received 670 shares of stock...

FASB Clarifies The Definition Of A "Business": January 9, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; The Financial Accounting Standards Board, ("FASB"), recently issued Accounting Standards Update, ("ASU"), No. 217-01, entitled "Clarifying the Definiti...

A Tax Benefit Provision is Not a Contract or Agreement: January 9, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 5 Print Report; Plaintiff seeks to rescind its participation in New York City's "J-51" tax incentives program following the Court of Appeals decision in Roberts v....

New York REIT Will Liquidate: January 6, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Since the repeal of the "General Utilities" doctrine (the 30th anniversary of which occurred last October), a corporate liquidation has been an expensive proposition....

Plan's Loan to Partnership is a Prohibited Transaction: January 6, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 4 Print Report; LVD and FJD are married. LVD is a general partner and owner of a 1/3 interest in the capital and profits of FJDMAS, a Maryland general partnership. FJD is likewise a...

Connecticut Properly Taxed Option Income Of A Non-Resident: January 5, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 3 Print Report; From 1990 to 2001, JA served as president and chief financial officer of Tosco, Inc., ("T"). During that period, JA was domiciled in and performed services solely wit...

M.B.A. Merely "Refined" Existing Skills: January 4, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 2 Print Report; Petitioner, (P), holds a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from CT; and an M.S. degree in electrical engineering from UI. From March 2005 to May 2011, P worked for BC. BC i...

Lack Of Liquidity Does Not Bar Accumulated Earnings Tax: January 3, 2017 - Bulletin Print Report; Taxpayer, ("TP"), was incorporated by Shareholder, ("SH"). SH transferred to TP his entire interest in several partnerships, PS 1 through 8. TP duly reporte...

Retained Stock Used To Defray Debt Tax-Efficiently: January 3, 2017 - Volume 11 Issue 1 Print Report; D is a State A corporation the stock of which is publicly traded and widely held. The D Worldwide Group conducts Business B and Business C. D has decided to separate Business C...

Capitalizing Interest Costs: December 30, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 250 Print Report; Under certain conditions, for financial accounting purposes, interest is capitalized as part of the acquisitioncost of an asset. Capitalization of interest is r...

QCOM Incurs What Appears To Be A Non-Deductible "Fine": December 29, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Qualcomm Incorporated, ("QCOM"), announced that the Korea Fair Trade Commission, (the Commission), has reached a decision in its investigation of the company. The Com...

"Allocated" Income Is An "Amount Received": December 29, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 249 Print Report; During 1990, the petitioner, (C), a Mexican corporation, rented a fleet of tractors and trailers to another Mexican corporation, H. H did not pay rent for the use of...

Investment Bank Is Bona Fide Creditor of Distributing Corporation: December 28, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 248 Print Report; D is directly and indirectly engaged in Business A, Business B, and Business C through its domestic and foreign subsidiaries. D will engage in certain internal restructurings....

Are The Liberty Companies Capable Of Effecting Spin-Offs?: December 27, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Through the years, the various and sundry Liberty companies have consistently engaged in separation transactions in which the stock of "mature" subsidiaries of the co...

REIT's Sec. 481(a) Adjustments Do Not Constitute "Gross Income": December 27, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Taxpayer, ("TP"), is a real estate investment trust, ("REIT"). In Month 1 of Year 1, TP acquired the stock of an affiliated group that files a consolidated...

Debentures Issued in LBO Treated as Indebtedness: December 27, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 247 Print Report; The company is a bank holding company which was formed in 1979. The primarypurpose for itsformation was to purchase a controlling interest in a bank....

Taxpayer Failed to Change His "Domicile": December 23, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 246 Print Report; Mr. Gorski, (G), moved to Oregon in 1991. G worked as an "on-demand" airline pilot from 2004-2007. G became unemployed in 2004. He moved to Texas in March,...

Merger Termination Fee Ruled To Be Apportionable Business Income: December 22, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 245 Print Report; The state of California imposes a franchise tax on multistate corporations doing business within the state on the corporation's net income derived from...California employi...

Linde And Praxair Are Planning A "Merger Of Equals": December 22, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Linde A.G., (L), and Praxair, Inc., (P), have announced that "the companies intend to combine in a merger of equals under a new holding company through an all-stock transa...

Is TRCO's "Special Dividend" A Distribution In "Partial Liquidation?": December 21, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Tribune Media Company, (TRCO), recently announced that "it has agreed to sell substantially all of its Digital and Data business (D and D business) operations...to the Nie...

Tax Status Of Fairfax/Allied World Deal Uncertain: December 21, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, (FF), and Allied World Assurance Co. Holdings, A.G., (AW), each a foreign corporation, have entered into a definitive merger agreement. ...

Gamblers and Sec. 212: December 21, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 244 Print Report; Since his graduation from college in 1957, petitioner's principal occupation has been that of an electrical engineer. Dur...

"Self-Inverter" Remains A Domestic Corporation: December 20, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Very few rulings have been issued interpreting the provisions of Sec. 7874, the Code section that addresses "inversion" transactions. A recent Chief Counsel Advice Me...

Debt Issuance Costs Not Deductible Upon Conversion Into Equity: December 20, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; In Year 1, TP issued convertible debentures due in Year 2, (Debentures). At issuance, TP incurred debt issuance costs which it duly capitalized and amortized over the term of t...

Determining E&P For Purposes of the REIT "Purge" Rule: December 20, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 243 Print Report; TP is a C corporation. TP is a real estate finance corporation. TP also conducts an investment management business through S. S intends to be treated as a taxable REI...

Internal "TLAC" Will Be "Respected" As Indebtedness: December 19, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The current framework for bank capital is commonly known as "Basel III." In addition to the enhanced capital required by Basel III, regulators have sought to minimize...

Will Gilead Get To Deduct Its Patent Infringement Judgment?: December 19, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Gilead Sciences, Inc., (G), was instructed by a federal jury to pay $2.54 billion to Merck & Co., (M), for using a patented invention as the basis for its drugs for hepatit...

Can Timber Cutting Rights Be Exchanged Tax-Free?: December 19, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 242 Print Report; TPs agreed to exchange standing timber owned by them for three tracts of timberland to be acquired from AC. On or about June...

Basis Recovery In a Contingent Payment Installment Sale: December 16, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 241 Print Report; TP is an 'S' corporation. TP entered into an asset purchase agreement, (APA), that was structured as an installment sale. The agreement provided that, in exch...

Dell Stock Repurchase: December 15, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Many investors have been patiently waiting for Dell Technologies, Inc., (DTI), (formerly known as "Denali") to take steps to "capture" the discount at which...

Senior Living Facilities Are Qualified Health Care Properties: December 15, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 240 Print Report; Taxpayer, ("TP") is a real estate investment trust, ("REIT"). TP has recently acquired two "senior housing communities," the "Properties.&quo...

Gain Can Sometimes Be Deferred Through Reinvestment: December 14, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Sec. 1001(a) of the Internal Revenue Code provides that "the gain from the sale or other disposition of property shall be the excess of the amount realized over the adjust...

N.J. Taxpayer Denied Capital Gain Exclusion: December 14, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 239 Print Report; Plaintiff owned 16,970 shares of common stock in VR. In June, 2008, Plaintiff sold the shares to AI. Plaintiff filed a federal income tax return for 2008 reporting th...

Death Is Not A "Fundamentally Inconsistent Event": December 13, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 238 Print Report; JB married SB on October 7, 1977. Until his death, SB was a farmer who conducted his farming business as a sole proprietor. SB passed away on March 13, 2011. SB incurred certai...

Overview Of Tax Reform Proposals: December 12, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Individual Proposals Under current law, there are no fewer than seven different regular tax brackets with a top tax rate of 39.6 percent. The House Republican Tax Pla...

Liquidation Conclusively Fixes Worthless Stock Loss: December 12, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; TP is the common parent of a consolidated group. TP is wholly owned by FP. FP also owns all of the stock of FS. TP owns the stock of S. Prior to its acquisition, S was publicly...

Distribution of Property Recast as a Distribution of Money: December 12, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 237 Print Report; Due to ongoing disagreements among the partners, most of the partners in PS, including TP, liquidated their interests in PS, leaving A and A's immediate family in...

Loss Corporation Stock Issued To "Qualified Creditors": December 9, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 236 Print Report; Parent, ("P") is a holding company that wholly owns LossCo, ("LC"), which is engaged in Business A. P filed for title 11 bankruptcy on Date 1, and on Date 3...

FNF To "Split-Off" FNFV: December 8, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Fidelity National Financial, Inc., ("FNF"), is one of the few corporations that have wholeheartedly embraced tracking stock , the Liberty companies being...

Supreme Court Defines "Personal Benefit" In Insider Trading Cases: December 8, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Sec. 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the SEC's Rule 10b-5 prohibit undisclosed trading on inside...information by individuals who are under a duty of trust...

Contributions of Partial Interests In Property Not Deductible: December 8, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 235 Print Report; A, an individual, is a shareholder of X. A contributes 100 shares of A's voting commonstock to Y, an organization described in Sec. 170(c). A retains the ri...

YHOO And Tax Reform: December 7, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; In its latest Form 10-Q, Yahoo!, Inc., ("YHOO"), reported that the "cost basis" of its investment in Alibaba Group, ("AG"), was $2,713,483,000; an...

Debt Not Worthless: December 7, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 234 Print Report; Petitioner was employed by GI, Inc., (GI), owned by G. G alsoowned various other companies or businesses ("GCs"). &n...

Direct And Indirect Investments In MLPs: An Appraisal: December 6, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; There would appear to be two principal ways of "gaining exposure" to MLPs: a direct investment and an indirect investment therein. While a direct investment means, si...

Partner's "Distributive Share" Subject To Self-Employment Tax: December 6, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 233 Print Report; In Year 1, F purchased franchise restaurants in the area of City and contributed the restaurants to Partnership (PS). F owns the majority of PS. F is PS's Operating Manager...

Treasury Department Frowns On "Tax-Free Repatriation": December 5, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Even in the waning days of their tenure, the Treasury Department and the I.R.S. are "on the job." They have identified a transaction that they believe needs to be cur...

Modification of an Installment Obligation: December 5, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 232 Print Report; TP sold property to a corporation in November, 1980 and received a note of the corporation. The note had a face value of $1,000x and provided that the corporation wou...

Variable Annuity Exempt From Creditors' Claims: December 2, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 231 Print Report; D filed for relief under Chapter 7 on March 27, 2012. On Schedule B she listed "Annuity Prudential Variable Investment Plan" with a value of $12,188.23. On...

MoneyGram May Be A Bank After All: December 1, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 230 Print Report; Sec. 582(c) of the Code provides that in the case of a bank ...the sale or exchange of a bond, debenture, note or certificate or other evidence of indebtedness sha...

Ohio's "CAT" Survives A Commerce Clause Challenge: November 30, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 229 Print Report; Crutchfield Corporation, ("CC"), "does business" in Ohio. The business it carries on consists solely of selling goods from outside the state to its consumer...

Discharge Of "Qualified Principal Residence Indebtedness": November 29, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; To help distressed borrower/homeowners lower their monthly mortgage payments, FHFA directed each of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to implement the Principal Reduction Mortgage Pro...

Equalizing Values Tax-Efficiently: November 29, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 228 Print Report; D Corporation, (D), is an 'S' corporation. Its stock is owned in equal proportions by SH1, SH2, and SH3, all of whom are unrelated to one another. D is engage...

Avnet's "Inbound" Sales Are Subject To Washington Tax: November 28, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Avnet, Inc., ("AV"), is a New York corporation with headquarters in Arizona. AV sells products through its headquarters in Arizona and through its many regional sales...

Repurchase Premium Paid In Stock Is Deductible: November 28, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 227 Print Report; TP filed a voluntary petition on Date 1 to reorganize under Chapter 11 of Bankruptcy Code. Under the Plan, which was approved by the court,certain classes of im...

Deferred Exchange Runs Afoul Of Sec. 1031(f)(4): November 25, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 226 Print Report; MG was engaged in leasing commercial real estate in various States. MG filed consolidated income tax returns with its wholly owned subsidiary, MBL. MG also owned 69.97 percent...

Alcohol Fuel Mixture Credit Reduces "Cost Of Goods Sold": November 25, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; In the years at issue, Sunoco, Inc., (SUN), blended ethanol into its fuel and thereby qualified for a certain tax credit, the Alcohol Fuel Mixture Credit, ("Mixture Credit...

"Cash For Keys" Payment Is Part Of "Amount Realized": November 23, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 225 Print Report; In 2008, petitioners owned their primary residence in California ("California house") but worked in management positions requiring frequent trips to North Carolina. F...

New Spin-Off Restrictions Do Not Impact Elliott's Plan For Marathon: November 22, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Elliott Management, ("Elliott"), has set its sights on Marathon Petroleum Corporation, ("MPC"), and has come up with some recommendations that it would like...

SXL And ETP To Engage In Rare "Partnership Merger": November 22, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; While corporate mergers and other forms of business combinations are quite common, it is not often that MLPs engage in such transactions. However, now, we have a partnership me...

Rooftop Antennas Are "Real Property": November 22, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 224 Print Report; T-M is a provider of cellular radio telephone services. As part of its cellular network, T-M maintains antennas and other cellular radio equipment housed, among other places, o...

HRG Inches Closer To Curing A Market "Anomaly": November 21, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; HRG Group, Inc., ("HRG"), is a "pure" holding company. It owns stock in entities engaged in the insurance business, the energy business, the asset managemen...

Tesoro Should Not Need To Effect A "Second" Merger: November 21, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Tesoro Corporation, ("TC"), and Western Refining, Inc., ("WR"), have entered into a plan and agreement pursuant to which TC will acquire all of the stock of...

Options and Tax Liens: November 21, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 223 Print Report; A taxpayer (TP) was granted options, both non-qualified options (NQOs) and Incentive Stock Options (ISOs), by his employer, A Corporation (A). Transferability of the...

WebMD Executive Will Secure "Exchange" Treatment In Latest Buyback: November 18, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; WebMD Health Corporation, ("WMD"), generates a large amount of cash from its business and periodically uses that "surplus" cash to repurchase its stock.&nbs...

Reasonable Prospect of Recovery Bars Loss Deduction: November 18, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 222 Print Report; BM, from 1998 until 2002 made various investments totaling $325,000 with CPR, a corporation that relied on private investors to conduct its business of buying and sel...

COD Income Can Arise From Cancellation of Shareholder's Debt: November 17, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 221 Print Report; P, a foreign corporation, owned all the stock of S, a domestic corporation. S conducted Business A. In its business, S maintained an inventory of component parts. At...

No Basis Step-Up For Regency Centers: November 16, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Regency Centers Corporation, ("RCC"), and Equity One, Inc., ("EOI"), each a real estate investment trust, ("REIT"), have announced a definitive me...

Deemed Election Under Sec. 1033: November 16, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 220 Print Report; On or about Date 1, TP's old principal residence ("Old") was involuntarily converted as it was destroyed in a presidentially declared disaster. On Date...

A Partner Has A Single Basis In A Partnership Interest: November 15, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 219 Print Report; In 1978, Y was formed as a limited partnership for the purpose of investing and trading in stocks and securities. A contributed $50 to Y in exchange for a general par...

Subscription Packages Are Not "Qualified Films": November 14, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Taxpayer, ("TP"), is a multichannel video programming distributor, (MVPD"), regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, ("FCC"), as a telecommu...

Financial Statement Implications Of Tax Rate Reductions: November 14, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; President-elect Trump is on record as favoring a broad array of tax rate reductions. In particular, he has consistently advocated a dramatic reduction of the U.S. corporation i...

Was the Payment Primarily Motivated by Generosity?: November 14, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 218 Print Report; During 1985, Mr. EarlVoyles retired from SCSC, Inc., (SCSC), after 46 years of loyalservice. "In consideration of his years of service," Mr. Voy...

"Investment in the Contract": November 11, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 217 Print Report; Petitioner owned several medical practice entities. In 2000, he organized YC, an 'S' corporation, to manage these entities. YC sponsored an employee stock own...

The Trump Tax Proposal Has Something For Everyone: November 10, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Reports about a President-elect's tax plan, assuming he or she has one, are quite common in the days following an election. Therefore, we would be remiss if we did not offe...

Purchaser Of Wind Facilities Did Not Acquire "Goodwill": November 10, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 216 Print Report; Plaintiffs are the owners of six wind farms...near Los Angeles, California. They are alleging that the Government underpaid them by over $206 million when it made a grant to th...

Is a Payment to an Employee a Gift or Compensation?: November 9, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 215 Print Report; HP was theC.E.O. of LC, Inc., (LC). JY was hissecretary there from 1958 through hisretirement in1984. JY handled all ofHP's personal...

Who Generates GLG's Gross Receipts?: November 8, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 214 Print Report; During the years at issue...Gerson Lehrman Group, Inc., ("GLG" or "petitioner"), provided consulting services to its clients. It employed experts, ("co...

Merger Of AXL And MPG Is Not A Reorganization: November 7, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc., ("AXL"), and Metaldyne Performance Group, Inc., ("MPG"), recently entered into a definitive merger agreeme...

"Square Corners Doctrine" Bars Taxation Of N.J. Lottery Winnings: November 7, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 213 Print Report; In June 2000, M purchased a Big Game Lottery ticket. M held the winning ticket for the June 9, 2000 drawing entitling him to a prize of $46,000,000. M decided that the annuity...

CenturyLink/Level 3: "RBIGs" To The Rescue: November 4, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; With the publication of the merger agreement, we now have clarity on the manner in which the business combination involving CenturyLink, Inc., (CTL), and Level 3 Communications...

Characterizing Termination Fee Income: November 4, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 212 Print Report; On Date 1, TP and B entered into an agreement, ("Agreement 1")...to use "their best efforts" to take a series of steps...designed to lead to TP's acquis...

SXC Proposes To "Roll UP" SXCP: November 3, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., (SXCP or the Partnership), is a publicly traded partnership (PTP). A PTP will be treated as a corporation unless at least 90 percent of its gross...

Assumption of New Debt Not Governed by Sec. 357(b): November 3, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 211 Print Report; P has been actively engaged in two separate businesses for more than five years. P transferred the assets of one of its businesses to a newly-formed subsidiary, S, so...

Resident Beneficiary Not Sufficient To Tax A Foreign Trust: November 2, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 210 Print Report; In 1992, an inter vivos trust ("original trust") was established by JLR. The location or situs of the original trust was New Yor...

G.E./BHI Bears More Than A Passing Resemblance To WMB/ETE: November 1, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The transaction in which General Electric Company, ("GE"), and Baker Hughes, Inc., ("BHI"), will combine their oil and gas activities bears some resemblance...

Classifying Depreciable Property: November 1, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 209 Print Report; Petitioner is engaged in the banking andfinancial services business. During 1987-1989, petitioner placed in service $57,526,417 of furniture and fixtures at its...

EFH's Spin-Off Is Part Of A 'G' Reorganization: October 31, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 208 Print Report; EFH (the old "TXU") is the common parent of an affiliated group of corporations that join in the filing of a consolidated federal income tax return. "SH" ow...

CenturyLink/Level 3: The Potential For A Sec. 338 Election: October 31, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Rumors are circulating with respect to a possible business combination involving CenturyLink, Inc., (CL), and Level 3 Communications, Inc., (L3). Of particular interest is the...

Ascertaining The "Subject Matter" Of A Home Construction Contract: October 28, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 207 Print Report; Taxpayers ("TPs") are builders and developers of planned communities. Their primary source of revenue was from the sale of houses. ...

CenturyLink/Level 3: October 27, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Apparently, CenturyLink (CL) and Level 3 Communications (L3) are discussing a business combination. Questions have arisen regarding the impact, if any, the business c...

BEAV Shareholders Will Be Taxed On Receipt Of COL Shares: October 27, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The proposed Time Warner and AT&T merger and the one announced, on the same day, by B/E Aerospace, Inc., ("BEAV"), and Rockwell Collins, Inc., ("COL"),...

Sec. 304 Acquisition Can Be a Qualified Stock Purchase: October 27, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 206 Print Report; A, B, and C own 40 percent, 20 percent, and 40 percent of the stock of X, respectively. B, D, and E own 45 percent, 30 percent, and 25 percent of the stock of Y, resp...

Right of First Refusal Not an "Option": October 26, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 205 Print Report; A is a domestic corporation. A plans to enter into a joint venture with B, an unrelated Country X corporation, to manufacture the "Y" in Country X. <...

FASB Rules On "Intra-Entity" Asset Transfers: October 25, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Current Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, ("GAAP"), prohibits, for unknown reasons, the recognition of current and deferred taxes for a so-called "intra-...

AMTD's "Bargain" Purchase Of Scottrade Financial Services, Inc.: October 25, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Scottrade Financial Services, Inc., (SFS), has two businesses only one of which is of interest to its suitor, TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation, (AMTD). This is not an uncommon...

"Three-Party" 'F' Reorganizations Not Permitted: October 25, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 204 Print Report; P Corporation, (P), owned 99 percent of the outstanding stock of S, an operating subsidiary. P created, in order to "squeeze out" the minority shareholders...

T And TWX Are Planning A "Reorganization": October 24, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; AT&T, Inc., (T), and Time Warner, Inc., (TWX), in case you haven't heard, announced a merger agreement over the weekend which contemplates the acquisition by T of the a...

"Expansion Doctrine" Permits Spin-Off Of Recently Purchased Business: October 24, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 203 Print Report; In order for Sec. 355(a) of the Code to apply to a "spin-off" or a "split-off," among other conditions, the most fundamental requirement that has to be comp...

Supplier Of Fluids For Fracturing Operations Earns Qualifying Income: October 21, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 202 Print Report; X is a limited liability company. As part of an initial public offering (IPO) for a to-be-formed partnership, (PS), X intends to contribute assets related to its fluid handling...

Location Of Card Holder Governs "Sourcing" Of Card Issuer's Receipts: October 20, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 201 Print Report; The taxpayers are in the credit card account business. The taxpayers' receipts are derived from interest, "interchange," and service fees. The issue is how the re...

Deal Status Updates--October 2016: October 19, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; ABI/SAB Miller The transaction has closed. The “partial share alternative” was heavily subscribed for with the result that Altria and Bevco received fewer shares...

SUPERVALU Changes Direction With Respect Save-A-Lot: October 19, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; SUPERVALU, (SU), was poised to dispose of its Sav-A-Lot, (SAL), operation in a highly unorthodox manner. SU was going to secure an infusion of capital, in the form of non-votin...

Temporary Investment of Loan Proceeds In Muni Bonds: October 19, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 200 Print Report; A "sharp growth" in sales volume and rapidly increasing demands on thetaxpayer's manufacturing facilities, as well as a material increase in its w...

Royalty Income Earned After 2006 Not Exempt: October 18, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 199 Print Report; From the 1970s to the 2000s, Congress provided tax exemptions for domestic corporations...that sold products abroad. The tax exemptions were challenged by the World Trade Organ...

Silgan Holdings Launches A Self-Tender Offer: October 18, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Silgan Holdings, Inc., (SHI), is engaging in a Dutch Auction self-tender offer, its second in the past two years. In this year's iteration, SHI is offering to purchase up t...

"Debt-Equity" Regulations Focus On "Earnings Stripping": October 17, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 198 Print Report; One of the hallmarks of an "inversion" transaction (a transaction in which the stock of a domestic corporation is acquired by a foreign corporation) is the practice o...

Gain Or Loss From Termination Fee Is Calculated: October 17, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; A domestic corporation ("ACQ") enters into an agreement (the Contract) with another corporation (T) pursuant to which the parties agree to undertake a series of steps...

Pregnancy Is An "Unforeseen Circumstance": October 14, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 197 Print Report; The taxpayers were married and had one child, a daughter, when they purchased Residence 1 on Date 1. Residence 1, a condominium, contained two small bedrooms and two baths.&nbs...

Altria Will Use The Equity Method With Respect To Its AB Stake: October 13, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Altria Group, Inc., (MO), recently disclosed that it fared very well in the aftermath of the business combination involving AB InBev, (AB), and SABMiller. ...

Contingent Liabilities and Insolvency: October 13, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 196 Print Report; Mr. Dudley B.Merkel, (M), owned 25 percent of HMH, a partnership. On September 1, 1991, Great Western Bank granted forgiveness to HMH of a $1,439,000 non-recour...

Is The EpiPen Settlement Payment Tax Deductible?: October 11, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Mylan N.V., ("MYL"), announced, on October 7, 2016, that its domestic subsidiary, Mylan, Inc., ("MI"),* has agreed to the terms of a $465 settlement with th...

What Must Be Distributed in Partial Liquidation?: October 11, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 195 Print Report; X Corporation, (X), has been in the poultry processing business since 1965. In 1968, X went into the chicken farming business as a separate and distinct operation.

CBS/Viacom Merger Should Not Derail Radio Split-Off: October 10, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; CBS announced plans to divest its subsidiary, CBS Radio, Inc., ("Radio"), by means of a combination transaction involving (i) an initial public offering of a portion...

Fantasy Sports Contest Entry Fee Is Not Subject To N.J. Sales Tax: October 10, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The taxpayer, ("TP"), is incorporated in Delaware; and is headquartered in Texas. TP operates an online daily fantasy sports website that allows Users to enter daily...

OTC Bulletin Board Not an Established Securities Market: October 10, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 194 Print Report; Corporation A, (A), maintains Plan X, a defined contribution plan which is qualified under Sec. 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. Plan X is not an employee stock o...

Met Life To Spin Its Retail Life Insurance & Annuity Operations: October 7, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Met Life, Inc. is in the process separating its massive retail life insurance and annuity business (which will be housed in a corporation to be formed by Met Life, known as Bri...

Taxpayer Retires "Embedded Stock" Tax Efficiently: October 7, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 193 Print Report; P corporation, ("P"), owns S1, which owns all of the stock of S2. S2, in turn, owns all of the stock of S3; and the latter owns all of the stock of S4. S4 is, and has...

What Is the "Source" of Vacation Pay?: October 6, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 192 Print Report; JB is a non-resident of Oregon. He began working for the U.S. Postal Service in Oregon in 1978. He worked in that office for approximately 14 years, and then moved to...

SBAC Will Elect To Become A REIT: October 5, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; SBA Communications Corporation, ("SBAC"), recently announced its intention "to take all necessary steps for it to qualify as real estate investment trust, ("...

Business Purpose Does Not "Count" For Purposes of Sec. 302(b)(1): October 5, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 191 Print Report; S and E owned 60 percent and 40 percent, respectively, of the stock ofEN, Inc., (EN), and ofBA, Inc., (BA). EN ag...

Allergan To Issue "CVRs" In The Acquisition Of TBRA: October 4, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Allergan plc, through one of its U.S. affiliates, "Holdco," has entered into an agreement to acquire the stock of Tobira Therapeutics, Inc., ("TBRA"), in a...

JNS To Engage In A "Cross-Border" Merger: October 4, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Janus Capital Group, Inc., ("JNS"), and its foreign rival, Henderson Group plc, ("HGG"), have announced plans to merge in a transaction in which JNS, a dome...

Propane Is a Favored Asset: October 4, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 190 Print Report; X is a publicly traded partnership (PTP or MLP). X is engaged in the retail and wholesale supply, marketing, and distribution of propane. X's business consists pr...

Estate's Loss "Arose From" A Theft: September 30, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 189 Print Report; JH, a resident of New York, died testate on January 31, 2008. At that time, he owned a 99 percent interest in JHF, LLC ("JHF"). JH's daughter and son each held a...

Can "Merger Consideration" Emanate From A Third Party?: September 29, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; One of the more interesting business combinations we have encountered is the acquisition by Ares Capital Corporation, ("ARCC"), of American Capital, Ltd., ("ACAS...

Repos Are Real Estate Assets: September 29, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 188 Print Report; TP is a real estate investment trust, (REIT). TP's principal activity is to acquire and hold mortgage loans secured by mortgages and deeds of trust and mortgage b...

Intrafamily Transfers Can Constitute Bona Fide Debt: September 28, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 187 Print Report; Appellants, (As), are the parents of K. K is a general contractor and the sole owner of KC, a Minnesota 'S' corporation. &nb...

CFC And PFIC Inclusions Can Only Be "Dividends" For A RIC: September 28, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The I.R.S. has issued proposed regulations clarifying certain requirements a corporation must adhere to in order to qualify as a "regulated investment company" ("...

Connecticut's Token Gesture: September 27, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; A Connecticut "resident" is defined as an individual who is domiciled in Connecticut...or who is not domiciled in Connecticut, but who maintains a...

Damages Received "On Account Of" Physical Injuries of Sickness: September 27, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 186 Print Report; Petitioner was employed by PACE. During 1996, before her employment with PACE commenced, petitioner was diagnosed with MS. Pe...

Amortizing Premium On Callable Debt Securities: September 26, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The Financial Accounting Standards Board, ("FASB"), has issued (on September 22, 2016) a proposed Accounting Standard Update, ("ASU"), entitled "Premiu...

Distributing a Note In Connection With a Partial Liquidation: September 26, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 185 Print Report; C is a domestic corporation incorporated in State M. B is a new corporation incorporated in State M. C has conducted its business operations in separate divisions: D1...

The Acquisition Of WCI Should Qualify As A Reorganization: September 23, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Lennar Corporation, (L), and WCI Communities, Inc., (WCI), have announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which "Lennar will acquire all of...

Sears Not Entitled to a Bad Debt Sales Tax Credit: September 23, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 184 Print Report; For the period in question, Sears, (S), paid the full amount of sales tax due on goods sold from its retail stores in Maine. S had a financing agreement with a third-...

Sec. 1231 Property Is Not A Capital Asset: September 22, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 183 Print Report; On February 25, 2005, CL, a partnership, acquired, for $13.8 million, the RBH Hotel in Tampa, Florida. The property consisted of land and improvements thereon....

Tech Data Secures A Basis Step Up: September 21, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; There are different ways in which a business (or other group of assets) can be acquired. Thus, an acquirer can acquire the assets used in the business directly from the seller,...

Maryland's Policy Regarding Federal Obligation Interest Is Unconstitutional: September 21, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 182 Print Report; Between 1999 and 2008, B's federal taxable income, as reported on its Maryland returns, ranged from $109 million to $1.288 billion. B was a North Carolina state chartered c...

State Law Dissolution Does Not Terminate 'S' Corporation Status: September 20, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 181 Print Report; X incorporated under State law on Date 1. X elected to be treated as an 'S' corporation effective for Year 1. In Year...

Will Berkshire Hathaway Exit Wells Fargo?: September 19, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Forbes' corporate finance columnist, the estimable Antoine Gara, on September 15, 2016, wrote a very interesting article speculating on whether, and how, in light of the We...

Tribune Media Company Settles "Newsday" Dispute: September 19, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; One of the more interesting transactions we have encountered was Tribune's attempted "tax-efficient" divestiture of Newsday. This transaction was structured to av...

Receipts Constitute Non-Taxable Gratuities: September 19, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 180 Print Report; The Taxation and Revenue Department of New Mexico (the Department) assessed TP for gross receipts tax, penalties, and interest. TP (also re...

Assumed Debt Not Part of Basis: September 16, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 179 Print Report; An 'S' corporation liquidates, distributing all its assets to its shareholders. One or more suchshareholders form a new entity, either a single member d...

Endesa Americas Merger Should Qualify As A Reorganization: September 15, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Eneris Americas, (ENE), owns some 59.98 percent of the stock of Endesa Americas, (END). Each such corporation is a foreign corporation. ENE is interested in acquiring all of EN...

Tax Accounting for Loan Origination Fees: September 15, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 178 Print Report; On Date 2, Y Corporation, Y, and Z Corporation, Z, were merged in a transaction to which Sec. 381 of the Internal Revenue Code applies. Z merged into Y in a transacti...

Reaction To Comments Made By Mr. Joseph Tsai Regarding YHOO and BABA: September 14, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; At a hedge fund conference yesterday, Mr. Joseph Tsai, Vice-Chairman of Alibaba Group, made some widely-circulated comments that strongly suggested that Alibaba Group sees no pa...

Formula One Is Not An "Active" Business: September 14, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Some investors are hoping that Liberty Media Corporation, (LM), will spin-off Braves Holdings, (AB), the owner and operator of the Atlanta Braves National League baseball club....

"Checked" LLC Not a Corporation in Maryland: September 14, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 177 Print Report; On August 1, 2011, SC, a District of Columbia corporation, made two filing with the Maryland State Department of Taxation and Assessments, (SDAT). The first filing wa...

"Break" Fee Treated As A Capital Loss: September 13, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; TP, who is almost certainly AbbVie, announced, in a press release, the combination of TP and T (who is almost certainly Shire plc), a foreign corporation. ...

YHOO Issues Proxy Materials Regarding Core Business Sale: September 13, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) has issued preliminary proxy materials with respect to the shareholder votes it is seeking in order to proceed with the sale of its "core business"...

The S.E.C. Prefers "Pushdown" Accounting: September 13, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 176 Print Report; In Staff Accounting Bulletin, (SAB), No. 54, Application of "Pushdown" Basis of Accounting in Financial Statements of Subsidiaries Acquired by Purchase<...

Is Taxpayer "Multistate?": September 12, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 175 Print Report; TP is a manufacturer of equipment whose headquarters and sole production facility are located in Virginia. A majority of TP's equipment is sold to the U.S. govern...

"Holds Substantially All": September 9, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 174 Print Report; P Corporation, (P), is a manufacturing corporation organized under the laws of State A. T Corporation, (T), is also a manufacturing corporation organized under the la...

HPE To Engage In A Second "RMT" Transaction: September 8, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Hewlett Packard Enterprise, ("HPE"), it seems safe to say, is, when it comes to divesting "extraneous" parts of its business, partial to Reverse Morris Trus...

Nonowner Of Mineral Interests Incurred "G&G" Expenses: September 8, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 173 Print Report; Company ("C") conducted marine surveys of the outer continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico. The surveys involved the use of geophysical techniques that detected or s...

CF Industries Adopts An NOL "Rights" Plan: September 7, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; CF Industries Holdings, Inc., (CFI), announced that its board of directors has done what many other boards faced with similar circumstances have opted to do: CFI's board of...

Finessing NQPS Status: September 7, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 172 Print Report; Corporation 1, (C1), is a State X professional corporation engaged in Business A. C1 has "u" shareholders, each of whom owns "v" shares.

ENB And SE Will Effect A "Cross-Border" Acquisition: September 6, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Enbridge, Inc., (ENB), a Canadian corporation, and Spectra Energy Corp., (SE), have entered into a merger agreement "under which ENB and SE will combine in a stock-for-sto...

Final Regulations Define "Real Estate Assets" For REIT Purposes: September 6, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 171 Print Report; Sec. 856(c) of the Internal Revenue Code defines a real estate investment trust ("REIT") by setting forth various requirements. One such requirement, perhaps the one...

PFE's DTL Non-Disclosure Does Not Justify "Inspection" Request: September 6, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; A trust, ("T"), owns 500 shares of common stock of Pfizer, Inc. ("PFE"). The trustees of T seek to "inspect" books and records of PFE for the purp...

Yum! Brands Will Spin-Off Its Chinese Operations: September 6, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Yum! Brands, Inc. (Y) is on the verge of completing its long-awaited separation of its business and operations in China. Such separation will be effected by means of a spin-off...

Examining AAPL's Effective Tax Rate: September 2, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Clearly, the last week in August's news cycle, at least as far as the business pages are concerned, has been thoroughly dominated by commentary regarding Apple Inc.'s (...

How Do Deferred Offering Costs Affect the Asset Test for REITs?: September 2, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 170 Print Report; TP intends to acquire multifamily properties in selected markets throughout the U.S. TP intends to make an election to be treated as a real estate investment trust (R...

Non-Refundable Portion of CTC Is Not a "Payment": September 1, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 169 Print Report; On January 28, 2010, BZ and AZ filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code. R was appointed as Trustee. &...

Real Estate Professionals Must "Materially Participate": August 31, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 168 Print Report; The Tax Reform Act of 1986 rendered losses from rental activity per se passive. Congress subsequently enacted Sec. 469(c)(7) to create an exception to the per se bar on deducti...

Step Doctrine Prevents Application Of The "Mere Change" Exemption: August 30, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 167 Print Report; Petitioner, ("P"), is a Delaware limited liability company. SLG is also a Delaware limited liability company. Under an Agreement of Sale dated April 9, 2007, P and SL...

I.R.S. Willing To Rule On "Business Purpose" And "Device": August 29, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; At one time, the I.R.S. issued "comprehensive" private letter rulings with respect to spin-offs and split-offs. Beginning in 2003, it reduced the aspects of a spin-of...

FASB Answers "Cash Flow" Classification Questions: August 29, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Investors pay a great deal of attention to an entity's Statement of Cash Flows and give more "credit" to cash inflows and outflows from operating activities than...

New York "Ties" Prevent An Effective Change Of Domicile: August 29, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 166 Print Report; In 1979, petitioner purchased a condominium apartment in the Bronx, New York (Douglas Avenue apartment). Petitioner's wife continues to reside in the Douglas Avenue apartme...

ABI And SAB Transaction Still Looks Tax Efficient: August 26, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The business combination between Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (ABI) and SABMiller plc (SAB) appears to have undergone some changes, both structurally and in terms of the amount o...

Accruing "Contested" Liabilities: August 26, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 165 Print Report; A, an 'S' corporation, and B entered into a written agreement relating to A's purchase of "c", to be part of the inventory of A, in July, 19x3....

Split-Off Not Used As A "Device": August 25, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; A distribution of the stock of a controlled corporation will not qualify under Sec. 355(a) of the Code where it is found to have been used principally as "a device" f...

Accounts Receivable Are Corporate Property: August 25, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 164 Print Report; Dr. S, Dr. J, Dr. R, and Dr. P are medical doctors. On June 1, 1970, the four doctors incorporated a personal service corporation, C,under the laws of the Commo...

"Part of a Larger Straddle": August 24, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 163 Print Report; On August 1, 2002, A purchases 100 shares of X stock for $100 per share, writes a 12-month call option on 100 shares of X stock with a strike price of $110, and purch...

Structure Classified as "Real Property": August 23, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 162 Print Report; Plaintiffs owned and operated Crescent Towing in Crescent, Oregon. Among the items of property Plaintiffs owned in 2007 and used in their business was a "large s...

Can Liberty Media Make SIRIUS XM An "Active Business": August 22, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Liberty Media Corporation, ("L") owns Braves Holdings LLC, ("AB"), the owner and operator of the Atlanta Braves baseball team. L has owned AB for more than...

Exchange of Stock in One Corporation For Stock in Another is Taxable: August 22, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 161 Print Report; TP, the owner of shares in Coca Cola Company, (CCC), exchanged such shares with another individual for shares of Coca Cola International, (CCI). The value of the shar...

Delayed Transfer "Relates Back": August 19, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 160 Print Report; D corporation ("D") is the parent of a worldwide group of entities. Mr. A owns "a%" of the stock of D and directly participates in the management or operati...

AIG And Arch Will Execute A Joint "(h)(10)" Election: August 18, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; American International Group, Inc., ("AIG") and Arch Capital Group Ltd. ("Arch") recently announced a transaction which entails a sale by AIG, and a concurr...

Residential Rental Property: August 18, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 159 Print Report; The taxpayer, TP, owns and operates out of his house an "adult home care" business. The residents live full-time in TP's house. TP provides 24-hour supe...

Social Club Will Avoid UBIT: August 17, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 158 Print Report; TP is an exempt organization under Sec. 501(c)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code. TP is a social and recreational club located in Town formed for the purpose of outdoor...

"Expansion" Doctrine Permits Spin-Off Of Recently Purchased Assets: August 16, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The taxpayer is a State corporation which had been formed on Date 1. Since its incorporation more than five years ago, the taxpayer has engaged in "Business."...

Pension Plan Merger Free of Tax Consequences: August 16, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 157 Print Report; TP is a corporation engaged in the business of manufacturing "X." TP's Plan is a substantially overfunded defined benefit (pension)plan.

Reincorporations Do Not Spoil Complete Liquidations: August 15, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; D is a State L corporation. The D Group is engaged in several lines of business, including the "Transferred Business." D owns the stock of C, SA, SB, SC, and SD, each...

ETC's "Sec. 721" Ruling Is Small Solace: August 15, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The merger of The Williams Companies, (WMB), with and into ETC, a corporation created by Energy Transfer Equity L.P., (ETE), was terminated because a condition to closing, the...

Interest-Free Loan Is "Property Held for Investment": August 15, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 156 Print Report; As of January 1, 1988, TPs had made interest-free demand loans to Foundation, (F), with a total unpaid balance of $352x. The average loan balance owed to TPs by F dur...

Poor Records Render Florida Domiciliary A New York Resident: August 12, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 155 Print Report; Petitioner, a Florida domiciliary, is an executive in the magazine publishing industry. He serves as the Chairman of Universal Media. During 2007, petitioner maintained a "...

Tax Imposed Despite Lack Of "Transactional Nexus": August 11, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 154 Print Report; Irwin Naturals, ("I"), is in the business of developing, marketing, and selling nutritional products. From 2002 through 2009, I made wholesale sales to retailers and...

Reducing "Purchase Money" Debt: August 10, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 153 Print Report; Y, a newly-formed corporation, purchased all of the stock of X Corporation, X, from Mr. A for cash and debt, including a subordinated debenture. ...

MTN Acquisition Will Feature "Exchangeable Shares": August 9, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Vail Resorts, Inc., (MTN), has reached an agreement for the acquisition of its Canadian rival, Whistler Blackcomb Holdings, Inc., (WB). As with most acquisitions of Canadian co...

PokerStars Is Not A "Bank": August 9, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 152 Print Report; Mr. Hom failed to file a tax form known as the "FBAR" for three accounts he held in 2006 and one account he held in 2007. Mr. H was assessed a total penalty of $40,00...

"Sequestered" Minimum Tax Credit Has Been "Allowed": August 8, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; An entity organized as a corporation reported a refundable credit for a prior year minimum tax on its Form 1120, "U.S. Corporation Income Tax Return." The Internal Re...

Rumors Swirling Around HPE: August 8, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; In May, Hewlett Packard Enterprises, ("HPE"), announced a spin-off of its IT Services business. The spin-off, part of a so-called Reverse Morris Trust (RMT) transacti...

Indefinite Physical Presence Creates Domicile: August 8, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 151 Print Report; Mr. D, (D), accepted employment in Boston and began work on August 17, 1998. During a visit to Boston on August 9, 1998, D made a deposit toward the purchase of a con...

Lawsuit Seeks To Overturn "Serial Acquisition" Anti-Inversion Rule: August 5, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; A lawsuit instituted by the Chamber of Commerce of the United States and its Texas counterpart seeks to overturn the most controversial element of the April 2016 anti-inversion...

The "Heritage Transactions" Were Not "Tax Shelters": August 5, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 150 Print Report; The issue is whether Mr. William R. Canada ("C") is liable for $40,346,167.87 in penalties . The "Heritage Transactions" ("HTs&quo...

Executive MBA Expenses Ruled Deductible: August 4, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; In June 2006, petitioner accepted a position as "senior assistant controller" for the Marriott hotel in Los Angeles International Airport ("ML")....

Taxable Worker's Compensation Benefits: August 4, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 149 Print Report; Sec. 104(a)(1) of the Internal Revenue Codegenerally provides that gross income does not include "amounts received under workmen's compensation acts as...

German Lawyer Could Not Deduct Law School Expenses: August 3, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 148 Print Report; Educational expenses are deductible if the expenses maintain or improve skills required by the individual in his employment or other trade or business. Expenses are not deducti...

Linear Shareholders Will Be Taxed On Analog Stock: August 2, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Shareholders of acquired corporations generally do not pay tax on the portion of the consideration they receive that consists of stock in the acquiring corporation. However, th...

Bankrupt Taxpayer Permitted to Adjust Pension Plan: August 2, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 147 Print Report; TP is a manufacturer, supplier, and recycler of paper and corrugatedpackaging products. On January 26, 2009, TP filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 11 of t...

Bankruptcy Primer: August 2, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; “COD” Income Gross income means income from whatever source derived, unless specifically excluded. Gross income includes “income from discharge of indebtedness” (&...

SUPERVALU's Unusual Distribution: August 1, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; SUPERVALU, Inc., (SU), owns all of the stock of Save-A-Lot, Inc., (SAL). For valid business reasons, SU has decided to separate SAL from itself (the "Separation"). Or...

Is NEE Aiming For A 'G' Reorganization?: August 1, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; EFH is in bankruptcy. It conducts two businesses, a "regulated" business and a "competitive" business. Most of EFH's activities are conducted by disrega...

FASB Proposes "Robust" Income Tax Disclosures: August 1, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 146 Print Report; The adequacy of income tax disclosures has recently been called into question by investors and analysts. This focus on a company's tax situation has been precipitated by a...

SAB Miller Update: July 29, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; We understand that the format for the ABI/SAB business combination might (will?) have to be altered. Apparently, what had been envisioned as a "scheme of arrangement"...

Whole Foods Hit With New York Deficiency: July 29, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 145 Print Report; Whole Foods Market Group, Inc., ("WFMG"), a Delaware corporation, distributed and sold natural and organic food products at its retail stores throughout the United St...

Lawsuit Alleges Eaton's Spin-Off Disclosures Were False And Misleading: July 28, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Eaton Corporation engaged in one of the early "inversion" transactions, in 2012, with Cooper Industries plc as its counterparty. The parties formed a new holding comp...

Vineyards Constitute Sec. 179 Property: July 28, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 144 Print Report; TPs are individuals who attached Schedule F to their tax return, claiming to operate a vineyard business activity. In 2005, T...

Micron Technology, Inc. Moves To "Protect" Its NOLs: July 27, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Micron Technology, Inc., (MTI), on July 20th, became the latest in a long list of companies which have, with a view towards protecting one of their most valuable assets, their...

Stock Issuance Expenses Cannot Be Amortized: July 27, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 143 Print Report; Petitioner is a mining company organized under the laws of the state of Colorado in 1926 with a fixed period of existence of 20 years from its incorporation. <...

YHOO Will Sell Its "Core Business" To Verizon: July 26, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Not surprisingly, Yahoo! Inc., (YHOO), announced that it had reached an agreement with Verizon Communications, Inc., (VZ), which envisions the sale of YHOO's "core bus...

Pre-Arranged Transfer Does Not Violate Sec. 351's Control Test: July 26, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 142 Print Report; W Corporation, (W), engages in businesses A, B, and C. UnrelatedX Corporation, (X), also engages in business A through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Y Corporatio...

"Deferred Revenue" Is Not A "Built-In" Item: July 25, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 141 Print Report; On "Change Date," Taxpayer, ("TP"), through Buyer, its wholly owned subsidiary, acquired all of the stock of "Lossco." The transaction was structu...

Exxon Mobil and InterOil To Undertake An 'A' Reorganization: July 25, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Exxon Mobil Corporation ("XOM") has topped a rival's bid for InterOil Corporation ("IOC") and the latter is now enthusiastically endorsing XOM's off...

Expanding the Business Does Not Toll the Five-Year Waiting Period: July 22, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 140 Print Report; As of the first day of Year 1, LLC, a partnership for tax purposes, owns several commercial office buildings that it leases to unrelated third parties. &nbs...

Donation of a Sec. 1256 Contract Is a "Realization" Event: July 21, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 139 Print Report; A taxcontroversy concerned the Greenes' donation of the long-term capital gain portion of certain futures contracts they owned to a tax-exempt private found...

Wisconsin Lawmaker Seeks To Codify "Quill": July 20, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; One of the most significant pieces of tax jurisprudence over the last half-century is the Supreme Court's decision in Quill Corporation v. North Dakota , 504 U...

"Purchase" of House Occurs Before Transfer of Deed: July 20, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 138 Print Report; On February 21, 2007, petitioner and R, as buyers, and Js, as sellers, executed a contract. Pursuant to the contract, the Js agreed to sell and petitioner and R agree...

The I.R.S. Is Finalizing Rules On Conversion Ratio Adjustments: July 19, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Treasury Department and the I.R.S. are in the process of finalizing rules that will make it clear that certain conversion ratio ad...

Ignoring Certain Stock Leads to "Good" Forward Triangular Merger: July 19, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 137 Print Report; Target Corporation, (TC), sought to create a holding company structure in the most tax unobtrusive way possible. Step 1saw the formation by TC of a new domestic...

Sen. Wyden Sets His Sights On "Prison REITs": July 18, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Sen. Wyden, D-OR, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, has introduced a bill that would make it more difficult, but by no means impossible, for a corporation tha...

Post-Merger Loss Carrybacks: July 18, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 136 Print Report; BI was incorporated in 1965. In 1968, BE established a subsidiary shell corporation, BM. On April 23, 1970, BI was merged with andinto BM which then changed its...

I.R.S. Will Not Challenge Certain "Control Gathering" Transactions: July 18, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The most fundamental of the spin-off requirements is the so-called "control" requirement. Sec. 355(a)(1)(A) of the Code provides that, for a distribution to qualify f...

What Would A "Financial Transactions" Tax Look Like?: July 15, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; A "financial transactions tax" has been talked about on or off for the last several years. In an attempt to make a tax an issue in this year's Presidential electi...

Who Is Liable For 'S' Corporation "BIG" Tax?: July 15, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 135 Print Report; Oldco, a C corporation, made an election on Date 1 to be treated as an 'S' corporation as of Date 0. P, a State Y LLC, owned Holdco, and Holdco owned Newco, a...

I.R.S. Proposed Regulations Strengthen The "Device" Test: July 14, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Ahead of schedule, the I.R.S. issued, on July 14, 2016, proposed regulations designed to address "abuses" that had cropped up in the world of spin-offs. It is not a s...

Liquidation Does Not Trigger Deferred Installment Gain: July 14, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 134 Print Report; Taxpayer, TP, a C corporation, owned all of the stock of Corporation A, CA. In Year 1, CA sold approximately "x" acres of land and other real and personal p...

A Redemption Can Produce a Constructive Distribution: July 13, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 133 Print Report; Where a corporation redeems stock from a retiring shareholder the fact that the corporation, in purchasing the stock, satisfies the continuing shareholder's execu...

Private Bancorp Will Meet Its "Merger Condition": July 12, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Private Bancorp, Inc., (PBI), and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, (CIBC), have entered into an agreement and plan of merger pursuant to which the former will be acquired by...

Parent Precluded From Taking A Worthless Stock Deduction: July 12, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 132 Print Report; Triad Guaranty Inc., ("Debtor"), is the parent of Triad Guaranty Insurance Corp. ("TGIC"). TGIC, in turn, is the parent of Triad Guaranty Assurance Corp (&q...

Will "Hook" Stock Prevent A YHOO/BABA Business Combination?: July 12, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; If all goes according to plan, Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) will soon dispose of its "core" business, most likely in a taxable transaction, and distribute the proceeds derived...

Recent Tax and Accounting Developments

July 11, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report

ASU 2016-09. When a corporation grants an “NQO” to an employee…it recognizes compensation expense and records a tax benefit equal to the product of (i) t...

Pinnacle's Dockside Barges And Riverboats Are "Real Property": July 11, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Taxpayer, (TP), is a widely held, publicly traded State A corporation. It seems clear that TP is Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. TP is an owner, operator, and developer of casinos...

Real Property Held For Sale Is Not Used In A Trade Or Business: July 11, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 131 Print Report; 1. C is a sole proprietor engaged in the business of developing and leasing real property. In 2016, C obtains a loan of $10 million from a bank and uses the proceeds to constru...

MSC Industrial Direct Co. Embarks On An Unusual Redemption Plan: July 8, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. ("MSC") has surplus funds that it wishes to "return to shareholders." To this end, MSC is offering to purchase for cash...

"Domestic Operating Corporation": July 8, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 130 Print Report; Corporation A, (CA), is a domestic C corporation with one class of common stock outstanding. CA has not had any stock outstanding that was readily tradable on an esta...

Futures Trader Denied "60/40" Treatment: July 7, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 129 Print Report; The petitioner, (SE), trades electricity futures contracts on "exchanges". Among those exchanges are four operated by "ISOs" regulated by the Fede...

Merger Constituents Are The "Same Taxpayer" Under Sec. 6621(d): July 6, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 128 Print Report; Sec. 6621(d) of the Internal Revenue Code reads: "To the extent that, for any period, interest is payable under subchapter A and allowable under subchapter B on equivalent...

Accounting Changes For Stock Compensation Will Improve Earnings: July 5, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; McKesson Corporation, ("MCK"), recently announced that, with respect to its fiscal year ending March 31, 2017, "the company has updated its previous (earnings) g...

Lions Gate Agrees To Acquire Starz: July 5, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The much anticipated combination of Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, (LGE), a Canadian corporation, and Starz, (ST), a U.S. corporation, has now been set into motion with...

When Are Investment Properties "Similar or Related?": July 5, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 127 Print Report; TP is an Ohio corporation engaged solely in the business of investing in real estate. It owned a six-story industrial warehouse building in Cincinnati, which was leas...

PVTB To Engage In A Reorganization: July 1, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; PrivateBancorp, Inc. (PVTB) and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) announced the execution of a definitive agreement and plan of merger pursuant to which PVTB will be me...

Substantial Compliance Carries the Day: July 1, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 126 Print Report; Company, (C), maintains an employee stock ownership plan, (ESOP). In 1987, TP sold, at a substantial gain, "X" shares of C stock to the ESOP in a sale that...

Alcoa Divulges Its Separation Plan: June 30, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Alcoa, Inc. has provided some detail, in a recently filed Form 10, with respect to its ambitious plan to separate its "upstream" business from its so-called "val...

Corporate Partner Respected As Such: June 30, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 125 Print Report; Oregon may tax nonresident partners of multistate partnerships to the extent their partnership income has an Oregon source. If, however, the nonresident is not a part...

MCK To Form A Joint Venture: June 29, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; McKesson Corporation, (MCK), announced a rather complicated transaction in which it will join forces with Change Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (CHCI), a private entity, with respec...

Income From Storing Natural Gas Is "Good" MLP Income: June 29, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 124 Print Report; X is the common parent of a consolidated group of corporations. PRS is a limited partnership. PRS's sole general partner is Y, a member of X's consolidated gr...

Working Interest Owner Subject To Self-Employment Tax: June 28, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Mr. M owns "working interests" of two to three percent in various oil and gas ventures. Mr. M, as is customary, entered into both a purchase agreement and an operatin...

The Limited Scope of Sec. 246(c)(1)(B): June 28, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 123 Print Report; In 1973, X corporation, (X), entered into employment agreements with two employees pursuant to which X transferred to each shares of common stock of four corporations...

ETE Scores An Improbable Victory: June 27, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 122 Print Report; Against all odds, the Delaware Chancery Court ruled on Friday, June 24th, that Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. ("ETE" or the "Partnership"), in connection with...

NSAM Update: June 27, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; In early June, the Treasury Department issued regulations designed to "discourage" REIT conversions on the part of C corporations that had participated in tax-free sp...

Nonresidents Cannot Be Taxed On "Retirement Income": June 27, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Petitioner participated in several nonqualified deferred compensation plans during his employment in New York. These plans provided retirement, disability and termination benef...

"Processing" a Natural Resource: June 24, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 121 Print Report; X, a publicly-traded partnership, (MLP or PTP), owns and operates an aluminum smelter. The production of aluminum involves three steps, the last of which happens to b...

Calculating The Sec. 108(c) Exclusion Amount: June 23, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 120 Print Report; TP owns two items of real property used in a trade or business, Property A and Property B. At the time of the debt forgiveness, Property A had a fair market value of "$a&q...

Amortizable Sec. 197 Intangibles: June 22, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 119 Print Report; A, married individuals, began operating a cardroom and entertainment business as a partnership. Eventually, A incorporated the business, operating a restaurant and ca...

Latham & Watkins Will Not Be Deterred: June 21, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Apparently, yesterday, at the hearing conducted in Delaware Chancery Court regarding the WMB/ETE deal, we had a rare "Court Holding Company" sighting. This...

Pennsylvania's "Sec. 382 Limitation" Is Unconstitutional: June 21, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 118 Print Report; Taxpayer ("TP") is a Delaware corporation with headquarters in New York. TP was wholly owned by R corporation, and R corporation, in turn, was wholly owned by RBA cor...

Equipment Not Used To "Process" Tangible Personal Property: June 20, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; SRI is an oil and gas exploration and production company. It purchased and paid sales tax on equipment, materials, and associated services related to its oil and gas production...

"Seller's Option" and the DRD: June 20, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 117 Print Report; TP is a life insurance company. TP derives its income primarily through the collection of premiums from its policyholders and the investment of those premiums in stoc...

FASB To Eliminate Deferred Tax Exception: June 17, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Transactions between members of a consolidated group are not recognized for financial accounting purposes. The gains and losses arising from such transactions are "elimina...

Direct Taxation vs. Excise Taxation: June 17, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 116 Print Report; Congress enacted the Housing Act of 1937 which was designed to stimulate local financing of housing projects by empowering state and local housing authorities to issu...

Estate's Beneficiaries Denied Capital Loss Deduction: June 16, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 115 Print Report; Decedent, D, died on Date 1. D's will provided that D's spouse received the entire residuary estate in trust for life, with the residue divided equally among...

Forfeiture Of Insider Trading Profits Is A Fine Or Similar Penalty: June 15, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 114 Print Report; From 1997 to 2001, Joseph P. Nacchio, ("N"), served as the high-profile CEO of Qwest Communications International, Inc., ("Q"). In April 2001, N exercised o...

Energy Future Holdings (EFH) Discloses A Tax Problem: June 14, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; One of the more complicated bankruptcies in U.S. history, fittingly, involves the subject of one of the largest LBOs in U.S. history, the LBO and bankruptcy of Energy Future Hol...

Assignment of Litigation Claim Does Not Result In Income: June 14, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 113 Print Report; Y and CO hold "w" and "x" percent beneficial interests, respectively, in a trust ("the Trust") created under the will of C. &n...

Liberty Interactive Will Effect A "Split-Off" Of Liberty Expedia Holdings: June 13, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Liberty Interactive has announced that it is proceeding with its plan to separate its stake its Expedia, Inc., but will do so by means of a "split-off" (in which shar...

Deemed Asset Acquisition Not A "Covered" Transaction: June 13, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; On December 31, 2012, the shareholders of T, an 'S' corporation, sold all their stock to ACQ for "$x" (the "Transaction"). T and ACQ jointly elected...

Discharged Debt Of A "Disregarded Entity": June 13, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 112 Print Report; Sec. 61(a)(12) of the Internal Revenue Code provides that "income from discharge of indebtedness" (popularly known as "COD" income) is includible in gross i...

Good News On NSAM: June 10, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The other day we reported that the Treasury Department had issued temporary regulations designed to penalize certain "conversion transactions" (i.e., transa...

T-Mobile Will Issue Stock To Its Customers: June 10, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; T-Mobile US, Inc. (TMUS) will be issuing shares of its common stock to certain of its customers to reward them both for their loyalty and for their assistance in signing up new...

Valuing Consideration For "COI" Purposes: June 10, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 111 Print Report; For a merger to qualify as a reorganization, it must, among other requirements, satisfy the "continuity of interest" ("COI") test. COI requires that a subst...

Income From Sale of "RINs" Is Qualifying Income: June 9, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 110 Print Report; Company, (C),is a publicly-traded limited partnership (PTP or MLP). C is engaged in a substantial pipeline operations business involving approximately "a&q...

Apportioning DISH's Subscription Receipts: June 8, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 109 Print Report; Petitioner is a multistate taxpayer organized under the laws of the State of Nevada with principal executive offices located in Englewood, Colorado. Petitioner provides direct...

Treasury Attacks "Conversion Transactions" Following Spin-Offs: June 8, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The Treasury Department feels that Congress's efforts to discourage REIT spin-offs were too timid. Accordingly, the Department has issued temporary regulations that it beli...

TROW Will Make A Voluntary Payment To Certain Of Its Funds: June 8, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., (TROW) announced that it will be paying nearly $200 million "to compensate certain clients for a proxy voting error the firm made in connection...

New REIT Spin-off Regulations: June 7, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The Treasury Department has issued regulations that make it untenable for a corporation that participated in a tax-free spin-off to merge with an existing REIT. While...

Intangible Property Holding Companies and Nexus: June 7, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 108 Print Report; In The Classics Chicago, Inc. v. Maryland Comptroller of the Treasury , Md. Ct. Spec. App., No. 2047, January 4, 2010, the issue was whether The...

The Last "Opco/Propco" Spin-Off?: June 6, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc., (Hilton Parent), has filed a Form 10 with respect to the company's imminent spin-off of each of Park Hotels & Resorts, Inc., (PK), and...

FINRA Is An Agency Or Instrumentality Of The U.S. Government: June 6, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The issue is whether the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") is a "corporation or other entity serving as an agency or instrumentality" of the...

Item of Property: June 6, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 107 Print Report; V is the sole owner of JVT. JVT was a C corporation during 2005 but has subsequently elected 'S' corporation status. V "materially participated" in...

Termination of Contract Precipitates Partial Liquidation: June 3, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 106 Print Report; X was engaged in the business of purchasing steel from foreign steel mills for resale to customers in the U.S. All of the stock of X was owned by its president and hi...

Should YHOO "Monetize" Its BABA Stake?: June 2, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; SoftBank Group Corp. ("SBG") has announced a plan, which has by now been widely publicized, to divest a significant amount of its stock in Alibaba Group Holding...

Cell Phone Providers Not "Telephone Companies": June 2, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 105 Print Report; Petitioners are engaged in the business of providing wireless communication services, or "cell phone" services, via radio waves within South Carolina....

BHI Should Enjoy Tax Benefits From Redemption Of KHC Preferred Stock: June 1, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. (BHI) has a very large investment in the Series A preferred stock of Kraft Heinz Company (KHC). The stated value of such preferred stock is $8 billion....

Determining Ownership For Withholding Purposes: June 1, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 104 Print Report; TP is a domestic bank that acts as a stock transfer/dividend paying agent for various U.S. corporations, including DC. TP is responsible for withholding U.S. taxes on...

Anatomy Of A "Reverse Morris Trust" Transaction: May 31, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The recently announced transaction involving Computer Sciences Corp. (Chicago) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (Houston) is a "textbook" reverse Morris Trust (...

No FTHBC For Purchase of Remaining Interest in Residence: May 31, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 103 Print Report; In 1954, petitioner's parents purchased a residence (FR). In the 1970s, petitioner's parents paid off the mortgage on the FR. In 1993, petitioner moved back i...

Identifying The "Income Producing Activity": May 27, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 102 Print Report; AT&T, (T), for the years 1996-1999, paid Massachusetts, (M), corporation franchise taxes in the amount of $7,706,624. In October, 2005, T filed an application for...

Education Expense Regulations Are Valid: May 26, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 101 Print Report; S earned a bachelor's degree in accounting. In 1990, he began working as a tax-return preparer. In 1995, he became an "enrolled agent," a person authorized to rep...

Advance Payments Must Be Included In Gross Income: May 25, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 100 Print Report; On May 1, 2015, T, a corporation, received $120x as an "advance payment" for a two-year contract to provide services. For federal income tax purposes, T uses the Defe...

HPE And CSC Choose A Reverse Morris Trust Transaction: May 25, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Hewlett Packard Enterprise ("HPE") will spin-off its Enterprise Services business ("spinco") to its shareholders. Immediately thereafter, and as part of the...

Alexza Pharmaceuticals Acquisition To Feature "CVRs": May 24, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Grupo Ferrer Internacional S.A., through a newly-created U.S. subsidiary, Ferrer Pharma, Inc., (FPI), has reached an agreement to acquire the stock of Alexza Pharmaceuticals, I...

Taxpayer Successfully Changed His Domicile to Florida: May 24, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 99 Print Report; Mr. K has owned a home in Pennsylvania, (P), for the past 46 years, and in 1982 he bought a home in Florida. Since 1982, it has been his practice to spend part of the...

I.R.S. Readies Rules Expanding Repeal Of The "GU" Doctrine: May 23, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; We learned last week that the I.R.S. is preparing to issue guidance that will, apparently, change the ground rules with respect to spin-offs of corporations that, in addition t...

Closed Year Deductions Can Be the Subject of a Sec. 481 Adjustment: May 23, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 98 Print Report; Beginning in J, TP initiated a legal action against A and B. The litigation continued until TP and A executed a settlement agreement on Date 1, Taxable Year L, resolv...

Spin-Offs Of Foreign Subsidiaries Entail Some “Tax Leakage”: May 20, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 97 Print Report; Johnson Controls’ announcement of its plan to spin-off Adient plc, a U.K. subsidiary of Johnson Controls, has touched off speculation that the next chapter of t...

FTI And TEC Will Decamp To The U.K.: May 19, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Technip S.A. (TEC) and FMC Technologies, Inc. (FTI) have announced a business combination that will result in FTI becoming a subsidiary of a newly-formed U.K corporation, FMC T...

Reorganization Primer: May 19, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 96 Print Report; Where one corporation acquires the stock or assets of another corporation, and the transaction qualifies as a "reorganization" within the meaning of Sec. 368(a)(1...

Tax Court Finds Compensation To "Concrete" Executives Reasonable: May 18, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 95 Print Report; Petitioner operated a concrete contracting business throughout the state of Arizona. Petitioner, a C corporation, was incorporated in 1974 by HWJ and MJ, husband and wife. B an...

Terex Changes Course: May 17, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; One of the more low-key, under the radar, inversions from this modern era of cross-border transactions was the combination involving Terex Corporation (T) and Konecranes plc (K...

"Unilateral" Contract Satisfies "All Events" Test: May 17, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 94 Print Report; Giant Eagle ("GE") operates a chain of supermarkets...gas stations.... GE uses the accrual method of accounting. Under the "fuelperks" promotion, for every...

How Will TWC's Shareholders Be Taxed?: May 16, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Now that the historic combination of Time Warner Cable, Inc. (TWC) and Charter Communications, Inc. (CCI) appears to be nearing completion, questions have arisen regarding how...

Sale of Partnership Interest Gives Rise To Capital Gain or Loss: May 16, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 93 Print Report; Petitioner is a management consultant who was associated full-time with a large New York City consulting firm. Although he was employed full time, petitioner sought a...

A Conversion Is a Recapitalization: May 13, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 92 Print Report; X Corporation, (X), has shares of voting common stock and non-voting preferred stock outstanding. All of the common stock is owned by employees. ...

FASB Proposes To Simplify The Goodwill "Impairment" Test: May 13, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Goodwill (and other indefinite lived intangible assets) acquired in a business combination shall not be amortized. Instead, in lieu of amortization, goodwill is required to be...

Facebook To Pay Stock Dividend: May 12, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Facebook, Inc., (FB), has two classes of stock outstanding, a "high vote" class (Class B common stock); and a "low vote" class (Class A common stock). The f...

Miller Brewing Taxed on Sales to Hoosier Customers: May 12, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 91 Print Report; Miller Brewing Company, (MB), is a Wisconsin corporation engaged in the production and sale of malt beverage products. Under...

Ohio Cannot Tax Nonresident Capital Gains: May 11, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 90 Print Report; In 2000, Mr. Patton R. Corrigan, ("C"), a resident of Connecticut, acted in concert with business associates to acquire the assets of Mansfield Plumbing, ("MP&qu...

ILG Allays "FIRPTA" Concerns: May 10, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; It had recently been concluded that a foreign person's gain from the exchange of Vistana stock for that of ILG in the upcoming merger would have to be "taken...

CFC Did Not Generate "FBCSI": May 10, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 89 Print Report; TP is a domestic corporation. TP is a leading global provider of Products. TP owns all of the shares of certain controlled foreign corporations, (CFCs), including X,...

SEC Disgorgement Payment Not Deductible: May 9, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; In 1977, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA") was enacted. The FCPA contains both anti-bribery and accounting provisions. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and th...

Qualifying Income Arises From "Non-Ag" Sales Of Fertilizers: May 9, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The I.R.S., after a lengthy pause which produced controversial proposed regulations, has begun issuing private letter rulings regarding an entity's qualification for the ex...

Payments to Former Spouse Not "Alimony": May 9, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 88 Print Report; In June, 1992, petitioner married his former spouse, and had two children with her during their marriage. In January, 2008, petitioner and his former spouse separated...

The "Cost Of Capital" Is A Deductible Cost: May 6, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 87 Print Report; Colorado levies a tax on income generated from the extraction of nonrenewable natural resources, such as natural gas, from within the state, the so-called "severance"...

REIT Tender Offer And Merger Should Qualify As A Reorganization: May 6, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Annaly Corp. Management, Inc. (ACM), through its wholly-owned subsidiary, RMS, is offering to exchange, for each outstanding shares of common stock of Hatteras Financial Corpor...

A Distribution By YHOO Should Be "Tax Advantaged": May 5, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; As YHOO inches closer to a disposition of its "core" business, we have been asked on several occasions what the tax consequences of a distribution by YHOO of the proc...

Downstairs Business Combination Is A 'C' Reorganization: May 5, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 86 Print Report; Target is a State A corporation that is engaged in Business A. Target has one class of voting common stock outstanding. Shareholder, ("SH"), owns all of the outstandi...

ETE Shows Its Hand: May 4, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; An S-4 filing released today clarifies the nature of the dispute between ETE and WMB regarding the now infamous "Sec. 721(a) opinion" that (i) is a condition of the d...

N.J. "Interest Add-Back" Not Unreasonable: May 4, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 85 Print Report; The Treasury Department recently issued proposed regulations which, under a broad range of circumstances, would classify intercompany indebtedness as stock, thus denying the pu...

IP Secures A "Basis Step-Up": May 3, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Buyers of assets and businesses always seek, whenever possible, to secure a "cost" basis in the target's assets. Such a cost basis maximizes the buyer's "...

Status of Popular Deals: May 3, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Williams/ETE Lawyers for ETE are currently unable to render a "Sec. 721(a)" opinion with respect to the transfer of assets from ETC to ETE. Why not? S...

Successor Can Deduct Option Cancellation Payments: May 3, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 84 Print Report; Employees, (E), were employees of A Corporation, (A), and B Corporation, (B). A and B granted nonstatutory options to E to purchase common stock in those corporations...

Brocade Will Cause "A Ruckus": May 2, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (BCS) has entered into a plan and agreement pursuant to which it will acquire all of the stock of Ruckus Wireless, Inc. (RWI). Although a s...

ROVI To Acquire TIVO And "Protect" Its NOLs: May 2, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Rovi Corporation (ROVI) and TiVo, Inc. (TIVO) announced that the former will acquire the latter "for $10.70 in cash and stock for total consideration of approximately $1.1...

Inherited IRAs: May 2, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 83 Print Report; Petitioner's mother, CM, had maintainedan I.R.A. with Morgan Stanley. CM died in 2005. On July 7, 2006, Morgan Stanley distributed the remaining balance fro...

Abbott's Acquisition of St. Jude Should Qualify As A "Reorganization": April 29, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Abbott Laboratories (AL) and St. Jude Medical, Inc. (SJM) have announced a plan and agreement calling for the acquisition of the latter by the former. The transaction will be s...

Functional Use Determines Asset Class: April 29, 2016 - Volume 10 issue 82 Print Report; TP is an energy service company that has two primary businesses: Utility, an integrated electric utility, and Wholesale, a wholesale energy business....

Adient plc Should Not Be A "Surrogate Foreign Corporation": April 28, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; In conjunction with its acquisition by Tyco, Johnson Controls, Inc., (JCI) will be distributing the stock of a corporation, Adient plc, (A), which will conduct JCI's "...

CATM To Engage In A "Self-Inversion": April 28, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Cardtronics, Inc. (CATM), "the world's largest ATM owner/operator," announced a "plan of redomicile" to change its parent's location of incorporatio...

Can A Financial Instrument Be Both Debt and Equity?: April 28, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 81 Print Report; Ordinarily, the characterization of an instrument for tax purposes is an all-or-nothing proposition: the instrument is either debt or equity, but not both. The fact t...

Spouse Did Not Inherit Decedent's Minimum Tax Credits: April 27, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 80 Print Report; Petitioner was married to WV from September 1, 2002 until his death on August 21, 2004. Before their marriage, WV was married to MV until their marriage ended in divorce in Jan...

Other Tax Attributes Can Fall Victim To An Ownership Change: April 26, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Where a loss corporation experiences an "ownership change," certain limits are imposed on the amount of taxable income, for any taxable year ending after the change d...

Reverse Acquisition Not Found: April 26, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 79 Print Report; P and T areeach thecommon parents of separateaffiliated groups, which have filed consolidated income tax returns for the years immediately preceding...

Natural Gas Gathering Pipeline Systems Are Seven Year Property: April 25, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 78 Print Report; Natural gas production is a multi-step process. These stepsinclude extraction of the gas from the earth, processing to make it marketable, and transportation to...

Retroactive Tax Increase Not Unconstitutional: April 22, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 77 Print Report; Mr. SK died on March 22, 2002. At the time of his death, Mr. SK's taxable estate was valued at $5,394,851 with $438,182 due in New Jersey estate tax, which was du...

Installment Reporting Allowed Despite Receipt of CDs: April 21, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 76 Print Report; In 1982, the Silvermans (S) owned 29,162 shares of stock in Olympic Savings and Loan Association (O). Coast Savings and Loan Association (C), a mutual savings and loa...

Vistana Is A "U.S. Real Property Holding Corporation": April 20, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The "break-up" of Starwood is one of the more complex transactions we have encountered. It involves, in total, a spin-off (or perhaps a split-off) and two mergers, in...

A True Bargain Purchase: April 20, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 75 Print Report; Immediately prior to November 28, 1973, all ofthe outstanding stock of C was held by husband, (H), and wife, (W). On No...

What Does Sec. 721 Entail?: April 19, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; In the Williams/ETE transaction, Williams is slated to merge with and into a new corporation, ETC, and the latter will issue in exchange for Williams’ shares a...

Guarantee Does Not Create Recourse Liability: April 19, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 74 Print Report; If a partner's guarantee of a partnership's nonrecourse obligation is conditioned on the occurrence of certain "nonrecourse carve out events," does the guaran...

A Brief History Of Inversions: April 19, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Because foreign source income of foreign corporations is not subject to U.S. tax, many U.S. corporations find it advantageous to “segregate” their foreign...

A Director Is Carrying on a Trade or Business: April 18, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 73 Print Report; X was the investment advisor to the various Z mutual funds. X merged with and into a wholly-owned subsidiary of Y, XX. The X shareholders received Y stock in exchange...

Political Campaign Expenditures Not Deductible: April 18, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; TP, a corporation, is prohibited by the Federal Election Campaign Act ("FECA") from contributing to federal election campaigns. TP established "PAC," which...

Inversions Are Not Dead: April 15, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The theory that the Treasury Department regulations have effectively killed inversion transactions is being sorely tested by a deal announced today that, from what we can glean...

Pre-Planned Sale of Stock Does Not Affect "Control" Requirement: April 15, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 72 Print Report; H Corporation (H) owned all of the stock of P Corporation (P). Some 88 percent ofH's single class of commonstock was owned by the members of a family...

Delphi Scores Impressive Victory Over I.R.S.: April 14, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The I.R.S. had been pursuing Delphi Automotive plc, (DAP), the parent of Delphi Automotive LLP, (DAL), for additional taxes growing out of its assertion that DAL was a "su...

Acquisition Of Stock Not A "Purchase": April 14, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 71 Print Report; P owns all the stock of Sub 1, Sub 2, and Sub 3. P has owned Sub 1 and Sub 2 for over five years. P acquired the stock of Sub 3 in a taxable transaction on Date 1....

I.R.S. Updates Rules Regarding "Deemed" Stock Distributions: April 13, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Sec. 305(a) of the Internal Revenue Code provides that gross income does not include distributions of stock by the distributing corporation with respect to that corporation'...

Sec. 338(h)(10) Election Does Not Justify New Apportionment Formula: April 13, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 70 Print Report; The stock of TP, a wholly-owned subsidiary of X, was sold to Y. The stock sale was treated as a deemed asset sale under Sec. 338(h)(10) of the Internal Revenue Code....

Benefits From Privately Funded Sources: April 12, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 69 Print Report; The applicant is a public university (probably the University of Missouri)that was created by the laws of the State of Missouri. The applicant pays benefits fro...

Treasury Proposes Sweeping Overhaul Of Debt/Equity Determinations: April 11, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The question of whether a financial instrument is properly characterized as indebtedness or equity has been debated, with no definitive resolution, since the inception of the t...

"Qui Tam" Award Is Ordinary Income: April 11, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 68 Print Report; Mr. JA, (JA),was the C.F.O. of NV Hospital in Montana. In 1990, Q, an affiliate of HCA, began managing the hospital. Q...

Reimbursements of "Advancements" Not Gross Income: April 8, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 67 Print Report; The taxpayer, TP, is a regulated investment company, RIC,under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. TP established S Corporation, S, a wholly-owned subsid...

Temporary Regulations Impact Baxalta/Shire Deal: April 7, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; While most of the attention, from a tax viewpoint, paid to the Baxalta, Inc./Shire plc transaction has focused on whether Shire's acquisition of the stock of Baxalta could...

UBTI and Partnerships: April 7, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 66 Print Report; Early in 1996, TP's I.R.A. purchased a limited partnership interest in P, a nonpublicly traded partnership. P serves independent tire retailers through volume pur...

Resident Alien's NOL Can Be Carried to NRA Years: April 6, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 65 Print Report; TP, a Country A national, is a resident alien. LLC is a State limited liability company wholly owned by TP. LLC is engaged in Business X within and without the United...

Temporary Regulations Turn PFE Into An "Expatriated Entity": April 5, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; While we are having a hard time discerning precisely where the "authority" for Treasury's latest pronouncement comes from, the fact remains that this guidance has...

Sale and Repurchase Does Not Produce Bona Fide Loss: April 5, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 64 Print Report; Mr. HRF, (HRF), created two trusts for his two sons and in 1969 the trustsenjoyed large capital gains from the sale of certain stock. To offset these gains, the...

FASB Proposes Major Changes For Stock Compensation Arrangements: April 4, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The accounting for stock based compensation arrangements has always been controversial and at times contentious. The latest battle is over whether it is proper to exclude stock...

Starwood Will Undertake Multiple "Morris Trust" Transactions: April 4, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Now that Anbang has withdrawn its offer for Starwood (HOT), the stage is set for HOT to be acquired by Marriott International, Inc. (MII). However, before such acquisition take...

Father's Redemption Is a Complete Termination of Interest: April 4, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 63 Print Report; Company, (C), was incorporated under the laws of State on Date 1. C has one class of common stock issued and outstanding, all owned by Father, (F). &n...

Gain From Sale of "Carbon Credits" Is Not FPHCI: April 1, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 62 Print Report; TP is a real estate investment trust, (REIT). TP owns all of the stock of FC. FC is a controlled foreign corporation, (CFC)....

When Is COD Income Measured?: March 31, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 61 Print Report; As of Date 1, the TP Group, (TPG), had a consolidated Net Operating Loss (CNOL). On Date 2, and periodically thereafter, TP and "a" of its affiliates commen...

Continued Employment Taints Redemption: March 30, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 60 Print Report; A corporation's stock was owned entirely by a father, (F), and his son, (S). The corporation redeemedF's entire stock interest. &n...

Bank's Exchange Of Parent's Debt For Sub's Securities Respected: March 29, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; P is the common parent of an affiliated group of domestic corporations (the D Group). D is a wholly-owned subsidiary of P and is the issuer of all the "external" debt...

Can Liberty Interactive's Deferred Tax Liabilities Be Mitigated?: March 29, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 59 Print Report; Liberty Interactive Corporation, ("LIC"), has recorded on its books a deferred tax liability captioned "Discount on Exchangeable Debentures." The amount of...

Pinnacle Will Pay A "Property Dividend": March 28, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. (PINN) has been pursuing an "opco/propco" transaction for quite some time. It appears that the transaction is now on the verge of being c...

Emotional Distress Does Not Warrant Exclusion From Gross Income: March 28, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 58 Print Report; Before January 3, 2008, petitioner worked for Siemens, (S), as a trainer assigned to S's client, hospital. Petitioner's job duties included training hospital...

Has LinnCo Made An Offer You Cannot Refuse?: March 24, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; LinnCo, LLC, (LNCO), has elected to be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes. LNCO's only assets are limited partnership interests in its affiliate, Linn...

Sec. 1033 Requires "Continuity of Business Enterprise": March 24, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 57 Print Report; From 1938 until December 7, 1941, when hostilities commenced between the United States and Japan, petitioner operated a sole proprietorship engaged in the general imp...

Marriott Sweetens Its Offer: March 23, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Marriott International, Inc., (M), has come back with a higher offer for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., (S), which the latter has found acceptable. Accordingly,...

Sale Of Minority Equity Stake Produces "Business Income": March 23, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 56 Print Report; Fidelity National Financial (FNF) owned 75 percent of the stock of Fidelity National Information Services (FIS) through 2006. After 2006, FNF distributed its FIS stock to its s...

Incorporation Generates Constructive Distribution: March 22, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 55 Print Report; Company, (C), is a holding company. C has outstanding 438 shares of Series A common stock and 437 shares of Series B common stock, all of which are owned by P....

I.R.S. Finally Releases Baxter's Spin-Off Ruling: March 21, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Baxter International, Inc. received an I.R.S. ruling with respect to the spin-off of Baxalta on April 1, 2015. The spin-off occurred several months later. Ordinarily, the rulin...

IHS Narrowly Avoids "Inversion" Status For Cross Border Deal: March 21, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; In the face of seemingly heightened attention being paid to cross border deals, what with articles in Tax Notes by learned professors and a flurry of legislative proposals, IHS...

No Taxable Income Generated by Redemption "Discount": March 21, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 54 Print Report; Fund, (F), is an open-end diversified management investment company. It is the intention of F to qualify for and elect tax treatmentas a regulated investment co...

"Dealer Cash" Is Includible in Gross Income: March 18, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 53 Print Report; Klein Honda, (KH), is an automobile dealership conducting business in the state of Washington. KH and other Honda dealers must purchase vehicles from Honda.

FASB Simplifies The Equity Method Of Accounting: March 17, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Under the venerable equity method of accounting, an investor recognizes its proportionate share of the earnings or losses of the equity method "investee..." In additi...

The 21 Club Is Liable for Sales Tax: March 17, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 52 Print Report; The taxpayer, the famed 21 Club, Inc. (21),operates a restaurant and catering business that offers the use of audiovisual (AV) equipment to its catering custome...

Standing Timber is Real Property: March 16, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 51 Print Report; C is a State A limited partnership whose units have been traded on the New York Stock Exchange since Year 1. C is Plum Creek Timber, L.P. C is engaged in growing and...

Making a Loan Is Not the Performance of a Service: March 15, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 50 Print Report; In Month A, Owner, (O), acquired all of the stock of Company, (C). In Month B, C filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. On Date D,...

Senators Propose Anti-Inversion Legislation: March 14, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Democratic Senators, just last week, proposed "anti-inversion" legislation that they must know has no chance of passage, at least by the present Congress. Presumably,...

Income From "Flowback" Is MLP Qualifying Income: March 14, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 49 Print Report; X is a corporation which wasorganized under the laws of State. X intends to form Y under the laws of State and cause Y to become a publicly traded partnership (...

Bob Evans' Spin-Off Fears Seem Unfounded: March 11, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Today's Wall Street Journal contains an article describing a dispute between Sandell Asset Management Corporation and the board of directors of Bob Evans Farms, Inc. (BEFI)...

TARP Recipient Status Is A Sec. 381 Item: March 11, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 48 Print Report; FP owns all of the stock of TP. TP is the common parent of a consolidated group. On Date 2, FP acquired all the stock of T. Immediately after FP acquired T, FP caused T to merg...

"Dual" Use Property And Sec. 1031: March 10, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 47 Print Report; Mr. A, an individual, owns aircraft through a single-member LLC. Mr. A and Mr. A's LLC have some business and investment needs for the aircraft. &nbs...

"Bargain Purchase": March 9, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; One of the more unusual deals we have ever encountered is currently unfolding in the real estate space. ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc., (ARMOUR), through a newly-created subsidi...

Damages Can Be "Wages": March 9, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 46 Print Report; W was an employee of X Corporation, (X), from 1972 until May 21, 1979. Upon termination if his services,W filed a complaint against X requesting damages in the...

"Timely" Determination Of True "STI" Not Required In Sec. 482 Cases: March 8, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 45 Print Report; Guidant Corporation (GC) is a U.S. corporation that from 2001 through 2006 was the parent of an affiliated group that included CPI, CTS, GSC, ACS, and EVT (the Guidant group)....

Endo Secures A "Worthless Stock" Deduction: March 7, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Endo International plc, an Irish corporation, was formed to facilitate the "inversion" of Endo Health Solutions, Inc., a domestic corporation. It is important to note...

Debt or Deferred Income?: March 7, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 44 Print Report; Mr. Z and Mrs. Z each owned 50 percent of petitioner's common stock. P's principal business has been the ownership and operation of two gasoline stations/conv...

Can HRG "Unlock" The Value In Spectrum Brands?: March 4, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; HRG Group, Inc. (HRG) owns 57.9 percent of the stock of Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. (SBH). It also owns stock in FGL which is on the verge of being sold by HRG for what appe...

Momentary Ownership of Securities Does Not Terminate REIT Status: March 4, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 43 Print Report; TP is a real estate investment trust, (REIT). TP is in the business of owning or leasing the Properties, which are primarily leased to, and operated by, Lessee, (L).<...

Investment Assets Generate "Nonbusiness Income": March 3, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 42 Print Report; Plaintiff acquired a 40 percent interest in S in 2006. Plaintiff entered into a Management Agreement with S. Plaintiff sold approximately 1/5 of its interest in S in 2008. Plai...

Cuba "Recognized" For Certain U.S. Income Tax Purposes: March 2, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Sec. 901, Sec. 902, and Sec. 960 of the Internal Revenue Code generally allow United States taxpayers to claim a "foreign tax credit" with respect to income, war prof...

Theft Loss Not Yet "Sustained": March 2, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 41 Print Report; Donald & Co. Securities, Inc. ("D") was a broker-dealer of securities registered with the SEC and the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD). Unbeknown...

Hilton Will Create A REIT: March 1, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc. ("H") accurately describes itself as "one of the leading hospitality companies in the world," with a total of 4,610 hotels,...

Tax Issues For Investors In Foreign Stocks--A Primer: March 1, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 40 Print Report; Most investors who diversify their portfolios with foreign stocks do so by means of American Depository Receipts ("ADRs"), as opposed to a direct purchase of the &quo...

REIT's Property Not Held "Primarily For Sale To Customers": February 29, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; TP has elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (REIT). TP owns and leases residential real estate to third parties. LP owns all of TP's voting common stock. T...

Forbearance Payments Ruled Deductible: February 29, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 39 Print Report; On Date 1, C and B entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement ("Agreement") for the sale of C's subsidiaries, X and Y, to B. B included the two corporat...

New Jersey Rules On "Add Back" Of Related Member Interest Expense: February 26, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; N.J.S.A. 54:10A-4(k)(2)(I) requires corporations to add back (i.e., refrain from deducting) interest expenses that were deducted as an expense and paid to a "related membe...

E-Books Are Not "Information Services": February 26, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 38 Print Report; The taxpayer, (P), a California corporation, stores a digitized catalog of electronic books ("E-Books") available for sale to customers bothinside and...

Stock Sale Gain Is Foreign Personal Holding Company Income: February 25, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 37 Print Report; Petitioner is the successor-in-interest to CUS, a Delaware corporation. CM, a third-tier wholly-owned Malaysian subsidiary of CUS manufactured disk drives in Malaysia...

Temporary Investment of New Capital Is a Real Estate Asset: February 24, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 36 Print Report; In Month X, Trust, (T), completed a private offering of subscriptions for "$a" worth of shares of its common stock and "$b" worth of itsconv...

New Earnings Stripping Legislation: February 23, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Rep. Levin, one of the most determined foes of cross border merger transactions, has introduced, yet again, legislation in the House of Representatives that would ren...

Sec. 212 Expenses Must Be "Ordinary and Necessary": February 23, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 35 Print Report; The managing officers and controlling shareholders of a corporation induced taxpayer to sell her stock to them by fraud. Taxpayer brought suit and recovered judgment...

Reflections on Professor Shay's Tax Notes' Article: February 22, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Professor Shay and several colleagues have come up with additional proposals, which he hopes will be adopted by the Treasury Department (either in the regulations Tre...

Forgiveness Of MLP Debt: February 22, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The precipitous decline in oil prices may eventually lead to a widespread restructuring of debt burdens with respect to those master limited partnerships ("MLPs") who...

"Deemed" Dividends are Taxable: February 22, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 34 Print Report; TP is considering electing 'S' corporation status. Because TP has accumulated earnings and profits (E&P), there is a possibility that the 'S' elec...

Hybrid Instrument Characterized as Equity: February 19, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 33 Print Report; Each of Fund 1 through Fund 32 is a closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Each Fund has elected to be treated...

Delayed Conversion Ratio Setting Not a Deemed Distribution: February 18, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 32 Print Report; Corporation, (C), has two classes of stock outstanding. The first class is common stock which is widely-held and publicly traded on a national exchange. The second cl...

Dell/EMC Transaction Depends On Legal Opinion: February 17, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The proxy materials describing the landmark transaction between Dell Computer and EMC Corporation indicate that the consummation of the transaction is conditioned on, among oth...

Accuracy-Related Penalty Imposed On Law Firm: February 17, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 31 Print Report; Petitioner is a law firm organized as a C corporation. It computes its taxable income using the cash receipts and disbursements method of accounting. Petitioner's sharehold...

Darden's Ruling Confirms That "Size" (Of Active Business) Is Irrelevant: February 16, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; LTR 201607003, November 5, 2015, appears to be the ruling that Darden Restaurants, Inc. requested with respect to its "opco/propco" formation. The ruling was requeste...

FASB Proposes Changes In Classification Of Certain Cash Flows: February 16, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; In a Proposed Accounting Standards Update recently released for "exposure," FASB has determined to standardize how certain cash outflows and inflows should be classif...

Merger Characterized as a Theft: February 16, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 30 Print Report; A and B, while shareholders of U and V which were retail companies, entered into an agreement and plan of reorganization with W, a publicly traded corporation. The tr...

Real Estate "Professional" Must "Materially Participate": February 12, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 29 Print Report; The petitioner, (AP), was self-employed in 2005 as a real estate loan agent and broker and reported her income and loss from her real estate businesson Schedule...

Qualified Performance-Based Compensation: February 11, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 28 Print Report; X Corporation, (X), and Y Corporation, (Y), are publicly held corporations within the meaning of Sec. 162(m)(2). Both maintain plans under which participating employe...

Fortis To Acquire ITC Holdings: February 10, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Clearly, the benefits to be gained from a "cross border" merger are not the exclusive preserve of the pharmaceutical and tech industries. We now have one of the first...

Constructive Stock Dividends (on Preferred Stock) Are Taxable: February 10, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 27 Print Report; X Corporation, (X), was merged with and into Y Corporation, (Y), in a reorganization qualifying under Sec. 368(a)(1)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code. The X shareholde...

The PFE/AGN Deal Is Not An "Inversion": February 9, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 26 Print Report; An acquisition by a foreign corporation of a domestic corporation is an "inversion" if, and only if, three conditions are each met: (i) the foreign corporat...

Revisiting Yahoo! Inc.'s Controversial Spin-Off: February 8, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) is currently pursuing what it refers to as a "reverse spin-off," a transaction different from the "forward" spin-off it had been pursuing...

Not a "Meaningless Act": February 8, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 25 Print Report; Corporation C, (C),a foreign corporation, owned all of the stock of Corporation B, (B),also a foreign corporation. B, in turn, owned all of the outstandin...

SYMC To Pay A "Special Dividend": February 5, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Symantec Corporation (SYMC) recently completed the sale of its information management business, known as Veritas, and will now, using among other sources the after-tax proceeds...

A RIC Cannot Make Disproportionate Designations: February 5, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 24 Print Report; Fund qualifies as a regulated investment company, (RIC), under Sec. 851 of the Internal Revenue Code. Fund has issued two classes of stock, common and preferred....

Pre-Planned Gift of Stock Not Relevant For "Control" Test: February 4, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 23 Print Report; The controversy is over the basis the petitioner is entitled to use in determining its gain or loss on the sale of real estate it made in 1937. It had acquired that p...

CenterPoint Energy--To Spin-Off Or Elect REIT Status Is The Question: February 3, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; On February 1st, CenterPoint Energy, Inc., (CNP), announced that "it is evaluating strategic alternatives for the Company's investment in Enable Midstream Partners (En...

When Are a Parent and a Subsidiary "The Same Taxpayer?": February 3, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 22 Print Report; The I.R.S. audited the TY2 income tax returns of Corporation 1, (C1), and its former foreign parent, Corporation 2, (C2). As a result of the audits, the Service made...

Is Stock Of A Merger Partner Substantially Identical To Target Stock?: February 2, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 21 Print Report; There are numerous shareholders of Shire plc, Allergan plc, ETE, Dow Corporation and DuPont, for example, which have unrealized losses in their holdings. Each of these companie...

Is Yahoo! Inc. An "Investment Company?": February 2, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Adding to Yahoo! Inc.'s well-documented problems is a class-action lawsuit recently filed against it (and several of its officers and directors) by the UFCW Local 1500 Pens...

Spin-Off Coupled With "RIC" Election Passes Muster: February 1, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Through the years, for federal income tax purposes anyway, regulated investment companies (RICs) and real estate investment trusts (REITs) have been treated similarly. Now, how...

Partnership Found To Engage In A "Disguised Sale": February 1, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 20 Print Report; In May 2005, RH and JC formed Route 231, ("231"), a limited liability company registered in Virginia. 231 thereupon purchased two parcels of real property. Virginia C...

Deal Status Updates

January 29, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report

Broadcom/Avago—The Avago stock can be received on a tax-free basis if the transaction satisfies the requirements of the “Helen of Troy” regulations. In order for an &ldquo...

Teaching Fellow Is Not a Scholarship Recipient: January 29, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 19 Print Report; The taxpayer, H, was a graduate teaching fellow (GTF) at the University of Oregon (UO). Each GTF receives a monthly salary, and a tuition waiver for nine to 16 credit...

Baxter International Begins To Unload BXLT Stake/JCI Update: January 28, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; When Baxter International, Inc. spun-off Baxalta, Inc. (BXLT) last July, it did not distribute all of its stock therein. It distributed only about 80 percent of such stock and...

When a RIC Is Also a PHC: January 28, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 18 Print Report; X is a regulated investment company, (RIC), within the meaning of Sec. 851 of the Internal Revenue Code. X is also a personal holding company, (PHC), within the meani...

Purported Spin-Off Is Recast As a Shareholder Level Exchange: January 27, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 17 Print Report; A, B, C, and D each own 25 percent of the stock of X Corporation, (X), and ofY Corporation, (Y). Each of X and Y is engaged in Business 1. AB, who are siblings,...

LMT Will Pursue An "RMT" Transaction: January 27, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Lockheed Martin (LMT) has come to the same decision that many others before it have reached regarding the divestiture of a business unit: it is infinitely better to spin-off th...

VEBAs Will Be Taxed On Investment Income: January 26, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 16 Print Report; CNG is a Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary Association (VEBA) organized under Sec. 501(c)(9) of the Internal Revenue Code. It was established by Consolidated Natur...

TYC And JCI Announce The Latest "Cross Border" Deal: January 25, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Fresh off its settlement of "earnings stripping" disputes with the I.R.S., Tyco International plc, (TYC), is set to engage in another "tax oriented" transac...

WMB To Engage In An 'F' Reorganization: January 25, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; The Williams Companies, Inc. ("WMB") and Energy Transfer Corp. L.P. ("ETC") have entered into a merger agreement which the parties, despite some restiveness...

Sec. 356 Requires A Reorganization: January 25, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 15 Print Report; Petitioner owned all of the outstanding stock of International Dairy Supply Company ("I"). In 1952, petitioner transferred all of the I stock to Foremost Dairies, Inc...

Lack Of Profit Motive Does Not Bar "Productive Use": January 22, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 14 Print Report; Partnership P ("P") owns multiple aircraft which are leased to Partnership O ("O"). O is the primary business entity of the O group of entities, which inclu...

Calculating The "Attribute Reduction Amount": January 21, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 13 Print Report; In Year 1, S, a wholly owned subsidiary of P, the common parent of a consolidated group, acquired all of the stock of TP. Shortly before the end of Year 5, S sold the stock of...

"Backward" RMT (Merger Precedes Spin-Off) Passes Muster: January 20, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 12 Print Report; Ordinarily, a "reverse Morris Trust" ("RMT") transaction follows a familiar pattern: A distributing corporation engaged in the active conduct of a trade or...

Tyco Settles "Earnings Stripping" Dispute: January 20, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; A central strategy of any inversion is the shifting of income from the U.S. to a more favorable (from a tax rate perspective) foreign environment. Frequently, such shifting is...

WCN Pursues An Inversion: January 19, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Waste Connections, Inc., (WCN), a domestic corporation, and Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd., (BIN), a Canadian corporation, "have entered into a definitive agreement to m...

A Foreign Corporation Cannot Be a REIT: January 19, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 11 Print Report; X is a corporation that was organized under the laws of Country A which meets the requirements of Sec. 856(a)(1), (a)(2) and (a)(4) through (a)(7). Sec. 856, 857, 858...

General Electric Makes Amends: January 18, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Last month, General Electric ("GE") engaged in a merger transaction in connection with which holders of GECC preferred stock were forced (subject to the exercise of a...

"Electing 1987 Partnership" Preserves Its Status: January 15, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 10 Print Report; X is a publicly traded partnership that is "an electing 1987 partnership" under Sec. 7704(g). Since its inception, X has been engaged in the business of pro...

Broadcom/Avago: Election Deadline Rapidly Approaching: January 14, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; It appears that the Broadcom Corp. ("B")/Avago Technologies Ltd. ("A") merger is very close to completion, which means that shareholders of B will soon be a...

Pension Fund Not Exempt From Australian Taxes: January 14, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 9 Print Report; The LLC is a corporation with a single owner incorporated under U.S. state law. It is disregarded as an entity separate from its owner for U.S. tax purposes under Reg...

Assigning a Litigation Claim: January 13, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 8 Print Report; A died on Date 11. B is the surviving spouse and claims an interest in the Estate under A's last will and testament. The primary asset of the Estate is the decede...

Baxalta Accepts Shire's Sweetened Offer: January 12, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Shire plc, (S), and Baxalta, Inc., (B), have entered into a definitive agreement and plan of merger pursuant to which B will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of S. &n...

California's "Double Weighted" Apportionment Formula Upheld: January 12, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 7 Print Report; When a business earns income in multiple jurisdictions, apportionment is necessary. The California Legislature codified the provisions of the "UDITPA" in 1966. The st...

Ford Alters Its Method Of Accounting For Pensions: January 11, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; On January 7, 2016, Ford Motor Company (F) announced that it had joined the growing list of companies which have decided to change the method by which they report certain aspec...

Media General And Nexstar Reach An Agreement: January 11, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Media General, Inc., (MEG), and Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., (NXST), have reached an agreement pursuant to which NXST will acquire the stock of MEG. However, the agreement...

No Addition of a Substantial Line of Business: January 11, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 6 Print Report; TP was organized in Year 1 as a corporation under the laws of Delaware. Shareholders, all foreign corporations, own the stock of TP. Since formation, all business act...

Foreign Currency Options Found To Be "Foreign Currency Contracts": January 8, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; For a small investment, TW and his wife, CW, (the Ws) sought to generate a very large tax deduction. They were successful. TW and CW implemented their plan through CA, a partne...

Transfer Restrictions Not Inconsistent With REIT Status: January 8, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 5 Print Report; TP was incorporated in 1994 for the purpose of engaging in business as a Real Estate Investment Trust, (REIT). None of TP's shares initially will be publicly trad...

'S' Corporation Denied Ordinary Loss Deduction: January 7, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 4 Print Report; TP is an 'S' corporation that owns Subsidiary, a qualified subchapter S subsidiary ("QSub"). A QSub is a disregarded entity that is not treated as a separate...

Spin-Off Does Not Run Afoul Of Sec. 355(b)(2)(C): January 6, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 3 Print Report; D is the common parent of a consolidated group. The stock of D consists of two classes of common stock, the Class A Stock and the Class B Stock....

FASB Proposes Changes To Accounting For Equity Securities: January 5, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; In Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2016-01, Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, January 2016, the Financi...

Highlights From The "PATH" Act Of 2015: January 5, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; A massive tax and spending bill was enacted by Congress in the waning days of 2015 and was almost immediately signed into law by President Obama. On the tax front, the bill, kn...

When Do "Trade Promotion Rebates" Accrue?: January 5, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 2 Print Report; TP sells Products. TP has two primary lines of business: Business A and Business B. In its Business A sales agreements, customers agree to pay the list price of a Pro...

Stock Repurchases After A "Morris Trust" Transaction (And An Inversion): January 4, 2016 - Bulletin Print Report; Distributing, ("D") is a publicly traded State A corporation and is the parent of an affiliated group that files a consolidated federal income tax return. Prior to Da...

An LLC Is Not a "Resident" of the United States: January 4, 2016 - Volume 10 Issue 1 Print Report; The LLC is a company with a single owner incorporated under U.S. state law. It is disregarded as an entity separate from its owner for U.S. federal tax purposes. The...

Tax Attribute Reduction In California: December 31, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Sec. 61(a)(12) of the Internal Revenue Code provides that "gross income includes income from the discharge of indebtedness," which is another term for "COD incom...

Blocks Of Stock Transferred In A Merger Are Treated Separately: December 31, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 250 Print Report; Petitioner, (P), owned stock in USSI, a New Jersey corporation, which owned a majority interest in two limited liability companies operating under the laws of the Russian Feder...

Can an Entity Waive Attribution?: December 30, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 249 Print Report; In Rev. Rul. 59-233, 1959-2 C.B. 106, all of the stock of a corporation, (X), was owned in equal proportions by an individual, (H), and a trust, (T). The sole benefic...

Law School Expenses are Never Deductible: December 29, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 248 Print Report; Petitioner, (JW), received a B.S. degree in business with a major in accounting from Miami University of Ohio in 1964. Therea...

Alcoa's Spin-Off Will Undoubtedly Be Tax-Free: December 28, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Alcoa (AA), in September 2015, announced its intention to effect a separation of its businesses via a spin-off which is, as you might expect, intended to qualify as a tax-free...

Payments To Settle Fraudulent Conveyance Claims Not Deductible: December 28, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; OC was in the "A business" through its subsidiary, Sub. Sub was also engaged in the "B business." Many of the products produced by Sub contained "Subst...

"Cost Savings" Can Be a Good Business Purpose for a Spin-Off: December 28, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 247 Print Report; P Corporation, P, has engaged primarily in the design, manufacture, and marketing of computers and associated software. SCorporation, S, a wholly-owned subsidia...

When is a "Service" Liability Incurred?: December 24, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 246 Print Report; X Corporation, (X), manufactures various consumer products, including product M. Retailers purchase product M from X for resale. &nb...

Can Shire Incorporate Cash Into Its Offer For Baxalta?: December 23, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Last August, when Shire plc (S) made its offer for Baxalta, Inc. (B), it took pains to acknowledge B's recent spin-off from Baxter. In fact, at the time, it stated that &qu...

Spin-Off Not Deterred By Recent Acquisition Of Control: December 23, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 245 Print Report; Parent is a publicly traded State D corporation. Parent is the common parent of an affiliated group that files a consolidated federal income tax return, and is the common paren...

Estate Undervalues A Picasso: December 23, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Bernice Newberger (BN) died on July 28, 2009. Her Estate timely filed Form 709 on which it reported values relating to "the Picasso," "the Motherwell," and...

CF Alters Its Inversion Plan: December 22, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) and OCI N.V. (OCI) had announced an inversion transaction prior to the issuance of Notice 2015-79, I.R.B. 2015-49, November 19, 2015. The tran...

"Treaty Shopping" Scheme Thwarted: December 22, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 244 Print Report; DF Corporation, DF, a Canadian corporation, owned all of the stock of DH Corporation, DH. DH owned all of the stock of DC Corporation, DC, and the latter owned all of...

PFE/AGN: Just One Hurdle To Surmount: December 21, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The historic transaction in which Allergan plc (AGN) will acquire the stock of Pfizer, Inc. (PFE) is intended to avoid classification as an "inversion" and, therefore...

Reliance On Agent Not Reasonable Cause (For Late Filing And Payment): December 21, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 243 Print Report; Moe Vaughn (MV) was a major league baseball player (primarily for the Red Sox, Angels, and Mets) from 1991-2003. His biggest mistake, however, was hiring, in May 2004, RKM to m...

CCE's Shareholders Will Be Taxed On "Orange" Stock: December 18, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. (CCE) is in the process of "redomiciling" through a complex transaction that will culminate in CCE becoming a subsidiary of a newly-create...

S&L Can Retroactively Increase Its Bad Debt Deduction: December 18, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 242 Print Report; Ambase Corporation, (AB), acquired Carteret Savings & Loan Association, (C), on December 4, 1992. The Office of Thrift Supervision, (OTS), seized C and placed it...

Analysis Of The GPN/HPY Merger: December 17, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Global Payments, Inc. (GPN) recently announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Heartland Payment Systems, Inc. (HPY). GPN will be acquiring HPY "...

Online Travel Companies Must Collect And Remit Sales Tax: December 17, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 241 Print Report; Petitioner, (P), is an Online Travel Company (OTC) that provides online travel information and secures reservations for travelers for lodging and car rental services in Montana...

Update On REIT Legislation: December 16, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; It appears that the "extenders" legislation is very close to passage. In fact, the House of Representatives is said to be preparing to vote on the measure a...

Sumner Redstone Is Assessed A Gift Tax: December 16, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 240 Print Report; National Amusements, Inc. (NAI), the holding company for Viacom and CBS, was incorporated on August 28, 1959. Mickey Redstone (M), Edward Redstone (E), and Sumner Redstone (S),...

NWL And JAH Will Combine In A Tax-Free Reorganization: December 15, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Newell Rubbermaid (NWL) and Jarden Corporation (JAH) have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement "to combine the two companies."

Stock Received In A "Demutualization" Has A Zero Basis: December 15, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 239 Print Report; The question is whether a life insurance policyholder has any basis in a mutual life insurance company's membership rights. The answer is no....

Adoption Of IFRS Will Not Terminate LIFO Election: December 14, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 238 Print Report; U.S. corporations that (i) use the last-in, first-out ("LIFO") method of accounting, and (ii) are owned by a foreign parent corporation, had good reason to fear that...

Dow/DuPont: "MOE" To Be Followed By Spin-Offs: December 14, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; DuPont (DD) and The Dow Chemical Company (DOW), longtime rivals, have announced board of director approval of a definitive agreement under which the companies will combine in a...

Dow And Corning To Part Ways: December 11, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The Dow Chemical Company (D) and Corning, Inc. (C), have developed a plan which will see D gain sole ownership of Dow Corning Corporation (DCC), a company that has, for quite s...

"Service" Partner Not Taxed On Receipt of Profits Interest: December 11, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 237 Print Report; Mr. Campbell, (C), was employed by STG, a collection of business entities involved in the financing and syndication of limited partnerships. For his services, C recei...

The Limits of "Medical Care": December 10, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 236 Print Report; The taxpayer, WH, is a taxlawyer. During 2004 and 2005, he frequented variousprostitutes in New York. WH did not visit these prostitutes as part of a &quo...

YHOO Capitulates: December 9, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Yahoo! Inc., not unexpectedly in light of the mounting shareholder discomfort with its original plan, has now decided to "suspend" work on the "pending plan"...

Retention To Offset Lack Of Debt Assumption Approved: December 9, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 235 Print Report; P corporation is a publicly-held corporation. P corporation owns all of the stock of a newly-formed subsidiary, Holdings. P corporation will own all of the common stock and all...

"Opco-Propco" Under Siege: December 8, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; A bill introduced by Rep. Brady (R., Texas), the chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, singles out spin-offs of the opco-propco variety for particularly h...

Graceful Exit From JV--Dow And Corning Take Heed: December 8, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 234 Print Report; How can a corporate joint venturer withdraw from the joint venture on a tax-efficient basis? By precisely following the procedure outlined in LTR 200335032, April 25, 2003. Thi...

Percentage Rent Found To Be "Rents From Real Property": December 7, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; X is a publicly traded partnership (MLP). X derives income from leases of raw land and building rooftops (the Sites). It is rare to encounter a "real estate" MLP. Mos...

Amortizable Sec. 197 Intangible Assets: December 7, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 233 Print Report; The taxpayer, TP, purchased a vineyard in the Location A viticultural area and in the Location B viticultural area. The TTB of the United StatesDepartment of th...

I.R.S.'s Benign Policy On Discharged Student Loans: December 4, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The Department of Education (ED) has begun a process for settling and discharging Federal student loans taken out to finance attendance at schools owned by Corinthian Colleges,...

Exchange Of GECC Preferred Stock For G.E. Preferred Stock Is Taxable: December 4, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; In connection with its exit from the finance business, General Electric Company, (G.E.), will be retiring certain preferred stock issued by its subsidiary, GECC. &nbs...

Data Centers And Sales Taxes: December 4, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 232 Print Report; Petitioner, (P), operates a facility that provides its customers IT operations for the operation of its customers' computer servers. P, in short, operates a "Data Cent...

When Is Debt Discharged?: December 3, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 231 Print Report; On October 22, 1994, petitioner incurred a credit card obligation to MBNA. Petitioner defaulted on his obligation to MBNA at some time between October 22, 1994 and Se...

Should Yahoo! Inc. Emulate Seagate?: December 2, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Well over a decade ago, a company named Seagate was faced with a problem similar to that currently confronting Yahoo! Inc. Seagate owned a world class disk drive business and a...

Determining YHOO's Gain In A "Defective" Spin-Off: December 2, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; If Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) proceeds with its spin-off of Aabaco and the spin-off is found to not be in compliance with one or more of the requirements set forth in Sec. 355 of the C...

NOL Deduction Cap Is Unconstitutional: December 2, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 230 Print Report; Nextel Communications of the Mid-Atlantic, Inc. (N), for Pennsylvania tax purposes, carried over net losses of $150 million in 2007. N earned $45 million of taxable income in 2...

Non-Voting Stock Found to be "Common Stock": December 1, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 229 Print Report; Prior to 1955, Corporation, (C), had outstanding 200 shares of common stock ("Old Common") held by Mr. A. In 1955,...

Delivery And Removal Of Fluids Gives Rise To "Qualifying" Income: November 30, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; X is a limited liability company. X intends to form a publicly-traded partnership by effecting an initial public offering of units in Y. Y will be a limited partnership organiz...

An LLC Is Not an "Individual": November 30, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 228 Print Report; During 1973, petitioners, husband and wife, established a trust for their four children. When the youngestattained age 25 during 1995, the trust was terminated....

Microsemi Wins The Battle For PMC-Sierra: November 27, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Microsemi Corporation, (MC), has reached an agreement to acquire the stock of PMC-Sierra, Inc., (PMC). PMC, as a result, will be terminating an agreement it had previously reac...

An 'S' Corporation Is Not an "Individual": November 27, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 227 Print Report; Petitioners, husband and wife, are the only shareholders of SC, Inc., (SC), which owns and rents real properties in Missouri, Texas, and California. SC elected to be...

Can PFE Effect A Post-Merger Spinoff?: November 25, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; There has been much discussion about the possibility of Pfizer plc (PFE) effecting a post-merger spin-off of a portion of its sprawling pharmaceutical business. In fact, PFE...

Do Consent Payments Result In "Significant Modification" Of Debt?: November 25, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 226 Print Report; TP has "a" series of publicly traded common stock. S is wholly-owned by TP and is a disregarded entity. S has "b" series of publicly traded exchangeable deb...

S&P's Receipts Are "Receipts From Services": November 24, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 225 Print Report; The McGraw Hill Companies, Inc., (Petitioner), is a New York corporation having executive offices in New York City. Standard & Poors, (S&P), was an unincorporated divis...

FASB Simplifies The Presentation Of Deferred Tax Amounts: November 23, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The Financial Accounting Standards Board, ("FASB"), in its continuing effort to "reduce complexity in accounting standards," the so-called "Simplificat...

PFE And AGN Announce Their Deal: November 23, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; One of the most significant deals of the recent past is now the subject of a definitive agreement, an agreement that is sure to elicit some criticism from politicians who belie...

Judge Posner Defines a "Unitary Business Group": November 23, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 224 Print Report; The Illinois income tax statute requires firms that constitute a "unitary business group" (UBG) to file a combined return. The term, UBG, signifies a group...

New Treasury Rules Will Not Derail PFE/AGN Deal: November 20, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Notice 2015-79, Treasury's latest salvo in the "war" on inversions, is not nearly as preclusive as we feared it might be. It seems clear to us that the Pfizer/All...

Cash Management Account Indicative of "Unitary Business Group": November 20, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 223 Print Report; In 1987, C Corporation, (C), created two new holding companies: (i) CCP which became the holding company for the packaging businesses, and (ii) CFP which became the h...

Parent Effects Qualified Stock Purchase of Former Subsidiary: November 19, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 222 Print Report; Acquiring Corporation, (ACQ), a foreign corporation, owns all of the stock of Sub1. Sub 1 owns Sub 2 and Sub 2 owns all of the stock of Sub 3. Sub 3, in turn, owns al...

Liberty Global And Cable & Wireless To Embark On An 'A' Reorganization: November 18, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Liberty Global plc (LG) and Cable & Wireless Communications plc (CWC) are embarking on a complex transaction in which, ultimately, the two corporations will be consolidated...

"Circular" Flow of Dividends Disregarded: November 18, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 221 Print Report; X is a corporation. Z is a limited partnership. X is the sole limited partner of Z and M, an individual,functions asthe sole general partner of Z....

Pfizer/Allergan Will Do Wonders For Pfizer's Tax Accounting: November 17, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Pfizer, apparently contemplating a business combination with Allergan plc, reported, for the year ended December 31, 2014, approximately $12.24 billion in "pre-tax" i...

New Jersey Rules On "Bitcoin": November 17, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 220 Print Report; Virtual currency is a form of "electric/digital money" that can be used as a medium of exchange or as a form of digitally stored value. Taxpayers, therefore, may use...

Starwood To Engage In Multiple Morris Trust Transactions: November 16, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Marriott International, Inc. (MAR) and Starwood Hotel & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (HOT) today announced a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which MAR will acquire all o...

Liberty Media Comes To Dell's Rescue: November 16, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Last week, a widely-circulated article speculated that Denali Inc.'s plan to use "tracking stock" to partially finance the acquisition of EMC would create ruinous...

RadioShack's Refund Claim Was "Time-Barred": November 16, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 219 Print Report; In the latter part of the1990s, many telephone service providers transitioned to a "time-only" billing model for long-distance telephone usage such th...

Molson Coors' Tax Windfall: November 13, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; One of the consequences of the historic Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV/SABMiller plc deal is the divestiture by the former of its 58 percent stake in a domestic joint venture named...

Fluid Handling Services Gives Rise To Qualifying Income: November 13, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 218 Print Report; X is a limited partnership. Y is a publicly-traded corporation. Y is engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of natural gas and oil products. &...

Satisfying a "Forward" With Borrowed Property: November 12, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 217 Print Report; P acquired "x" shares of C common stock. In Year 1, P entered into two transactions ("the contracts")with Bank, B, pursuant to which P agree...

ABI And SAB Reach An Agreement: November 11, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (ABI) and SAB Miller plc (SAB), as widely expected, have reached an agreement pursuant to which ABI will acquire the stock of SAB from the latter'...

"Thin Capitalization" Does Not Convert Debt Into Equity: November 11, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 216 Print Report; Prior to September 19, 1947, P was a West Virginia corporation engaged inthe business of selling leather products. The...

Darden Receives Its Spin-Off Ruling & Dell Update: November 10, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI), as expected, announced the successful completion of its "opco/propco" separation in which many of its real estate and restaurant asset...

Netflix Not Liable For Kentucky Taxes: November 10, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 215 Print Report; In Kentucky, the Gross Receipts Tax is imposed on the provider's gross revenues "received for the provision of multichannel video programming services..." The Exc...

Towers Watson Runs Afoul Of "Helen Of Troy": November 9, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Willis Group Holdings plc (WGH) and Towers Watson & Co. (TWC) are poised to effect a business combination that will be structured as a "reverse triangular merger."...

California Employee Creates Nexus for Out-of-State Corporation: November 9, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 214 Print Report; WM is incorporated in Massachusetts and provides consulting services in the environmental sector. During 2006, WM did not maintain an office in California but employe...

Supreme Court Construes P.L. 86-272 Narrowly: November 6, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 213 Print Report; Wrigley Co., (W), is the world's largest manufacturer of chewing gum. It sells gum nationwide through a system that divides the country into districts, regions, a...

EXPE And AWAY To Merge: November 5, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Expedia, Inc., (EXPE), has agreed to acquire HomeAway, Inc. (AWAY) "for an equity value of $3.9 billion in cash and common stock, representing a per share price for AWAY s...

Merger of Stock S&L into Mutual S&L Not a Reorganization: November 5, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 212 Print Report; CO merged with andinto CI in 1976. Mr. HaroldPaulsen, (P), owned 17,549 shares of "guaranty stock" in CO. In exchange for that stock, P received...

ConAgra Foods And Activision Make Tax News: November 4, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; ConAgra Foods, Inc., (CAG) recently announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to sell its private label operations (represented by the stock of CAG's subsidiary,...

Sec. 354 Takes Precedence Over Sec. 453B(a) (Sometimes): November 4, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 211 Print Report; T, a trust, holds notes ("Old Notes") payable by X Corporation, (X). T acquired the Old Notes in exchange for X stock on April 8, 1988, in a redemption that...

Rite-Aid's NOL Should Benefit Walgreen Boots Alliance: November 3, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Rite-Aid Corporation, (R), has agreed to be acquired by Walgreen Boots Alliance, Inc. (W) in a transaction that will be structured as a "reverse subsidiary cash merger.&qu...

Transfer To Settle A Dispute Not A Gift: November 3, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 210 Print Report; National Amusements, Inc. (NAI) was incorporated on August 28, 1959. Upon NAI's incorporation, Mickey Redstone, (MR), Edward Redstone, (ER), and the legendary Sumner Redsto...

Preliminary Thoughts On Pfizer/Allergan: November 2, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The possibility of a Pfizer, Inc. (PFE) and Allergan plc (AGN) combination has, understandably, captured the imagination of investors who are wondering whether such a marriage...

MGM Will Create A "Captive" REIT: November 2, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; MGM Resorts International (MGM) announced that it intends to create a "controlled real estate investment trust, (REIT), to be named MGM Growth Properties LLC (MGP)."...

InfraREIT's Letter Ruling Treat Its "Systems" As Real Property: November 2, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 209 Print Report; TP, who we are confident is the predecessor to InfraREIT, Inc., intends to elect to be treated as a REIT. TP will own as its sole asset an interest in Operating Partnership (OP...

Production Of "Unit Doses" Is "MPGE": October 30, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 208 Print Report; Sec. 199 of the Code allows a taxpayer a deduction for a portion of its "qualified production activities income." Domestic production gross receipts means any sale of...

DMND Will Merge With And Into LNCE: October 29, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Snyder's-Lance, Inc., (LNCE), and Diamond Foods, Inc., (DMND), have announced an agreement under which "...LNCE will acquire all outstanding shares of DMND in a cash a...

I.R.A. Distribution Subject to "Additional" Tax: October 29, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 207 Print Report; At age 56, Young Kim, (K), left his position as a partner in a law firm and enrolled in the London School of Economics, (LSE). Employees who depart at age 55 and up m...

Starwood Announces An "RMT" Transaction: October 28, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (HOT) announced today its intention to spin-off its subsidiary, Vistana Signature Experiences, (V), and in connection with the spin-...

Service Rules On Leveraged RMT Transaction: October 28, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 206 Print Report; D has outstanding a widely held single class of common stock, and shares of preferred stock. D has outstanding indebtedness, which includes "Distributing Debt." D for...

Broadcom Update: October 27, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The Broadcom Corporation/Avago Technologies deal features a so-called "Up-C" aspect that is designed to allow those shareholders of Broadcom who wish to achieve tax d...

The Parent is the "Acquiring Corporation" in a Sec. 338(h)(10) Case: October 27, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 205 Print Report; ConAgra Foods, Inc., (CAF), sold the stock of three wholly-owned subsidiaries that operated in Louisiana, (L), to PP and UAP....

Internet Domain Names Are "Sec. 197 Intangibles": October 26, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; 1. In 2013, a company purchases two internet domain names as part of an asset acquisition of a trade or business. One is a generic domain name and the other is a non-generic do...

"Limited and Preferred" As to Dividends: October 26, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 204 Print Report; The term, affiliated group, means one or more chains of includible corporations connected through stock ownership with a common parent corporation which is an includi...

Depreciation and Earnings and Profits: October 23, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 203 Print Report; On January 15, 1977, two unrelated corporations entered into an agreement. The corporations agreed to construct and become equal owners of a facility and sell a produ...

Darden Restaurants Announces Record Date For "Opco/Propco" Spin-Off: October 22, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI) is proceeding with its plan to separate its real estate from its operating business by means of a tax-free spin-off. This is the case even though...

Unwinding A Tracking Stock Arrangement: October 22, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 202 Print Report; Now that tracking stock is squarely back in the news, thanks to the recent announcement by Dell, Inc. of its historic acquisition of EMC Corp., to be financed, in part, through...

Sec. 1031 Exchange Of Intangible Personal Property: October 21, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 201 Print Report; TP is a State Z corporation. TP has two types of agreements: the Dual Activity Agreements (the DAAs) and the Single Activity Agreements (the SAAs). ...

General Electric To "Split-Off" Synchrony Financial: October 20, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; General Electric Company (GE) currently owns approximately 84.6 percent of the outstanding stock of Synchrony Financial (SF). It will divest that stock by means of a "spli...

Senior Independent Living Facility is a "Health Care Property": October 20, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 200 Print Report; TP is a Real Estate Investment Trust, (REIT). TP has acquired a number of Properties from unrelated third parties. TP intends...

Wife's "Autograph" Worth $906,000: October 19, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Petitioners, Mr. and Mrs. Reifler (Mr. Reifler is the founder of Pali Capital), have been married since 1988. Mr. Reifler signed the couple's original 2000 Federal income t...

Taxpayer's Activities Go Beyond Solicitation of Orders: October 19, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 199 Print Report; Appellant, (AP), distributes wristwatches and jewelry to retail stores ("Retailers"). It is headquartered in Nevada. ...

Business Bad Debts: October 16, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 198 Print Report; In 1951 and 1952, Mr. Whipple, W, formed eight new corporations, one of which was MOB; bought the stock of MRB; and acquired an interest in a related vending machine...

Tax Issues Surrounding Ferrari N.V. Offering: October 15, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Ferrari N.V. will be engaging in an initial public offering of approximately 10 percent of its stock in the near future. The shares to be offered are all "secondary"...

The Size Of The Trade Or Business Is Immaterial: October 15, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 197 Print Report; For a period in excess of five years, P has owned and actively conducted a clothing manufacturing business. P's wholly-owned subsidiary, S, has owned and actively conducted...

EMC/AB InBev Update: October 14, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; EMC Update The merger agreement filed by Denali, Inc. reveals that Denali, Inc. will be acquiring the stock of EMC Corp. in exchange for a...

RV Parks Not "Lodging Facilities": October 14, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 196 Print Report; C is a Real Estate Investment Trust, (REIT). C owns an "x%" interest in OP, a State A limited partnership, which conducts substantially all of C's opera...

Independent Living Facilities Not "Health Care Facilities": October 13, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 195 Print Report; TP is a Real Estate Investment Trust, (REIT). TP is engaged in the acquisition, ownership, and management of hospital and senior care properties. &nbs...

Income From Marketing Fuel To End Users Is Qualifying Income: October 12, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; X is a limited liability company and is classified as a partnership for federal tax purposes. X intends to sell interests in X in an initial public offering (IPO). After the IP...

Dell Will Use "Tracking" Stock To Finance The EMC Acquisition: October 12, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Dell, Inc. (D) and EMC Corporation, (EMC), a principal asset of which is a controlling stake in VMware Corp. (V), announced today a definitive agreement under which D...will ac...

A Short Sale Creates a "Liability": October 12, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 194 Print Report; P Corporation, P, owns all of the stock of S Corporation, S. P entered into a short sale of XYZ securities. P's broker takes shares on hand and sells them on P...

Sec. 351 Transaction Not Also a Reorganization: October 9, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 193 Print Report; C Corporation, (C), is engaged in the commodity business, operating as an importer and dealer. As of September 15, 1979, C had outstanding 80 shares of common stock.<...

Stock Dividend Costs Are Capital Expenditures: October 8, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 192 Print Report; General Bancshares, (GB), paid two percent stock dividends on its common stock in 1950, in October, 1955, in April, 1956, and in October, 1956, and one of six percent...

ABI's Proposal Appears To Address MO's Needs: October 7, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI) made public its revised proposal to the Board of SABMiller plc (SAB) to combine the two companies "and build the first truly global beer company...

Short-Term Loans Not "Obligations" For Purposes of Sec. 956: October 7, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 191 Print Report; X corporation, a domestic corporation, wholly owns Y corporation, a controlled foreign corporation (CFC). X corporation maintains a revolving line of credit with Outside Lender...

Asset Purchase Agreement Not An "Installment Sales Contract": October 6, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 190 Print Report; Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc., (P), is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Nevada. P owned and operated a horse racing facility and a card club in Inglewood, Californi...

Spin-Off Not The Only Route To "Opco/Propco": October 5, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; It is by now painfully clear that the I.R.S. has become quite "uncomfortable" with spin-off transactions in which one, but not both, of the entities involved in such...

Nordstrom's Special Dividend Appears To Be "Strippable": October 5, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Nordstrom, Inc., (JWN), recently sold its credit card portfolio to TD Bank for approximately $2.2 billion. About $900 million of this windfall will be paid to shareholders as a...

Cellular Antenna Towers Are "Land Improvements": October 5, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 189 Print Report; TP is an owner and operator of communications sites for the wireless and broadcast industries. TP constructs and places in service cellular antenna tower...

Income From Joint Venture Is Business Income: October 2, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 188 Print Report; In 2002 and 2003, ConAgra Foods, Inc., (appellant), sold its beef and pork operations and its chicken processing business in two separate taxable transactions. In the 2002 sale...

Sec. 351 and Business Purpose: October 1, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 187 Print Report; Mr. A owned all of the stock of X Corporation, (X), and Y Corporation, (Y). Mr. A transferred all hisshares of X and Y to a new corporation, (Z), in exchange fo...

NJ Resident Denied Property Tax Deduction: September 30, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 186 Print Report; Plaintiff, (P), is a resident of New Jersey. Prior to October 27, 2000, P owned two residential properties in Lakewood Township, 825 WD and 221 WS. On October 27, 200...

Yahoo! Inc. Is Resolute: September 29, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Yahoo! Inc.'s latest 8-K should dispel all questions about its intentions regarding its previously announced spin-off. Pending the receipt of the "will"...

Transactions Ordinarily Considered Not To Have Been Used As A 'Device': September 29, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 185 Print Report; Sec. 355(a) provides that if a corporation distributes to a shareholder with respect to its stock...solely stock...of a corporation...which it controls immediately before the d...

WMB To Combine With ETE: September 28, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (ETE) and the Williams Companies, Inc. (WMB) announced a rather complex business combination which will see, once all the steps are completed, WMB&...

Altria's "Wish List": September 28, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Altria Group, Inc. (MO) holds approximately 27 percent of the economic and voting interest of SABMiller plc, (SAB), which MO accounts for under the "equity method" of...

Deductions Allowed Before "Economic Performance" Occurs: September 28, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 184 Print Report; TP, a pharmaceutical company, negotiates discounted prices with certain organizations that are administered by the wholesalers/distributors through a chargeback progr...

A "Mere Change" Is A Reorganization Under Sec. 368(a)(1)(F): September 25, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 183 Print Report; Sec. 368(a)(1) of the Code describes several types of transactions that constitute reorganizations . One of these, described in Sec. 368(a)(1)(F), is "a mere...

MetLife Runs Afoul Of "FIN 48": September 24, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; MetLife, Inc. (ML) recently announced that "it expects to record a non-cash charge to operating earnings and net income of $792 million, after-tax, or $0.70 per share, dur...

Processing Natural Gas Produces Qualifying Income: September 24, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 182 Print Report; X is a publicly traded partnership. X will own "n1%" of the outstanding equity interests of Y, an LLC treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes. Y owns all of...

Atmel Shareholders To Be Taxed On Dialog Stock: September 22, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Atmel Corporation (AT) and Dialog Semiconductor plc (DS) have announced a definitive agreement pursuant to which DS will acquire all of the stock of AT from the latter's sh...

Wind Project Eligible for Accelerated Depreciation: September 22, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 181 Print Report; TP is a State LLC. TP has two members. A, a State corporation, is the managing member of TP. The other member is B, alsoa State corporation. Each of A and B is...

ABA Meeting--Good News For Yahoo! and Darden: September 21, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The news coming out of the ABA Meeting this weekend is quite encouraging. Most notably, Mr. Wellen, the driving force behind last week's Notice, stated, unequivoc...

Calculating Increases In Ownership For Purposes Of Sec. 355(e): September 21, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; D3 is the common parent of an affiliated group filing a consolidated tax return. D3 owns all of the stock of D2, which owns all of the stock of D1. D1 owns all of the interests...

Testing For Personal Holding Company Status: September 21, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 180 Print Report; X Corporation, X, is a publicly-held corporation and has 1,000 shares outstanding. Mr. A owns 200 shares; Mr. A's child, F, owns 80 shares; Mr. A's sibling, B...

Will The I.R.S. Scrutinize PNK's "Morris Trust" Transaction?: September 18, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Last July, Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc., (GLPI), (the "propco" in the well-known spin-off undertaken by Penn National Gaming) and Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc.,...

Bond Issuance Premium Is "Good" REIT Income: September 18, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 179 Print Report; TP is a Real Estate Investment Trust, (REIT). TP's principal activity is to invest in mortgages and mortgage-backed securities....

EQIX's REIT Ruling Breaks Little New Ground: September 17, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 178 Print Report; LTR 201537020, May 22, 2015, issued to Equinix, Inc. (EQIX), took 30 months to obtain: the ruling request was submitted in November 2012. It is a very favorable ruling but, as...

Synergetics Shareholders Will Receive "CVRs": September 17, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; BSC is offering to purchase all outstanding shares of common stock of Synergetics USA, Inc., (SY), at a price per share of $6.50 in cash plus one non-transferable contractual c...

Hubbell Confirms Recapitalization Tax Treatment Of Its Reclassification: September 16, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Hubbell, Inc. (H), is undertaking a "reclassification" of its common stock. Under the terms of the proposed reclassification, holders of Class A Common Stock will rec...

MLP Engaged In An "Intrinsic" Activity: September 16, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; X intends to become a "publicly traded partnership." X intends to earn income principally by assessing fees for gathering, transporting, processing, treating, and dis...

Prompt Disposal of Target Stock Does Not Eliminate "QSP": September 16, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 177 Print Report; P owns all of the stock ofS1 and the latter owns all of the stock of each ofS2 and S3. P owns "a%" and S2 owns "b%" of S4.S1 thr...

When "Spinco" Becomes Obligor On "Remainco" Notes: September 15, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; A recent ruling addresses a question that has arisen in connection with Yahoo's spin-off--what are the tax consequences arising from the indenture-induced substitution of t...

The I.R.S. Will Focus On The "Device" Test: September 15, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The most obscure of the requirements for a tax-free spin-off is the "device" test. Sec. 355 does not apply to a transaction "used principally as a device for the...

Sec. 357(b) Is Sparingly Applied: September 15, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 176 Print Report; ISC, Industries, Inc., (ISC), is the successor to I. I was in the consumer finance business. The board of directors of I approved the purchase of 52.846 percent of the stock of...

Blackstone's Basis Step Up: September 11, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; We have written on numerous occasions about how buyers of corporations seek to obtain a cost basis in the target's assets. However, this is a goal that is rarely achieved....

Expansion Doctrine Permits Satisfaction Of Active Business Requirement: September 11, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 175 Print Report; This ruling is issued pursuant to Sec. 6.03 of Rev. Proc. 2014-1, 2014-1 I.R.B. 15, regarding one or more "significant issues" under Sec. 355. The I.R.S. no longer is...

Transaction Entered Into For Profit: September 10, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 174 Print Report; Petitioner, (P), is an attorney actively engaged in the practice of law. "Incorporators", including P, agreed among themselves to take the requisite steps l...

Still Optimistic On Prospects For Yahoo! Spin-Off: September 9, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Yahoo! Inc.'s (Y) most recent 8-K discloses the following important facts: (1) On February 26th, Y submitted...a request for a private letter ruling---the ruling sought con...

When Does Stock Become Wholly Worthless?: September 9, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 173 Print Report; TP Corporation, (TP), owned all of the stock of S Corporation, (S), and T Corporation, (T). Effective Date X, TP decided to discontinue the operation of S. S's li...

MEG And MDP Will Undertake A "Sec. 351" Transaction: September 8, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Media General, Inc. (MEG) and Meredith Corporation (MDP) have announced a definitive merger agreement under which MEG "will acquire all of the outstanding common stock of...

FTR And BGS Effect Asset Purchases: September 8, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Frontier Communications Corporation, (FTR), purchased the stock of a newly formed legal entity to which Verizon, the seller of such stock, contributed entities which own Verizo...

Shareholder Purpose Suffices For a "Recapitalization": September 8, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 172 Print Report; Company, (C), has issued and outstanding, exclusive of shares held as treasury stock, 755 shares of $5 par value voting common stock, all of which were held by TP, th...

Deducting Travel Expenses: September 4, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 171 Print Report; During 2006, petitioner, (P), was employed by Lynn University, (LU), as an assistant professor. She was also pursuing her Ph.D. degree during that year.At the t...

"Standby" Fee Not Deductible (or Amortizable): September 3, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 170 Print Report; The common stock of petitioner, (P), traded over-the-counter until 1967, when it went on the American Stock Exchange. The common stock consisted of two classes of $1...

Aabaco's Assumption Of Yahoo's Convertibles Not Troublesome: September 2, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The latest rumor regarding the Yahoo! (Y) spin-off of its BABA stake is that Aabaco (Spinco) will have to assume Y's convertible debentures because the indenture calls for...

Baxter To Begin Divesting Its Baxalta Stake: September 2, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; When Baxter, (B), spun-off Baxalta, (BX), on July 1st, 2015, it distributed only 80.5 percent of BX's stock to its shareholders and retained the other 19.5 percent of such...

Taxpayer Shifts "Burden of Production" to the I.R.S.: September 2, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 169 Print Report; In 1983, the taxpayer, (Mr. L), and his wife, purchased a home in Newport, Kentucky. In 1999, they executed a mortgage on the property in favor of Home Equity Service...

Contingent Liabilities and Sec. 338(h)(10): September 1, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 168 Print Report; On Date A, Purchaser, (P), entered into a stock purchase agreement with Seller, (S). Pursuant to the stock purchase agreement, P agreed to purchase Target, (T), a&nbs...

I.R.S. Rules That "Active Business Size" Is Irrelevant: August 31, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; We keep hearing that the "size" of the active trade or business on which a taxpayer relies to meet the active trade or business requirement is a key factor in determi...

"Cash Rich Split-Off" Not In Cards For Berkshire And Phillips 66: August 31, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Over the weekend, one of the most prominent financial news stories was the bold bet made by Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. on a recovery of energy prices through its investment in th...

When Is Debt Recourse?: August 31, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 167 Print Report; TP is taxable as a partnership. TP has three Members: two individuals and an 'S' corporation. TP was organized to purchase real property and construct, market, and sell...

"Complex" Transaction Not Eligible For The Benefits Of Sec. 1031: August 28, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 166 Print Report; BM sells equipment for manufacturers, primarily C. In 2002, BM formed NC to take over BM's rental and leasing operations. At issue in this case is NC's like kind exchan...

SLB Is Acquiring CAM: August 27, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Schlumberger Limited, (SLB), and Cameron International Corporation, (CAM), announced, on August 26th, a definitive merger agreement "in which the companies will combine in...

Seminar Expenses Not Deductible: August 27, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 165 Print Report; Taxpayer, (TP), has a number of business interests including real property, a car wash, a laundry, and real estate held for investment purposes. In addition, TP owns...

Indemnity Payment is a Capital Expenditure: August 26, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 164 Print Report; Prior to November 4, 1955, the taxpayer owned 94 percent of the stock of PPRP. This company owned mineral lands in Texas as well asthree ranches and an oil refi...

Hubbell To Effect A "Recapitalization": August 25, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Hubbell, Inc., ("H"), has announced a plan to "reclassify" the company's common stock for the purpose of eliminating the company's existing dual-cla...

Satisfying Debt With Property: August 25, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 163 Print Report; It is well-settled that the use of appreciated property to satisfy a liability is a taxable event. Thus, the debtor will recognize gain in an amount equ...

Does Navistar's Restatement "Correct An Error?": August 24, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 162 Print Report; The now-repealed State of Ohio corporation franchise tax used the corporation's federal taxable income, with certain Ohio adjustments, as the basis on which such tax was im...

"Carried Interest" Yields Capital Gain: August 24, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The income generated by a partnership retains its "character" when it is passed through to its partners. See Sec. 702(b) of the Code. Where that income constitutes &q...

Taxpayer is Found to be Louisiana "Resident": August 21, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 161 Print Report; Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:31(1) defines who is liable for individual income taxes: Resident individuals---Every person resident within the stat...

Texas Franchise Tax Is Not An "Income Tax": August 20, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 160 Print Report; Graphic Packaging Corporation, ("GPC"), is headquartered in Marietta, Georgia but operates its packaging business in multiple states. The amount of its Texas franchis...

Contingent Stock Constitutes Part of the Sales Price: August 19, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 159 Print Report; In 1969, S, a wholly-owned subsidiary of P, acquired all the assets and assumed all the liabilities of T in a statutory merger that qualified as a reorganization unde...

Liberty Interactive Announces A "Reorganization": August 18, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Liberty Interactive Corporation, (L), has announced an agreement pursuant to which it will acquire "the outstanding shares" of zulily, inc., (ZU), for a combination o...

No Continuity of Interest Requirement in Sec. 351: August 18, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 158 Print Report; ACQ was formed in Year 1 as a State A corporation. ACQ sought to engage in a series of transactions whereby T1 and 11 other independent Business 1 and related corpora...

Terex's Shareholders Will Be Taxed On Receipt Of "Kappa" Stock: August 17, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Terex Corporation, (Theta) has decided to join forces with Konecranes Plc (Kappa) in a transaction that has an unquestioned business rationale. However, the structure of the tr...

New Jersey Entire Net Income Must Reflect "Attribute Reduction": August 17, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 157 Print Report; MCI Communications Services, Inc., (Plaintiff), was a wholly-owned subsidiary of MCI, Inc., (MCI). MCI is the successor to Worldcom, Inc., (W). W had filed a petition for reorg...

Warranty And Representation Obligations Not "Securities": August 14, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 156 Print Report; TP originates and sells mortgages. Purchasers were entitled to force the repurchase of the mortgages by TP and/or pursue other indemnification from TP to compensate for TP'...

Fund Must Record Deferred Tax Liabilities: August 13, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 155 Print Report; Copley Fund, Inc., (CFI), is an open-end mutual fund. It is a registered investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940. CFI,...

Intergovernmental Immunity: August 12, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 154 Print Report; ASC is a New York corporation with offices in Westbury, N.Y. ASC, or petitioner, provides security guard services to corporations and entities, including Federal agen...

EFH Announces A Restructuring Plan: August 11, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Energy Futures Holdings, (EFH), the old TXU, has announced a plan which should enable it to emerge from its long bankruptcy, provided the plan is approved by the bankruptcy cou...

Google To Form Holding Company: August 11, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Google, Inc., (G), is doing something that many companies have done before it, forming a holding company whose sole function will be to own the stock of the operating companies...

The "Open Transaction" Approach Constitutes A Method Of Accounting: August 11, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 153 Print Report; Prior to June 1, 2004, G was President of AB. Pursuant to a merger agreement effective June 1, 2004, AB became a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Boston Scientific Corporati...

9th Circuit Creates A Mortgage Interest "Marriage Penalty": August 10, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Mr. V and Mr. S are domestic partners registered with the State of California. They are not married. They co-own two homes as joint tenants--one in Rancho Mirage, California, a...

Depreciating Precious Metals: August 10, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 152 Print Report; A is a contract jeweler who fabricates jewelry to customers' specifications using gold supplied by the customers. A fabricates and maintains gold sample jewelry showing cur...

Inversion Thursday: August 7, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; On Thursday, August 6, 2015, two large transactions with inversion characteristics, even though one of them, technically, is not a "Sec. 7874 inversion," were announc...

Multiple Transfers Culminate In A 'D' Reorganization: August 7, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 151 Print Report; P, a domestic corporation, owns all of the interests in LLC, a domestic limited liability company that elected to be an association taxable as a corporation. P also owns all of...

Sec. 351 Transaction Accorded Independent Significance: August 6, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 150 Print Report; P, a domestic corporation, owns all of the stock of each of S-1 and S-2, both of which are incorporated in foreign country R. S-2, a holding company, owns all of the stock of X...

Shire Offer Might Upend Baxter's Carefully Crafted Tax Plan: August 5, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Baxter's formation and separation of Baxalta, comprised of a contribution by Baxter of assets to Baxalta followed by a distribution by Baxter to its shareholders of approxi...

"Sideways" Attribution Does Not Prevent Complete Termination: August 5, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 149 Print Report; The stock of Corporation, (C), is all held by Shareholder A and his two children, B and C, in the following proportions: 70.17 percent, 28.33 percent, and 1.5 percent...

Shire's "Tax Conscious" Offer For Baxalta: August 4, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Shire plc is offering to acquire all of the stock of Baxalta, Inc. Baxalta's shareholders would receive as consideration for each share solely 0.1687 of a Shire ADR. The do...

Medical Marijuana Seller Cannot Deduct Expenses: August 4, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 148 Print Report; The "Vapor Room" (VR) provides its patrons a place where they can purchase medical marijuana (MM) and consume it using the VR's vaporizers. Petitioner, (P), purch...

Ruling Confirms That "Size" Unimportant For Active Business Test: August 3, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; LTR 201531014, April 30, 2015, addresses the case of DP, a State A corporation, that is the parent of both a U.S. consolidated group and a worldwide group of corporations (the...

Claims Against the Estate: August 3, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 147 Print Report; Mr. Marshall Naify, MN, created the Marshall Naify Revocable Trust, MNRT, on February 3, 1997. On December 18, 1998, MN formed M Corporation, M, a Delaware investment...

Education Qualified Taxpayer For a New Trade or Business: July 31, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 146 Print Report; The issue is whether the expenses incurred by Taxpayers for tuition and education expenses are ordinary and necessary business expenses. They were not. See Myrup...

I.R.S. Declines To Issue A Sec. 367 Ruling To Broadcom: July 30, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The combination of Broadcom Corporation and Avago Technologies Limited is structured as a "global" Sec. 351 exchange. Thus, Holdco, a foreign corporation, will be for...

Lawmakers Unveil "Patent Box" Legislation: July 30, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Many foreign countries offer their residents tax incentives, in the form of lower tax rates, with respect to income derived, broadly, from "intellectual property." Fo...

Costs of "Converting" Slot Machines Not Capital Expenditures: July 30, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 145 Print Report; TP operates casinos. TP offers two types of slot machines: reel machines and video machines. TP purchases all slot machines from third parties. TP characterizes its s...

"Disqualifying" Dispositions of Option Stock: July 29, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 144 Print Report; On September 17, 1964, Mr. B was granted an option to purchase 3,000 shares of P Corporation, (P), stock at 9 7/8 per share pursuant to P's qualified stock option...

Stock Is Not "Debt Financed Portfolio Stock": July 28, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 143 Print Report; X Corporation, (X), is the parent of a consolidated group of corporations engaged in financial service activities. X is publicly held. &nb...

Two More Tax-Free Reorganizations: July 27, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The pace of mergers has not shown any sign of slowing down, even during the normally slow summer months. Over the last few days, two transformative business combinations were i...

Proposed Regulations Treat Allocations As Payments For Services: July 27, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Generally, an allocation or distribution between a partnership and a partner for the provision of services can be treated as: (i) a distributive share, (ii) a guaranteed paymen...

Interest-Free Loan is "Held for Investment": July 27, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 142 Print Report; As of January 1, 1988, the taxpayer, TP, had made interest-free demand loans to Foundation, F, with a total unpaid balance of $352x. During 1988, F repaid TP $121x, t...

A Group's "CNOL" Is Subject To Reduction Under Sec. 108(b): July 24, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 141 Print Report; On December 27, 1996, Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc., ("MEG") and certain of its subsidiaries filed petitions under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. At the time,...

Change in Classification Produces a Worthless Stock Deduction: July 23, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 140 Print Report; Foreign Parent, FP, owns all of the stock of TP, a domestic corporation. TP owns all of the stock of Holding, H, a domestic corporation. TP acquired the stock of H se...

Contingent Payment Rights Characterized as Options: July 22, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 139 Print Report; TP is a domestic corporation. On Date b, TP purchased "g" shares of T's common stock for "$h" per share. After the purchase, TP's consolid...

LMT Will Get A "Cost" Basis In Sikorsky's Assets: July 21, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Ordinarily, when a corporation purchases the stock of another corporation, the purchaser "inherits" the target's basis, which is inevitably small, in its assets....

What Is the "Nature" of "Repo" Income?: July 21, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 138 Print Report; The respondent, (R), an individual taxpayer, owns securities in two mutual funds ("Trusts"). The Trusts earn a portion of their income by participating in r...

Yahoo! Files Information Statement For "Spinco": July 20, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; On Friday, July 17, 2015, Yahoo! (YHOO) filed the preliminary information statement for a corporation, named Aabaco Holdings, Inc. ("AHI" or "Spinco"), whic...

Executive's "Bargain" Conveyance of Stock Not Deductible: July 20, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 137 Print Report; The taxpayer was the president and a member of the board of directors of M Corporation, (M), and he owned 12,015 shares of its common stock. The taxpayer had the righ...

I.R.S. Issues New Rules For "Sec. 83(b) Elections": July 17, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Sec. 83(a) of the Code provides that if, in connection with the performance of services, property is transferred to any person...the excess of the fair market value of the prop...

ESOPs and 'S' Corporations: July 17, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 136 Print Report; X, a calendar year 'S' corporation, maintains Plan Y, (Y),an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, (ESOP). Y holds 100 shares of X that it purchased on January...

Associate Attorneys Are Employees: July 16, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 135 Print Report; The Firm appeals from the tax court's decision holding that three associate attorneys and one law clerk who worked at the Firm were employees. The appeal was unsu...

MPLX And MWE To Engage In Rare Partnership Merger: July 15, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; MPLX LP, (MPLX), and Mark West Energy Partners, L.P., (MWE), recently announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement in connection with which MWE would become a "w...

BKH's Acquisition Will Produce Tax Benefits: July 15, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Black Hills Corporation, (BKH), recently announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire SourceGas Holdings LLC from certain investment funds, including a unit...

Risk Diminution and the Dividends Received Deduction: July 15, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 134 Print Report; TP is a domestic corporation. Issuer is a newly-formed corporation and isa subsidiary of Newco. Issuer Subsidiary, (IS), is a newly-formed subsidiary of Issuer....

"Proportionate" Debt Not Recharacterized as Equity: July 14, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 133 Print Report; A and B each owned 50 percent of the stock of W,X, Y, and Z. On January 1, 1975, they transferred all of their stock in those corporations to a newly-formed corporati...

AET And HUM: Two Mergers Produce A Reorganization: July 13, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Aetna (AET) and Humana, Inc., (HUM) have entered into a definitive agreement in connection with which AET will acquire HUM for consideration valued at a staggering $37 billion....

Windstream's "Opco/Propco" Ruling Is Published: July 13, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; It appears that LTR 201528006, July 16, 2014, is the ruling issued to Windstream with respect to its spin-off of "Distribution Assets" and concurrent REIT election fo...

Excess "Parachute" Payments Are Subject to an Excise Tax: July 13, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 132 Print Report; Sec. 280G of the Internal Revenue Code defines a parachute payment as a payment to a corporate officer that is contingent on a change in the control or owner...

"Basket Option Contracts" Are "Listed" Transactions: July 10, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 131 Print Report; The "basket option contract," in the I.R.S.'s estimation, is a tax avoidance transaction. Notice 2015-47, issued on July 8, 2015, identifies it as a "listed&...

Roth I.R.A. Not an Eligible Shareholder of an 'S' Corporation: July 9, 2015 - Volume 9 issue 130 Print Report; Qualifying small business corporations may elect 'S' corporation status. Eligibility turns on three characteristics: (i) thenumber of shareholders, (ii)...

Can Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. and EMC Be Combined?: July 9, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Now that Hewlett Packard Co. has made certain SEC filings regarding the separation of its businesses via a tax free spin-off, the question of whether the spun-off corporation,...

PG Reprises Its Favorite Structure: July 9, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The Procter & Gamble Company (PG) is once again doing, from a financial engineering point of view, something it has become expert in: divesting a business in a tax-efficien...

The OSG Saga Continues: July 8, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc., (OSG), is in the business of transporting bulk crude oil and refined petroleum products throughout the world. OSG owns, among other subsidiari...

ACE's Stock Will Be Taxable To CB Shareholders: July 8, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The business combination recently announced by ACE Limited (ACE) and The Chubb Corporation (CB), one of the largest deals of this or any other year, will be structured in such...

Interest On Intercompany Debt Ruled Deductible: July 8, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 129 Print Report; Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, (MMLIC), is a mutual insurance company owned by its policy holders. For Massachusetts tax purposes, MMLIC is required to file on a...

Luring Coveted Chief Executive is a Corporate Business Purpose: July 7, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 128 Print Report; X Corporation, (X), a large widely held and publicly traded corporation, owns all of the stock of Y Corporation, (Y), and has owned such stock for more than five year...

Centene's Two Step Acquisition Of Health Net: July 6, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Centene Corporation, (CC), and Health Net, Inc., (HNI), have entered into an agreement and plan of merger pursuant to which CC will be acquiring HNI. The agreement and plan of...

NOLs in Split-Offs--Part II: July 6, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 127 Print Report; On January 1, 1975, X Corporation, (X), effected a split-off of its Division B with the retention of Division A. The transaction qualified as a reorganization under S...

Spouse Had Zero Basis In Shares Sold: July 2, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 126 Print Report; During 2000 and 2001, VH was a citizen of the U.K. During 2000 and 2001, IH, her husband, was a U.S. citizen. Both became U.S. residents on January 16, 2001. IH was employed by...

Debt Discharge Occurred In "A Title 11 Case": July 1, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 125 Print Report; P is a domestic corporation and is the wholly-owned subsidiary of CA, a Country Z corporation. P is the parent corporation of a U.S. affiliated group made up of Corp. B, Corp....

Inverted Companies Can Make "Return Of Capital" Distributions: June 30, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 124 Print Report; On May 29, 2015, Medtronic plc, (MDT), filed Form 8937, "Report of Organizational Actions Affecting Basis of Securities," with the I.R.S. The Form noted that the comp...

Willis Group To Annex Towers Watson: June 30, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Willis Group Holdings plc (WSH) and Towers Watson & Co. (TW) have announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement under which "the companies will combine in an...

Tax Credits Available From Federal And State Exchanges: June 29, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the ACA) adopts a series of reforms designed to expand coverage in the individual health insurance market. In addition to those...

BAC's "TARP" Warrants: June 29, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; This week's Barron's extols the virtues of Bank of America's "TARP" Warrants suggesting that an investment in such Warrants would be mo...

Restructuring Not A 'G' Reorganization: June 29, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 123 Print Report; The issue is whether the restructuring of a debtor corporation ("DC") constituted a reorganization within the meaning of Sec. 368(a)(1)(G) of the Internal Revenue Cod...

Taxpayer Denied Partial Liquidation Treatment: June 26, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 122 Print Report; On July 1, 1953, Mr. M and Mr. S incorporated M&S Corporation, (MSC), which was continuously engaged in the active business of road construction. MSC was also eng...

"Foreign To Foreign" Merger Can Be A Reorganization: June 25, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Delhaize Group and Royal Ahold N.V. have announced their intention to pursue a business combination of the two supermarket giants. The announcement has elicited a large amount...

Salvaging a Sec. 338(h)(10) Election: June 25, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 121 Print Report; Corporation, (C), is a State A corporation engaged in Business and has had a valid election to be treated as an 'S' corporation since Date 1. Before Date 2, S...

Martha Stewart To Engage In A "Global" Sec. 351 Transaction: June 24, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (MSLO) and Sequential Brand Group, Inc. (SBG) have announced a business combination that will result in each of MSLO and SBG becoming subs...

Option Stock Not Worthless: June 24, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 120 Print Report; PCFC operated as a Real Estate Investment Trust, (REIT), from May, 2004 until at least March, 2007, when it filed a petition for chapter 11 bankruptcy. Throughout tha...

Darden To Engage In An "Opco/Propco" Spin-Off: June 23, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Darden Restaurants, Inc., (DRI), has announced the adoption of a "strategic real estate plan," the centerpiece of which is a spin-off (or perhaps a split-off) of the...

An Abandonment of Encumbered Property Is a "Sale" Thereof: June 23, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 119 Print Report; The taxpayers owned and occupied a residence that had a fair market value substantially less than the amount of the first and second recourse mortgag...

When Is a Loss on a Liquidation Sustained?: June 22, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 118 Print Report; The issue in Commissioner v. Beekman Winthrop , 98 F.2d 74 (2d Cir. 1938), was whether a capital loss was sustained by Mr. Winthrop in 1932 or in1934. T...

"Informal" Plan Suffices for "Partial Liquidation" Purposes: June 19, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 117 Print Report; A distribution qualifies as a distribution in part or full payment in exchange for stock (rather than as a distribution of property to which Sec. 301 applies) if (i)...

Court Sides With FDIC With Respect To NOL Carryback Refund: June 18, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Ordinarily, the common parent functions as the "agent" for the consolidated group which it heads up and, accordingly, among other things, any refunds due the group, f...

A House Is Not a Home: June 18, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 116 Print Report; The Strommes purchased the "EA house" as an investment in April, 2001. They chose to develop the EA house as a "group home" for developmentally di...

"Boot" Purge Accomplished With Substituted Assets: June 17, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 115 Print Report; Distributing, a publicly traded State A corporation, is the common parent of an affiliated group of corporations that files a consolidated income tax return. &n...

I.R.S. Issues "May Department Store" Regulations: June 16, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 114 Print Report; Under current law, which reflects the repeal of the "General Utilities" doctrine (under which assets could "move" out of corporate solution on a tax-free ba...

Sec. 1031 Counterparty Need Not Have Title to Replacement Property: June 15, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 113 Print Report; X and Y are unrelated persons. On May 14, 1989, X and Y entered into a contract that requires X to transfer B to Y and requiresY to transfer to X property of a...

What Is "Interest?" - Part II: June 12, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 112 Print Report; Sub, which is wholly-owned by TP, and Bank 1 entered into an interest rate swap and a "collar agreement" on Date 1. On Date 2, the parties entered into a &q...

"CAT" Credit Reduced By Adjustments To NOLs: June 11, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 111 Print Report; For many businesses the Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) served to replace the tax imposed on the privilege of exercising a corporate franchise in Ohio. Businesses not having posi...

Sale of Professional Sports Team Not an Involuntary Conversion: June 10, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 110 Print Report; Team, (T), is a professional sports franchise (we believe T is the New England Patriots) located in City. For many years, T has played its home game in Stadium, also...

Build America Bonds Are Not "Tax-Exempt" Bonds: June 9, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 109 Print Report; In July 2009, a local government ("I") issued taxable direct pay Build America Bonds (BABs) with an interest rate of six percent. Subsequent to issuance, I applied fo...

FASB Proposes To Simplify The Equity Method Of Accounting: June 8, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The equity method of accounting best enables investors in corporate joint ventures "to reflect the underlying nature of their investment in those ventures." In additi...

"Hedging" Income Is Qualifying MLP Income: June 8, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; C is a publicly-traded partnership (PTP or MLP). C is not engaged in a "financial or insurance business." C periodically issues both fixed rate and floating rate debt...

Payment for Renewable Energy Credits Not a "Subsidy": June 8, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 108 Print Report; Taxpayer, (TP), is a resident of State. TP contracted with X to purchase and install a residential alternative renewable energy system at TP's residence. See LTR...

Non-Resident Of Connecticut Taxed On Exercise Of Options: June 5, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 107 Print Report; A was employed by TC from 1990 through 2001. During that period of time, the plaintiffs (A and his wife) were residents of Connecticut (CT). A was also a CT resident while he w...

I.R.S. Reaffirms "Bright Line" Test For Substantial Business Activities: June 4, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; A foreign corporation will be treated as a "surrogate foreign corporation" (making the domestic corporation which it acquires an "expatriated entity" subjec...

Designating Replacement Property: June 4, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 106 Print Report; Company, (CO), is engaged in the business of providing highly specialized technological services to clients worldwide. The services CO provides require the use of &qu...

Trian Group Seeks "Exchange" Treatment For Wendy's Buyback: June 3, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The Wendy's Company (TWC) is offering to purchase shares of its common stock pursuant to (i) "auction tenders," at prices, within a defined band, specified by the...

Dissolution vs. Merger: June 3, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 105 Print Report; A corporation, (U), incurred organizational expenses before 1954 in the amount of $607,601. In July, 1964, U and C Corporation, (C), entered into a merger agreement....

Sec. 332 is Elective--Part II: June 2, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 104 Print Report; A and B (collectively, C) owned "E" shares of X Corporation, (X),and A, in his individual capacity, owned the remaining "F" shares of X. X o...

Amounts Received From Multiple Tenants Are "Good" REIT Income: June 1, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; TP is a REIT. TP is the general partnership of Partnership (PS) and owns approximately "A%" of the outstanding common units of PS. Thus, TP is an "UPREIT."&...

Broadcom, Time Warner Cable, And Equinix Update: June 1, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Last week three significant transactions were announced, and each such transaction featured interesting tax angles. Our preliminary observations contained in our previous Bulle...

'S' Corporation Wins Battle But Loses War: June 1, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 103 Print Report; TP is an accrual basis 'S' corporation with a fiscal year ending March 31. Prior to the end of its Year X taxable year, TP's Board of Directors authorized...

COD vs. "Purchase Price Adjustment?": May 29, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 102 Print Report; Y, a newly-formed corporation, purchased all of the stock of X from Mr. A for cash and debt, including a subordinated debenture. Shortly after the acquisition of X...

BRCM Shareholders To Be Offered A Choice Of Consideration: May 29, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Avago Technologies Limited, (AVGO), and Broadcom Corporation, (BRCM), announced a definitive agreement pursuant to which "AVGO will acquire BRCM" in a cash and stock...

Preferred Stock Is Not "Money": May 28, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 101 Print Report; P Corporation, (P), owns all of the stock of S Corporation, (S). S sold all of the stock of three of its subsidiaries to unrelated Z Corporation, (Z), in exchange&nbs...

Maryland's Tax Scheme Ruled Unconstitutional: May 27, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The income tax that the State of Maryland (M) imposes upon its residents has two parts: a "state" income tax and a "county" income tax. If M residents pay i...

Tax Consequences Of Time Warner Cable/Charter Transaction: May 27, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Although the merger agreement has not yet been published, we have, we believe, sufficient information to intelligently discuss the likely tax consequences flowing from the land...

Loss Of Control Does Not Spoil Sec. 351 Transaction: May 27, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 100 Print Report; Partnership A, ("PSA"), was formed on Date X and various Branded Insurers and their subsidiaries became partners of PSA on Date Y. The purpose of PSA was to provide a...

Treasury Department Sets Its Sights On "Earnings Stripping": May 26, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; "Earnings stripping" includes the practice by which a U.S. corporation pays interest on indebtedness owed to a related foreign person. The interest paid (or incurred)...

Yahoo's Spin-Off--Where Does It Stand?: May 26, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 99 Print Report; Yahoo! has announced an historic, but not unprecedented, spin-off in which it will distribute to its shareholders the stock of a new corporation (Spinco) whose assets will cons...

Merger Of Insolvent Corporation Constitutes A Reorganization: May 22, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 98 Print Report; NS and his wife, JS, owned approximately 99 percent of the stock of P, C, and RO. All three corporations were engaged in the sale and servicing of automobiles....

ENR Adopts A "Rights" Plan: May 22, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Energizer Holdings, Inc. (ENR) is only a month away from completing, via a tax-free spin-off, the separation of its Personal Care business from its Household Products business....

FASB To Simplify The Accounting For "Measurement Period Adjustments": May 22, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Under current guidance, in the case of a "business combination," if the initial accounting for the combination is incomplete by the end of the reporting period in whi...

How To Distribute The Stock Of A Recently Purchased Subsidiary: May 21, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 97 Print Report; Rev. Rul. 73-44, 1973-1 C.B. 182, finds that a distribution by X corporation (X) of the stock of Y corporation (Y) qualifies under Sec. 355(a) of the Code with the result that...

Exchange For Stock And Boot Not A "Disposition": May 20, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 96 Print Report; X corporation (X) and Y corporation (Y) are unrelated corporations. On July 1, 2011, X grants a stock option to A, an employee of X since January 4, 2011, entitling A to purcha...

I.R.S. Announces "Active Business" Ruling Pause: May 19, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; According to Tax Notes , (see I.R.S. Announces Spinoff Ruling Pause; Yahoo Implicated , by Amy Elliott)the I.R.S. will announce that it "may hol...

ASNA And ANN To Merge: May 19, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; ascena retail group, inc. (ASNA) and ANN INC. (ANN) announced yesterday that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement in connection with which ASNA will acquire all...

An "Affiliate" Must Have Gross Receipts: May 19, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 95 Print Report; Corporation A, (A), owned Corporation B, (B), a pureholding company. The sole asset of B was an "X%" interest in Corporation C, (C), an operating comp...

Sec. 501(c)(4) Organization Has "UBTI": May 18, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 94 Print Report; Ocean Pines Association, ("the Association"), is non-stock corporation organized and incorporated in Maryland. It oversees a subdivision of more than 3,500...

Redeemable Securities Are Equity: May 15, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 93 Print Report; Each of Fund 1 and Fund 2 is a closed-end management company that qualifies as a Regulated Investment Company (RIC). Each Fun...

Danaher Announces An Acquisition And Spin-off: May 14, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Danaher Corporation, (DHR), on May 13th, announced both a massive acquisition and, concurrently, an intention to separate the company into two "independent publicly traded...

Identifying the "Acquiring" Corporation: May 14, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 92 Print Report; In 1983, the regulators examined M, a State X bank, and determined it had "substantial financial problems." The regulators began negotiations with another S...

WMB Will "Roll Up" WPZ: May 13, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Williams, ("WMB"), and Williams Partners L.P., ("WPZ"), announced an agreement under which WMB will acquire all of the common units in WPZ it does not alrea...

Taxpayer Found to Be "Equitable" Owner of Mortgaged Property: May 13, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 91 Print Report; On October 5, 2005, the parents (E) of petitioner (P) purchased a $2,150,000 house in Oakland, California ("the property"). E and P considered the property...

Freescale's Shareholders Will Be Taxed On Receipt Of NXPI Stock: May 12, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; NXP Semiconductors NV (NXPI) and Freescale Semiconductors Ltd. (FSL) have entered into a plan and agreement pursuant to which NXPI will acquire all of the stock of FSL for a mi...

Lehman Brothers Denied Foreign Tax Credits: May 12, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Between April 6, 1999 and December 31, 2000, Lehman Brothers, Inc. (LBI), a U.S. subsidiary of Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. (L), entered into hundreds of "stock loan tra...

"QREs" Cannot Be Counted Twice: May 12, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 90 Print Report; On Date B, P Corporation, (P), acquired the stock of T Corporation, (T), in exchange for Pstock and cash in a transaction that did not constitute a "revers...

Goodwill Gain Is "Qualifying Income": May 11, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 89 Print Report; The taxpayer, (TP), is a Real Estate Investment Trust, (REIT). TP focuses on the ownership and management of "B" properties leased to "B" operator...

TRS Cannot Manage or Operate a Lodging Facility: May 8, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 88 Print Report; TP is a Real Estate Investment Trust, (REIT). TP is the managing general partner of OP and owns approximately "a%" of the outstanding common units of OP. OP...

ALXN Is Planning A Tax-Free Reorganization: May 7, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (ALXN) made headlines yesterday as a result of the magnitude of the premium it is offering in connection with its planned $8.4 billion acquisitio...

Donation of Film Library: May 7, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 87 Print Report; C is a broadcasting company. C donated its film library to a charity described in Sec. 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code. C's adjustedbasis in the library...

Proposed Regulations Narrow Permissible MLP Activities: May 6, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The I.R.S. issued proposed regulations yesterday which, for the first time, provide a comprehensive definition of "qualifying income" to be employed by entities organ...

When Are Guaranteed Dividends Deductible?: May 6, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 86 Print Report; MM is a mutual life insurance company. Sec. 808(c) of the Code permits life insurance companies to deduct an amount equal to the policyholder dividends "paid or accrued&qu...

Warehouse and Refrigeration System Are Real Estate Assets: May 5, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 85 Print Report; TP intends to elect to be treated as a Real Estate Investment Trust, (REIT). TP's only assets willconsist ofwarehouses and central refrigeration syste...

Cleveland's "Games Played" Method Of Allocation Rejected: May 4, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Hunter T. Hillenmeyer, (HTH), a former linebacker for the Chicago Bears, challenges the method by which the city of Cleveland's municipal income tax was imposed on his earn...

Bonus Depreciation Has Unintended (And Negative) State Tax Effects: May 4, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Petitioner, (P), is a Pennsylvania corporation authorized to do business in New York State. For each of the three taxable years in issue, P reported New York State income and o...

Plan Loans Are "Deemed" Distributions: May 4, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 84 Print Report; The taxpayer, (KO), was employed with the New York State Department of Insurance. In 1993, KO commenced participation in the New York State and Local Retirement Syste...

Federal "DRE" Recognized for State Tax Purposes: May 1, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 83 Print Report; KMPS was a limited liability company (LLC) formed in Michigan and wholly-owned by its single member,Kmart Corporation (Kmart). KMPS filed a Michigan single busi...

Investment Banker's New York Taxes Not Creditable In Illinois: April 30, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 82 Print Report; Taxpayers, (TPs), were full-time residents of the State of Illinois during 2011. TPs therefore reported the entire amount of their wages and other taxable income on Form IL-104...

Sec. 332 Is Elective--Part I: April 29, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 81 Print Report; Individual, (I), owned H, a domestic corporation. H owned S1 and S2. I, S1, and S2 collectively owned 100 percent of S3, a Country X corporation; S1 owned more than 8...

DUI Citation Not a Bar to Casualty Loss Deduction: April 28, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 80 Print Report; On August 12, 2005, the taxpayer, (R), purchased a 2006 Ford F-350 pickup truck for $40,210.65. On October 28, 2005, he attended a "gathering" at a friend&#...

Earnings Stripping With Convertible Debentures: April 27, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; P owns C1. Both are incorporated in Country 1. C1 owns TP and TP owns C2. TP and C2 are each incorporated in the United States. TP owes P Dollar Amount 1, and C2 owes P Dollar...

Purported Reorganization Carried Out For A Corporate Business Purpose: April 27, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 79 Print Report; TP is a Country A corporation which from 1977 through 1983 was owned 75 percent by X and 25 percent by Y. X and Y are Country B corporations controlled by Family....

The Active Conduct Of An Insurance Business: April 24, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The Treasury Department and the I.R.S. "are aware of situations in which a hedge fund establishes a purported foreign reinsurance company in order to defer and reduce the...

Reading Income Tax Footnotes: April 24, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 78 Print Report; What makes for a low effective tax rate? Permanent differences—income that’s reported for financial accounting purposes but is not includible in gross inc...

ARRIS Group To Engage In "Old School" Inversion: April 23, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; ARRIS Group, Inc., (AG), has entered into a plan and agreement with Pace plc (P) which will lead to each of AG and P becoming subsidiaries of "New ARRIS," (NA), a cor...

Mississippi Statute Ruled Unconstitutional: April 23, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 77 Print Report; Mississippi Code Ann. Sec. 27-7-15(4)(i) permits a recipient of an intercorporate dividend to exclude that dividend from gross income if the distributing corporation is doing b...

Expenses Incurred In Obtaining An "APA" Are Deductible: April 22, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 76 Print Report; During its Year 5 tax year, the taxpayer, (TP), a corporation, filed an application for an "advance pricing agreement" (APA), pursuant to Rev. Proc. 91-22,...

A Sale Of Veritas Compares Unfavorably To Its Spin-Off: April 22, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; In October 2014, Symantec Corporation, (S), announced its intention to separate into a security business and an information management business. Such separation was to be accom...

Remote and Contingent Beneficiary Denied Loss Deduction: April 21, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 75 Print Report; On May 25, 1970, the parents of the taxpayers, CJW and SEW, executed the instruments necessary to create two trusts for the benefit of their grandchildren. The primar...

Just One 60-Day Debt Obligation Taints All Debt Obligations: April 20, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; USP wholly owns CFC A, a controlled foreign corporation with unremitted earnings. During Year 1, CFC A made several loans to USP pursuant to a line of credit. &...

No Deduction For Donation of "Sec. 306" Stock: April 20, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 74 Print Report; Prior to August, 1978, Corporation, (C), had outstanding a single class of voting common stock, of which fully88 percent was held by TP. &...

'S' Corporation Redemptions Are Painless: April 17, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 73 Print Report; X Corporation, (X), elected to be treated as an 'S' corporation effective Date 2. Prior to Date 2, X was taxed as a C corporation. ...

Is Nokia Planning A 'B' Reorganization?: April 16, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Nokia's understanding with Alcatel-Lucent is couched in unusual terms. Apparently, Nokia has to structure the acquisition as a "public exchange offer" (to be file...

A "Firm and Fixed" Plan For Redemption Lacking: April 16, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 72 Print Report; On August 13, 1973, the taxpayer, (MAJ), and "Buddy" Schoellkopf, (B), were divorced after 31 years of marriage. In the property settlement, MAJ received 1,...

"Buy-Out" Payments Are Not NY Source Income: April 15, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 71 Print Report; The taxpayer (TP) is a "professional sports player", almost certainly a professional hockey player.He carries a foreign passport,is a domiciliar...

Kraft's Special Dividend Is Merger "Boot": April 14, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; If the landmark Kraft/Heinz merger is completed, each outstanding share of Kraft common stock...will be converted into the right to receive one share of common stock of the mer...

The CFC/PFIC "Overlap" Rule: April 14, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 70 Print Report; C Corporation (C) is a country J corporation. X is a Country J partnership; public investors own an "s%" limited partnership interest in X, a Country J part...

Ventas To Pursue Tax-Free Spin-Off: April 13, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Ventas, Inc., a REIT, has announced its intention to spin off "most of its post-acute/skilled nursing facility (SNF) portfolio into an independent, publicly traded REIT (S...

Business Purpose "Trumps" Device Factor: April 13, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 69 Print Report; For more than five years, P, a domestic corporation, owned all of the outstanding stock of S1, incorporated under the laws of country X. S1...

Capital Gain Is Not Apportionable Business Income: April 10, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 68 Print Report; During the period 2000-2006, EBI was a corporation domiciled and headquartered in Connecticut. During the period 2000-2006, EBI owned 100 percent of the stock of AFB,...

Waiver of Family Attribution Denied: April 9, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 67 Print Report; Mr. A owns 50 percent of the stock in Y Corporation, (Y). As a result of "family attribution" (from his children), Mr. A is considered to own approximately...

FASB Addresses "Debt Issuance Costs": April 8, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Bonds that are issued for more than, or less than, their stated redemption price at maturity, are said to have been issued at a "premium" or "discount," res...

Government Publications Are Not Capital Assets: April 8, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 66 Print Report; TP is a physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb during World War II. He also served as a civilian adviseron one of the flights...

MLP Found To Generate "Qualifying Income": April 7, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 65 Print Report; C is a "publicly traded partnership" (PTP or MLP). C is primarily engaged in the transportation, storage, and distribution of refined petroleum products.

New Jersey's Take On Virtual Currency: April 6, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Virtual currency is a form of "electronic/digital money" that can be used as a medium of exchange or as a form of digitally stored value. Taxpayers may deploy it to p...

TRS Can Furnish or Render "Non-Customary" Services: April 6, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 64 Print Report; T, which has elected to be treated as a Real Estate Investment Trust, (REIT), owns approximately "a%" of the common units and is the general partner of Limi...

"Boot" vs. "Special Dividend": April 2, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The issue that arose in connection with Kraft's merger with Heinz has come up once again with respect to a much smaller deal involving two Bermuda insurers, Montpelier Re H...

Sears Will Create "Opco/Propco": April 2, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Sears Holdings Corporation, (SHC), will, in an unusual manner, divide itself into an "opco/propco," with propco (Seritage Growth Properties or SGP) scheduled to acqui...

REIT's "NOL Pill" Not Fatal: April 2, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 63 Print Report; T was established as a C corporation on Date 1 and elected to be treated as a REIT for its first taxable year ended Date 2. Since its inception, T's operations ha...

CHTR To Accelerate The Use Of Its NOLs: April 1, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Charter Communications, Inc. (CHTR) has accumulated approximately $9.5 billion in Federal net operating losses (NOLs). Some $5.3 billion of these NOLs are "unrestricted,&q...

CFC Avoids "Subpart F" Income: April 1, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 62 Print Report; TP is a publicly traded multinational corporation and a "leading global provider of Products." TP wholly owns all of the shares of certain controlled foreig...

Reasonable Prospect of Recovery Prevents Theft Loss Deduction: March 31, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 61 Print Report; From 1999 through 2001, Mr. Vincentini (V) was an investor in Anderson Ark & Associates (AA), an international fraud scheme that marketed phony investment program...

Madison Square Garden Will Undergo Another Renovation: March 30, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Following a study in which the notion of separating the businesses of Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) was carefully considered, the company has decided to proceed with such...

Only Domestic Entities Can Be REITs: March 30, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 60 Print Report; X is a corporation that was organized under the laws of Country A which meets the requirements of Sec. 856(a)(1), (a)(2), and (a)(4) through (a)(7) of the Internal Re...

Dow Chemical To Engage In "Reverse Morris Trust" Transaction: March 27, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The Dow Chemical Company (DOW) and Olin Corporation (OLN) have announced a definitive agreement pursuant to which "a significant portion of DOW's chlorine value chain&...

"Parsonage Allowance" Only Covers One Home: March 27, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 59 Print Report; From 1996 to 1999, PD and LD, husband and wife, owned more than one residence, a principal residence and a lake house. PD, an ordained minister, worked for PDM, Inc.,...

Analyzing Kraft's "Special Dividend": March 26, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; H.J. Heinz Holding Corporation (HJH) and Kraft Foods Group, Inc. (K) have entered into a definitive merger agreement for the purpose of creating "The Kraft Heinz Company,&...

"Rebates" Reduce Basis: March 26, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 58 Print Report; Funds are organized as portfolios of series funds under the laws of State A and State B. Each qualifies as a "regulated investment company" (RIC).

Attribution to Trusts: March 25, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 57 Print Report; A trust and one of its beneficiaries, Mr. A, owned all of the stock in X Corporation, (X). None of the stock owned by Mr. A is constructively owned by the other benef...

Tenet's "Staged" Acquisition Of USPI Group: March 24, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Press reports last Sunday strongly suggested that Tenet Healthcare Corporation, (T), was on the verge of acquiring USPI Group Holdings, Inc. (USPI). In fact, although such an a...

When Are "Decommissioning" Liabilities "Incurred?": March 24, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 56 Print Report; In 1999 and 2000, AG purchased three nuclear power plants. AG paid $93 million for those plants. AG was subject to regulations promulgated by the NRC, including the obligation...

Interest On Exchangeable Debentures Must Be Capitalized: March 23, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; On Date 1, the Issuer privately placed Amount 1 of exchangeable debentures ("X Debentures"). The Issuer characterized the X Debentures as contingent payment debt inst...

Distribution of Real Estate Gives Rise To a "Contraction": March 23, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 55 Print Report; The issue is whether a distribution of real property to two of a corporation's shareholders in redemption of their stock constituted a distribution in partial...

"Sourcing" Interest and OID: March 20, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 54 Print Report; TP provides commercial banking and credit card services. It is the parent of Sub 1 and Sub 2. TP, throughthe subsidiaries, issued credit cards to (i) U.S. citiz...

Leases and Installment Sales Are Not "Investment Capital": March 19, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 53 Print Report; During the years at issue, some 75 to 80 percent of Xerox's equipment sales were financed by Xerox itself. The income &qu...

Why Is PNK's Spin-Off Taxable?: March 18, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; GLPI's proposal regarding Pinnacle Entertainment (PNK) envisions a spin-off of an "opco" followed immediately by a merger of the remaining company (propco) with a...

Proper Treatment Of Dividends With Unorthodox "Ex-Dates"--Nathan's: March 18, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Nathan's Famous, Inc. (NATH) recently declared a mammoth cash dividend in the amount of $25 per share. This represents over 1/3 of NATH's stock price immediately prior...

No Itemized Deductions If No Tax Return Is Filed: March 18, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 52 Print Report; Mr. Jahn did not file an income tax return for several years, including 2004. The I.R.S. eventuallycaught up with him and the Commissioner executed a return for...

Can "Investigatory" Expenses Be Deducted?: March 17, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 51 Print Report; Plaintiffs deducted $16,218 for the purchase and erection of an MET tower: a piece of technologicalequipment that, along with associated peripherals, is used to...

Backdated Accounts Receivable Not "Related Party Indebtedness": March 17, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Sec. 965, the so-called "repatriation holiday" provision, states: In the case of a corporation which is a U.S. shareholder and for which the election...is in effect.....

Timely Distribution Of "Boot" Eliminates Gain Recognition: March 16, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Although the I.R.S. is no longer, and has not been since 2013, issuing spin-off rulings, it will rule on "significant issues" associated with spin-offs. LTR 201511001...

Crop Share Payments Are "Rents From Real Property": March 16, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 50 Print Report; The Lodge is a corporation organized under the laws of Iowa and is exempt from taxation pursuant to Sec. 501(c)(8) of the Internal Revenue Code. ...

Refundable State Credits Includible In Gross Income: March 13, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; In New York State, (NY), certified "EZ" businesses qualify for certain EZ tax credits. A certified EZ business that meets specific employment tests may become a "...

A Former Mother-In-Law's Wrath Should Not Be Minimized: March 13, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 49 Print Report; Mr. Robert F.Cavuto (RC) was married to the daughter of Mary Lou Hayes (MLH). During the time they were married, MLHpermitted the couple to have their own...

Too Much Income Eliminates I.R.A. Deduction: March 12, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 48 Print Report; During 2008, Mr. X, (X), was an "active participant" in a retirement plan maintained by his employer. X contributed $5,000 to his I.R.A. account for 2008.

Real Estate Rental Is a "Passive" Activity: March 11, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 47 Print Report; During 2006 and 2007, LB was a licensed real estate agent. She worked full-time for Snyder & Snyder Real Estate, Inc. (S&S). ...

Massachusetts Excise Tax Not Discriminatory In Effect Or Purpose: March 10, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 46 Print Report; The service that permits customers to view a variety of video channels on their television sets is known as "multi-channel video programming." The satellite companies...

GLPI's Bold Proposal For PNK: March 9, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (GLPI), the company that was spun-off from Penn National Gaming in a landmark transaction that became the model for "opco/propco"...

Sec. 7701(g) Applies To Sec. 475 & PLR Update: March 9, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 45 Print Report; Partnership X (PSX) served as a traditional holding company for Partnership Y (PSY) and held a majority interest in Partnership Z (PSZ). Historically, PSY and PSZ engaged in th...

AbbVie and Pharmacyclics--The Signs Point To A Reorganization: March 6, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; On March 4th, AbbVie Inc. (A) and Pharmacyclics, Inc. (P), each a Delaware corporation, entered into an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, by and among A, P, Oxford Amherst...

Transfer of Property to a Pension Plan Is a "Sale or Exchange": March 6, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 44 Print Report; During its taxable years ended June 30, 1983 through June 30, 1988, KCI, Inc., (KCI), maintained several defined benefit pension plans. These plans were subject to mi...

No "Hardship" Exception to Early Withdrawal Penalty: March 5, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 43 Print Report; The taxpayer, Mr. Venet, (V), worked for 22 years before being laid off in September, 2001. He was unable to find suitable work again until 2005. During this time, V...

Springleaf To Enjoy A "Basis Step-Up": March 4, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Springleaf Holdings, Inc. (LEAF) has agreed to purchase from CitiFinancial Credit Co. (CF) all of the shares of One Main Financial Holdings, Inc. (OM), a wholly-owned subsidiar...

Refund Claim Not Timely Filed: March 4, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 42 Print Report; TP acquired a "Consolidated Filing Group", (CFG). TP converted CFG into an LLC on Date 2. TP filed amended returns for CFG for the calendar year 2 through 3...

Lack of "Risk Shifting" Prevents a Finding of "Insurance": March 3, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 41 Print Report; FW is a temporary personnel agency based in Houston, Texas. It purchased two insurance policies from AH, each covering both workers compensation and employers liabili...

Visteon Will Distribute The Proceeds From The Halla Sale: March 2, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Late in 2014, Visteon Corporation signed an agreement to sell its approximately 70 percent stake in Halla Visteon Climate Control (HVCC) to multiple purchasers. Visteon expects...

Tax Sharing Agreement Created A Debtor/Creditor Relationship: March 2, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 40 Print Report; Downey Financial Corporation (DFC) and its subsidiaries, including Downey Bank (DB), entered into a tax-sharing agreement, (TSA), which provided for the filing of consolidated...

Rare Inversion Sighting: February 27, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; What used to be quite common has now become exceedingly rare; an acquisition by a foreign corporation of the stock of a U.S. corporation in what is now widely known as an "...

Rents From Real Property: February 27, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 39 Print Report; TP is a domestic corporation that intends to elect to be treated as a Real Estate Investment Trust, (REIT). TP owns all of the stock in S. S is a domestic corporation...

Abandonment Loss Is Ordinary In Character: February 26, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; In 1998, GK sold a business to SS. In connection with the sale, GK purchased Securities issued by SS for $98.6 million. Later, GK's Board of Directors decided to "aban...

Built-In Gain Allocated to Contributing Partner: February 26, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 38 Print Report; During 2005,appellant was a member of each ofKJAC and MJAC, limited liability companies treated as partnerships for tax purposes. During 2005, each such p...

Loss On Sale of Property To Plan Trustee Not Deductible & MLP Ruling Update: February 25, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 37 Print Report; On or before October 25, 1949, petitioner adopted a profit-sharing plan ("Plan"). The I.R.S. determined that the Trust established pursuant to the Plan was...

FNF To Redeem Shares Of "Tracking" Stock: February 24, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; On June 30, 2014, Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (FNF) completed the recapitalization of its common stock into two "tracking" stocks; FNF Group common stock and FN...

Claims for Refund: Timing is Everything: February 24, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 36 Print Report; C-I, an individual, did not file her 2002 federal income tax return before March 12, 2008; nor did she file her 2003 federal income tax return before that date....

New York State Legislator Targets Luxury Condos And Coops: February 23, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The New York Times recently published a series of articles in which it was revealed that many luxury condominiums and cooperative apartments in New York City are owned by wealt...

Contributing Appreciated Property to a Pension Trust: February 23, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 35 Print Report; On December 1, 1952, the plaintiff adopted for its full-time employees a pension plan. The pension plan and trust met the requirements of Sec. 401(a) of the Internal...

Sec. 988 Gain Is Qualifying REIT Income: February 20, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 34 Print Report; R is a Real Estate Investment Trust, (REIT). R invests in real property from which it derives rental income and in debt instruments that are secured by mortgages on r...

Sec. 951 Inclusions Increase Earnings And Profits: February 19, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 33 Print Report; USP is a domestic corporation that wholly owns FS. FS is a controlled foreign corporation (CFC), and USP is a "U.S. shareholder of FS. FS earns "subpart F income"...

Partnership Profit Distributions Include A Compensation Element: February 18, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 32 Print Report; In 1970, the voters of San Francisco approved a Payroll Expense Tax Ordinance. In the general election of 2008, the voters approved "Proposition Q." Proposition Q cre...

Expedia's Receipts Were From Performance Of Services: February 17, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Petitioner, (P), is a Washington corporation. It operated a travel reservation facilitation business. Its parent also owned TripAdvisor (TA). P assisted the reservation of hote...

NetJets Not Liable For Additional Transportation Taxes: February 17, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 31 Print Report; NetJets' flight programs allow customers to gain use of airplanes. To participate, the customer pays NetJets an amount equal to the cost of a portion of a single airplane o...

Bankruptcy Arrangement Avoids Sec. 368(a)(1)(G) And Sec. 351: February 13, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 30 Print Report; On Date 1, Corporation A ("A") and certain of its subsidiaries filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. The Plan was confirmed on Date 3--&...

"Excluded" Acquisitions Preserve Tax-Free Spin-Off: February 12, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 29 Print Report; D2 is a holding company whose primary asset is the stock of D1. D1 is also a holding company whose primary asset is the stock of several operating subsidiaries, including the s...

Spin-off Trends: February 11, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 28 Print Report; Spin-off requirements: "control" requirement: immediately before the distribution, T (the distributing corporation) must control the corporation whose stock...

Sears Denied Reimbursement of Sales Tax: February 10, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 27 Print Report; Sears is registered with the Massachusetts Commissioner of Revenue ("the Commissioner") as a vendor and as such is required to collect and remit sales tax t...

HRS To Acquire XLS/Actavis Update: February 9, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Harris Corporation, (HRS), and Exelis, Inc., (XLS) have jointly announced a definitive agreement under which the former will acquire the stock of the latter "in a cash and...

Fannie Mae's Tax Exempt Status Continues To Be Upheld: February 9, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 26 Print Report; Congress created Fannie Mae (FM) to "foster" the secondary market for home mortgages. FM's statutory charter exempts it from all state and local taxation, except...

FTR Will Achieve A "Cost" Basis In VZ's Assets: February 6, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; While the "headline" cost of Verizon's wireline assets that will be acquired by Frontier Communications Corporation (FTR) is $10.54 billion, the "effective&q...

Non-Resident Partner Subjected To NYS Tax: February 6, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 25 Print Report; The taxpayer, (TP), an attorney, is a resident of New Jersey who practiced law exclusively in New Jersey on behalf of a law firm, (WEMED), during the years in issue,...

Marking the Beginning of the "Testing Period": February 5, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 24 Print Report; TP began incurring losses and generated a Net Operating Loss, (NOL), in its tax year ending Year 1. On Date 1, TP filed a vol...

Staples To Acquire Office Depot: February 5, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Staples, Inc. (S) and Office Depot, Inc., (ODP), have announced the execution of an Agreement and Plan of Merger "by and among S, Staples AMS, Inc., and ODP, pursuant to w...

Single Sale or Separate Sales?: February 4, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 23 Print Report; Petitioner, (P),is a personal holding company. In 1941, Mrs. Morris, (MM), owned 91.87 percent of its outstanding capital stock. &nb...

The President Proposes To Radically Alter The Taxation Of Multinationals: February 3, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; While President Obama's budget package, at least on the revenue side, reiterates many of the proposals he has advanced in each of his previous budget submissions, a new pro...

Determining When A "Stock Unification" Spoils A Spin-Off: February 3, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Distributing (D) has two classes of stock outstanding, Class A and Class B. The Class A stock is "high vote" stock that is not publicly traded; and the Class B stock...

"Arrowsmith" Renders Settlement Proceeds Ordinary Income: February 3, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 22 Print Report; B Corporation, (B), was an 'S' corporation. The petitioners owned 39 percent of the stock of B. On its 1964 income tax return, B reported a net operating loss...

Costco's "Strippable" Dividend: February 2, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Costco Wholesale Corporation's Board of Directors has declared a "special" cash dividend in the amount of $5 per share, payable February 27, 2015, to shareholders...

A "Retention" Is Not Part of a Tax-Avoidance Plan: February 2, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 21 Print Report; D Corporation, (D), has outstanding "g" shares of common stock. D also has outstanding one class of convertible preferred stock which will be converted into...

Retention To Pay Down Debt Allowed: January 30, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 20 Print Report; Although the I.R.S. no longer issues rulings under Sec. 355, it will entertain requests for rulings with respect to "significant issues" associated with these transac...

Taxpayer Did Not Change Its Accounting Method: January 29, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 19 Print Report; TP is jointly owned, indirectly, by foreign entities. For the taxable years ended "Y", TP viewed the foreign entity from which it had received loans as a re...

Yahoo's Plan For Alibaba Stake Revealed: January 28, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Yahoo! Inc. (Y) has announced its plan to divest, "tax-efficiently," its Alibaba (BABA) stake and, not surprisingly, the plan employs the spin-off provisions of the t...

The Benefits Of A "Reverse" Spin-Off: January 28, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 18 Print Report; P owns all of the stock of OS, which operates Business A and Business B. OS has been actively engaged in Business A for more than five years, through its wholly-owned subsidiar...

Ford To Deconsolidate Venezuelan Subsidiary: January 27, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Ford Motor Company, (F), has reported that "Venezuelan exchange control regulations have resulted in an other-than-temporary lack of exchangeability between the Venezuelan...

"Zenz" and Sec. 302(b)(2): January 27, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 17 Print Report; C is a public corporation which isengaged in Business. As of the close of business on Date 3, C had "a" outstanding shares of voting common stock (&qu...

RKT And MWV To Merge: Spin-Off To Follow: January 26, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Rock-Tenn Company (RKT) and MeadWestvaco Corporation (MWV) today announced an agreement pursuant to which each of RKT and MWV will becomes subsidiaries of a new corporation (&q...

Bargained-For Payments For Personal Physical Injuries Not Excludible: January 26, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 16 Print Report; The Donor Source (TDS) is one of about 30 egg donor agencies in California. Petitioner, (P), signed one contract with TDS in February 2009. The contract plainly provides that i...

CYN's Merger With RY Will Constitute A Reorganization: January 26, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; City National Corporation (CYN) and Royal Bank of Canada (RY) have reached an agreement pursuant to which CYN will be merged with and into RBC USA Holdco, (RBC), a direct wholl...

Returning Escrowed Shares: January 23, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 15 Print Report; P Corporation, (P), formed Subsidiary, (Sub). T Corporation, (T),a holding company, owns all of the stock of R Corporation, (R), and S Corporation, (S). P's...

Installment Method Unavailable For "Unrealized Receivables": January 22, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 14 Print Report; M was a partner in the consulting business of PWC until 2002, when PWC sold its consulting business to IBM. PWC transferred its consulting business to PWCC, a partnership. Amon...

"Dispositions" Of Installment Obligations Clarified: January 21, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 13 Print Report; Sec. 453B replaces and provides generally the same rules as former Sec. 453(d). Under Sec. 453B(a), gain or loss is recognized upon the satisfaction of an installment obligatio...

Discharge Of Debt Of A "Disregarded Entity": January 20, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; Many high profile debtors, such as EFH and Caesars, operate through single-member limited liability companies which are treated, for tax purposes, as "disregarded entities...

Iron Mountain's "Racking" Is a Real Estate Asset: January 20, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 12 Print Report; Iron Mountain, Inc. filed its ruling request with the I.R.S. on July 18, 2012. The ruling was finally issued, nearly two years later, on July 9, 2014. It is unclear, given the...

President Obama Will Seek To Tax Transfers At Death: January 18, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; President Obama, in his State of the Union address, will propose to radically alter the tax rules regarding the transfer of appreciated assets in transactions that have not, hi...

Convertible Virtual Currency And Sales Tax: January 16, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 11 Print Report; Convertible virtual currency is virtual currency that has an equivalent value in "real" currency, or that acts as a substitute for real currency. Virtual currency is...

Liquidating Distributions and Constructive Receipt--Part II: January 15, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 10 Print Report; In July, 1982, P Corporation, (P), adopted an incentive stock option (ISO) plan. Certain employees of Pexercised options granted under the plan on February 9, 1...

Allocating Mortgage Interest Deductions: January 14, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 9 Print Report; 1. TPs are a married couple and are jointly and severally liable on a mortgage, but one spouse is deceased at the end of the taxable year and the bank issues a Form 1098 under...

Estates Are Not Tax Avoidance Vehicles: January 13, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 8 Print Report; The decedent died on August 18, 1972, leaving the residue and remainder of her estate for the support, maintenance, and education of her grandchildren. To carry out t...

FASB Eliminates "Extraordinary" Items: January 12, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; The Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") recently issued an ASU as part of its laudable initiative "to reduce complexity in accounting standards."&...

Agreements And Substantial Negotiations Prior To A Spin-Off: January 12, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 7 Print Report; A transaction that meets all of the requirements of Sec. 355 can nevertheless be rendered taxable (at the level of the distributing corporation, but not with respect to its sha...

MWV Will Spin-Off Its Specialty Chemicals Business: January 9, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; MeadWestvaco Corporation, (MWV), announced its intention to "separate" its Specialty Chemicals business from the rest of the company. The separation is expected to be...

Accounting For Litigation Reserves: January 9, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 6 Print Report; By its very nature, the accounting for contingencies, in particular loss contingencies, is fraught with uncertainty. The accounting rules are premised on judgments and predicti...

MoneyGram Is Not A "Bank": January 8, 2015 - Bulletin Print Report; MoneyGram International, Inc., ("MG"), sells money orders and money transfer services to consumers through "agents." These agents include banks, credit unio...

Estate Planning Technique Goes Awry: January 8, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 5 Print Report; In December 2012, the federal estate and gift tax laws allowed a unified $5 million credit that, without prompt and decisive Congressional action, was scheduled to be reduced t...

Sons of Deceased Parents Not Family Members: January 7, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 4 Print Report; At the beginning of Year 1, C's principal shareholders, X and Y, owned approximately "a%" and "b%", respectively, of C's stock. Other fami...

Corporations Can Report Non-Taxable Gains: January 6, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 3 Print Report; There are, in many cases, substantial differences between the manner in which a transaction is reported for financial accounting purposes and the way in which it is reported fo...

Foreign Lender And Underwriter Engaged In A U.S. Trade Or Business: January 5, 2015 - Volume 9 issue 2 Print Report; Fund, ("F"), a State A limited partnership, was formed on Date A. In Year 2, F converted to a Country X exempted limited partnership. F was treated as a partnership f...

Dividends on Stock Do Not "Accrue": January 2, 2015 - Volume 9 Issue 1 Print Report; In 2006 and 2007, Mr. George E.Ham, (H), purchased shares in four mutual funds managed by Janus Capital Group, (J), a regulated investment company (mutual fund)...

The Prospects For An Acquisition Of Time, Inc.: December 31, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; The New York Post is reporting that "Time, Inc. can merge or be bought as soon as this month without jeopardizing the tax-free stock swap that created t...

Assumption of "Incidental Guarantee" Not Boot: December 31, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 251 Print Report; T Corporation, (T), isa regulated public utility. T has outstanding 29,500 shares of voting common stock, all of which were held by Mr. A. ACQ is also a regulat...

Shareholder's Proportionate Interest "Meaningfully" Reduced: December 30, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 250 Print Report; X is a corporation whose 20 shares of its sole class of common stock is held by Mr. A. In order to provide an equity interest in the business toindividuals B, C...

C Corporation Converting To REIT Avoids Depreciation Recapture: December 29, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; One of the downsides of converting from C corporation designation to REIT status is "depreciation recapture." Frequently, the property owned by the converting corpora...

Similar or Related In Service or Use: December 29, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 249 Print Report; TP owned a 25-story, steel frame office building located at 1819 Broadway, Manhattan, New York. The building was, on November 17, 1953, rented to 82 commercial tenant...

Private Companies Get "Accounting Alternative" For Mergers: December 26, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; The Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") has issued new rules that will simplify the accounting for business combinations, at least in the case of private co...

"TARP" Status Is A Sec. 381 "Tax Attribute": December 26, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 248 Print Report; T merged with and into TP in a transaction to which Sec. 381 applied. TP is the common parent of an affiliated group which files a consolidated income tax return....

Allergan Shareholders Will Be Taxed On Receipt Of Actavis Stock: December 24, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; The recently issued S-4 with respect to the combination of Allergan, Inc. (AGN) and Actavis plc (ACT) discloses that the transaction will be structured as a "reverse trian...

Stock Sale Recast as a Liquidation: December 24, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 247 Print Report; From its incorporation until May, 2002, Woodside Ranch Resort, Inc., (WRI), owned and operated a dude ranch resort. On May 17, 2002, the operating assets and business...

Employee Can Deduct Unemployment Insurance Premiums: December 23, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 246 Print Report; TP is an employee of Employer in State X. Employer provides certain employees with an opportunity to voluntarily purchase supplemental unemployment insurance. TP will...

Oil And Gas Gatherer Found To Earn "Good" MLP Income: December 22, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; X is a limited partnership. X is contemplating an initial public offering (IPO) of limited partner interests, following which it would become a "publicly traded partnershi...

"Reprehensible" Payments are Deductible: December 22, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 245 Print Report; The issue is whether, in Canada, court ordered damages for breach of contract are deductible as an expense "for the purpose of gaining or producing income from a...

NYS Casts a Wide Taxation Net: December 19, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 244 Print Report; The taxpayer, (TP), is a corporation that sells testing equipment used by research and development departments of corporations, governments, and universities. It soug...

Damages Treated as a "Return of Capital": December 18, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 243 Print Report; In Year 0, T, a unit investment trust, decided to sell its assets and invited bids from prospective buyers. In Month a of Year 1, TP entered into a binding agreement...

Congress Passes A "Watered Down" (But Welcome) Extenders Bill: December 17, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Congress has just approved the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014 (HR 5771). President Obama has promised to sign the bill, which should therefore become law in a matter of da...

Taxpayer Denied Sec. 1033 Relief: December 17, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 242 Print Report; X isa holding company and operates retail stores through its subsidiaries. In Year 2, X opened a warehouse and distribution center ("the Distribution Cente...

Electric Sign Structures Are "Outdoor Advertising Displays": December 16, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Taxpayer, ("TP") is a REIT. TP proposes to construct and affix "electric sign structures" to several of its existing outdoor steel sign structures that are...

Premium "Rebates" Constitute Gross Income: December 16, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 241 Print Report; In 2001, Mr. and Mrs. Rickard, (R), purchased three life insurance policies through the same broker, LTS. In each instance, LTS, through his corporation, E, issued a...

Components Of Cellular Telephone Systems Constitute "Real Property": December 15, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Taxpayer ("TP") intends to elect to be treated as a REIT. A segment of TP's overall business involves the leasing of "Systems" to wireless communication...

Spin-Off To Facilitate Stock Offering: December 15, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 240 Print Report; D is a State X corporation engaged in Business A and Business B. D has outstanding "n" shares of common stock held by "o" shareholders. There are three shar...

Sales To Other Than The "Threatening Authority": December 12, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 239 Print Report; TP, an individual taxpayer, owned 40 acres of land in City M on which he farmed and raised cattle. TP learned, through a report in a local newspaper, that City M inte...

Morgan Stanley Successfully "Strips" N.J. Earnings: December 11, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 238 Print Report; Morgan Stanley, (MS), wholly owned MSC. MSC transacted business in New Jersey, (NJ). MSC entered into a number of financial transactions with MS and/or MS' subsidiaries and...

Temporary Taking Not an Involuntary Conversion: December 10, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 237 Print Report; X is the owner of Y acres of land. X constructed an office building on the land and entered into a lease thereof with Z. City...

Rents or Royalties?: December 9, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 236 Print Report; TP is a Real Estate Investment Trust, (REIT). TP owns an "a%" limited partnership interest in F, a State 1 limited partnership. F owns the sole membership i...

S.E.C. Sanctions Bank For Overstating Deferred Tax Assets: December 8, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Hampton Roads Bankshares, Inc., (H), is a bank holding company. H's stock was listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. Not surprisingly, the performance of H's subsid...

Consent Required for Change of Accounting Method: December 8, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 235 Print Report; TP provides goods, services, and other items under an agreement known as a "Multiple Deliverable Contract", (MDC), which requires TP to provide bundled prod...

Recently Purchased Business Is an Active Business: December 5, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 234 Print Report; D Corporation, (D), is a publicly-traded Country A corporation. D has outstanding two classes of stock, publicly traded ordinary shares of a single class ("D Com...

HEI To Engage In A "Bad" Morris Trust Transaction: December 4, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (HEI), and NextEra Energy, Inc., (NEE), have announced one of the more interesting transactions we have recently encountered. At the end of t...

Retroactive Tax Legislation Violated Taxpayer's Due Process Rights: December 4, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 233 Print Report; Petitioners were nonresidents of New York State (NYS) during 2008. Prior to 2008, L (the husband) owned 100 percent of the stock of PWC, a corporation doing business partially...

CODE's And CY's NOLs May Be Affected By Merger: December 4, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Recently, Cypress Semiconductor Corporation, (CY), and Spansion, Inc., (CODE), announced a "merger of equals" transaction the details of which are disclosed in the me...

Barnes Group Runs Afoul Of The Step Transaction Doctrine: December 3, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 232 Print Report; Barnes Group, (B), owns the stock of ASA, a foreign subsidiary flush with cash. To access that cash without U.S. tax consequences, B devised the following plan-- --B...

Is Loral On The Block?: December 2, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Bloomberg is reporting that Loral Space & Communications, Inc., (L), is once again "on the block" and is nearing an agreement to dispose of its assets to Canadian...

AFMCs May Offset Sec. 4081 Liabilities: December 2, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 231 Print Report; C, a position holder of taxable fuel, is liable for tax under Sec. 4081 for rack removals of taxable fuel. C also produces alternative fuel mixtures as defined in Sec. 6426(e)(...

OXY's "Partial" Spin-Off Of CRC: December 1, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Occidental Petroleum Corporation, (OXY), is poised to distribute to its shareholders, on a pro rata basis, approximately 80.1 percent of the stock of its wholly-owned subsidiar...

Parental Guaranty Does Not Prevent "Risk Shifting": December 1, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 230 Print Report; SHI is the parent corporation of an affiliated group of U.S. corporations. In 1999, SHI acquired P. It later acquired B. The SHI Group provided guarding services, alarm system...

Form Of Inversion Leads To Injunction: November 28, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; A pending "inversion" transaction was enjoined by a Delaware Chancery Court judge recently because of a "disconnect" between the manner in which the transac...

The Service Will Follow "Bobrow" With Respect To I.R.A. Rollovers: November 28, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 229 Print Report; Sec. 408(d)(3)(A)(i) of the Code provides that any amount distributed from an I.R.A. will not be included in the gross income of the distributee to the extent the amount is pai...

Affiliation Denied Until Sufficient Shares Have Been Purchased: November 26, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 228 Print Report; Pursuant to a Stock Purchase Agreement (SPA) executed on Date 1, P agreed to acquire 100 percent of the stock of T from its shareholders (Ss) over the course of several purchas...

PTP: Dividend Or Part Of Purchase Price?: November 25, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; One of the more difficult questions that arises in connection with acquisitions is whether a "pre-sale dividend" remitted by the acquired corporation is properly trea...

The Device Test and Morris Trust Transactions: November 25, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 227 Print Report; P Corporation, (P), owned all of the stock of S Corporation, (S), for over five years. Both P and Shave eachbeen engaged in the active conduct of a trade...

Medtronic Deal Still On Track: November 24, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; After reviewing the latest amendment to the Form S-4 filed by Medtronic Holdings, Limited ("New Medtronic"), we remain optimistic that the transaction involving New M...

I.R.S. Revamps "Attribute Inheritance" Rules: November 24, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 226 Print Report; Do earnings and profits "travel" to the transferee when assets are transferred thereto by the transferor? The answer is only when the asset movement is of a type spec...

When Is Option Stock "Transferred"?: November 21, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 225 Print Report; X Corporation, (X), granted non-qualified options to certain of its key employees. Under the terms of the options, the employees had an unconditional right to receive...

Hedge Fund Cannot Defer Hedging Gains: November 20, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 224 Print Report; TP is an investment advisor who provides investment services to its related hedge fund entities through management agreements. TP is compensated for its services through manage...

How Will A Baker Hughes Shareholder Be Taxed?: November 19, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; In one of the largest business combinations of the year, Baker Hughes, Inc., (BHI), will be merging with and into a limited liability company, (RTLLC), to be created by Hallibu...

No Interest Element In Deferred Option Premium Payments: November 19, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 223 Print Report; S, an insurer, wrote variable annuity contracts with minimum guarantee provisions during the years at issue. As part of its strategy of hedging the minimum guarantees, S purcha...

The "Evolution" of Sec. 351: November 18, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 222 Print Report; Mr. B owned all of the stock of BC Corporation, (BC). BC, in turn, owned 2/3 of the stock of BMC Corporation, (BMC). FO Corporation, (FO), owned the remainder of BMC&...

BBT And SUSQ Will Effect A "Two-Party" Merger: November 18, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; BB&T Corporation, (BBT) and Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc. (SUSQ) have announced the signing of a definitive agreement "under which BBT will acquire SUSQ in a cash and s...

Yahoo's Options For Its Equity Stakes: November 18, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; With Yahoo! Inc. (Y) confirming the fact that it is exploring "tax efficient" options for the divestiture of its equity stakes in each of Alibaba (BABA) and Yahoo Jap...

Actavis Wins The Battle For Allergan: November 17, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Actavis plc (ACT) and Allergan, Inc. (AGN) announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which ACT will acquire AGN for a combination of (i) $129.22...

The Limited Scope of "Fines and Similar Penalties": November 17, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 221 Print Report; Mason and Dixon Lines, (MD), is a Tennessee corporation engaged in interstate trucking. During the years 1971-1975, its trucks were found to be overweighton a&n...

A "Clippings Library" Is Not a Capital Asset: November 14, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 220 Print Report; The taxpayer, (TP), a prominentnewspaper publisher, contributed its "clippings library" to the California Historical Society. &n...

Berkshire To Pursue Another "Cash Rich Split-Off": November 13, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Although details are sparse, it appears that Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. (BRK), this time with none other than Proctor and Gamble (PG) as the counterparty, is engaging in one of i...

Unvested Options Do Not Constitute "Stock Ownership": November 13, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 219 Print Report; Mr. E, (E), was employed by Corporation A, (C), in Year Y. E was not an officer of C, nor was hea member of the group consisting of the highest paid one percent...

"Purge" Sale Facilitates a 'B' Reorganization: November 12, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 218 Print Report; Y Corporation, (Y), holds "d%" of the stock of X Corporation, (X). Y proposes to acquire sufficient shares of X so that it will hold at least 80 percent of...

Dow Chemical Found To Create "Sham" Partnership: November 11, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 217 Print Report; Dow Chemical Company, (D) selected 73 patents to contribute to a partnership. D selected patents valued at roughly $867 million with 71 of the patents having zero tax basis. Ne...

Sears' Latest Rights Offering Has Unusual Tax Consequences: November 10, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Rev. Rul. 72-71, 1972-1 C.B. 99, addresses the tax consequences of a rights offering similar to AT&T's historic early '70s offering. Sears Holdings Corporation (Sea...

New "Propco/Opco" Transactions Announced: November 10, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; We have always believed that the Penn National Gaming transaction, in which the company via a tax-free spin-off separated its real estate from its operating business, was one o...

Reasonable Compensation Determined for "PayDay Loan" Executive: November 10, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 216 Print Report; CNG, an 'S' corporation, operates a "payday" loan business. CNG enjoyed "great success" and sought to expand its operations. CNG obtained...

Reacquiring a Prohibited "Interest": November 7, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 215 Print Report; Mr. A and his son, Mr. B, each owned exactly 50 percent of the stock of a corporation, (C). C redeemed all of the stock held by Mr. A for an amount of cash equal to t...

Wages vs. Civil Penalties: November 6, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 214 Print Report; There are two settlement agreements involved in this case. Each of the agreements allocates the settlementawards as follows: "$X" allocated to alleged...

LH Stock Will Be Taxable To The CVD Shareholders: November 5, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, (LH), and Covance, Inc., (CVD), have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which LH will acquire all of the stock of CVD.<...

MLP Ruling Update: November 5, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; An I.R.S. official, in a speech delivered yesterday to a bar association group, had this to say regarding the status of the MLP ruling moratorium--"We have yet to write a...

Splitting An Affiliated Group's Taxable Income Not Warranted: November 5, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 213 Print Report; AR is a "qualified personal service corporation" (QPSC) as defined in Sec. 448(d)(2) of the Code. AR owned all of the stock of OC. OC is not a QPSC. &...

Changing Interest Rate Periods Is Not a "Modification": November 4, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 212 Print Report; TP issued "X" Bonds on Date 1 and "Y" Bonds on Date 2. The X Bonds have a principal amount of "$A" and a final maturity date of Date 3....

What Can Treasury Do To Curtail "Earnings Stripping?": November 3, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Recently, a Treasury Department tax official stated, clearly for public consumption, the following: "....We are looking at earnings stripping rules. This could either look...

Untaxed Accretion Of Assets Required For COD Income: November 3, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 211 Print Report; In the '80s, petitioners were involved in a real estate development project called "HP." Petitioners promised to pay K $400,000 in the event HP "went under,&...

"Downstream" 'C' Reorganization Found: October 31, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 210 Print Report; X Corporation, (X), has 100 shares of common stockoutstanding. Five of those shares are owned by Y Corporation, (Y), a holding company. The remaining 95sh...

Altria's Investment In SAB Miller Is Highly Appreciated: October 30, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Altria Group, Inc. (MO), accounts for its investment in SAB Miller (SAB) on the "equity method." MO currently owns 26.8 percent of the stock of SAB and has owned its...

"Retired" But Not Yet Redeemed: October 30, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 209 Print Report; P Corporation, (P), owns 100 percent of the common stock of S Corporation, (S). S also has shares of "b" series of preferred stock and shares of cumulative...

Sec. 83 Not Limited to "Bargain" Purchases: October 29, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 208 Print Report; As part of an employment and stock purchase agreement dated May 22, 1970, a corporation, (X), agreed to sell to Mr. A, (AL), 40,000 shares of common stock at a price...

WMGI To Engage In A "Modern" Inversion Transaction: October 28, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; In light of the Treasury Department's issuance of Notice 2014-52, certain inversion transactions are less attractive than heretofore; and such Notice has reportedly been pr...

Comcast/QVC Not "Unitary" But "Termination Fee" Taxable: October 28, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 207 Print Report; For taxpayers operating businesses within and outside the state, California applies the "unitary business principle." That method calculates the local tax base by fir...

Sale of State Tax Credits Produces Capital Gain or Loss: October 27, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 206 Print Report; The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ("the state") offers a number of state tax "incentives" in the form of tax credits. In general, a taxpayer may t...

KLAC Will Pay An Extraordinary Dividend: October 24, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; KLA-Tencor Corporation (KLAC) has announced that its board of directors has authorized the financing of a "leveraged recapitalization," a term we have not heard for q...

Reincorporation/Liquidation Is A "Genuine" Complete Liquidation: October 24, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 205 Print Report; Fund, (F), is a diversified, closed-end management investment company. F qualified as a regulated investment company under Sec. 851 of the Code engaged in the business of inves...

Break-Up Fees Do Not Terminate REIT Status: October 23, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 204 Print Report; TA is a publicly-traded REIT. TA is (through a wholly-owned subsidiary) the sole general partner of PSA and has an "a%" ownership interest in PSA.

KMI Discusses The Tax Consequences Of Its Annexation Of KMP: October 22, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Kinder Morgan, Inc. (KMI) issued proxy materials the other day in which it discussed the tax consequences the unitholders of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. (KMP) can expec...

Sec. 351 and the Step-Transaction Doctrine: October 22, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 203 Print Report; X is a foreign corporation. X has 19 shareholders, six of whom were citizens of Country A ("Group A shareholders") and 13 of whom were U.S. citizens ("...

Why Is Endo and BD Stock Taxable?: October 21, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; In two recently announced business combinations, the buyer is offering, as an integral part of the consideration, its own stock. In each case, moreover, the stock component of...

Taxpayer Identified Multiple Replacement Properties: October 21, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 202 Print Report; H and W were members in DOSA, each with a 50 percent interest. H held a 39.8 percent interest and DOSA held a 60.2 percent interest in DJBP. ...

Affiliation Requires Ownership of "Vote and Value": October 20, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 201 Print Report; Affiliation is dependent upon satisfaction of the requirements of Sec. 1504(a). The following factors are generally key to determining satisfaction of those requireme...

Retroactive Adjustment To Bad Debt Reserve Limited: October 17, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 200 Print Report; AB acquired C, a large savings and loan association, in 1988. On December 4, 1992, the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) seized C and placed it into conservatorship...

Can AbbVie Deduct Expenses Incurred In The Shire Deal?: October 16, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; AbbVie, Inc.'s unexpected and abrupt termination of its proposed transaction with Shire plc, a transaction that had been touted as replete with business benefits, leads to t...

Income From Time Charters Is Qualifying Income: October 16, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 199 Print Report; Y is a limited partnership. Y intends to become a publicly traded partnership through an initial public offering. Y's initial fleet of n1 product tankers are designed and c...

Retirement Communities Are "Residential Rental Property": October 15, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 198 Print Report; TP owns and operates retirement communities. TP operates these communities as either a "Type 1 Community" or asa "Type 2 Community"....

No Device Despite Pre-Arranged Sale Of Stock: October 14, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 197 Print Report; D is the common parent of an affiliated group that files a consolidated income tax return. D is engaged directly and though subsidiaries in Business A, Business B, and Business...

STERIS Planning To Engage In An Inversion: October 13, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Even though there has been a marked slowdown in the pace of inversion announcements following President Obama’s attack on the technique and the Treasury Departm...

Blackstone To Spin Off Financial Advisory Business and Endo Update: October 13, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; The Blackstone Group L.P., a publicly-traded partnership, has announced a plan to spin off to its unitholders its financial and strategic advisory services, restructuring and r...

Voting Power: October 13, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 196 Print Report; FX has outstanding 100 shares of voting stock which aredivided into two classes: 95 shares of Class A stockand five shares of Class B stock. The Class A s...

Ford Motor Credit Can Adjust N.J. Basis: October 10, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 195 Print Report; Ford Motor Credit Company (FMCC) is a Delaware corporation which operates a vehicle financing business in New Jersey (NJ) and elsewhere. For federal income tax purposes, FMCC d...

Liquidating Distributions and Constructive Receipt and Endo Update: October 9, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 194 Print Report; Pursuant to a plan of complete liquidation adopted by a domestic corporation, each shareholder was dulynotified, prior to February 15, 1978, that he would be en...

Taxation Of Foster Wheeler Shareholders With Respect To AMEC Deal: October 8, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; AMEC plc, (AM) has reached an agreement with Foster Wheeler AG, (FW), pursuant to which the latter will be acquired by the former in a multi-step transaction. Initially, a newl...

Accrued But Unpaid Interest Is An "Obligation": October 8, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 193 Print Report; A controlled foreign corporation (CFC) is indirectly wholly owned by a domestic corporation (B) and is treated as holding obligations of B. Obligations of B held by CFC constit...

Disqualified Debt Instruments: October 7, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 192 Print Report; TP is a holding company that owns several insurance companies. TP plans to issue senior subordinated debt ("the Notes") and purchase put options ("the...

EFH Tax Memorandum Is Must Reading For All Creditors: October 6, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; An "Omnibus Tax Memorandum," dated October 1, 2014 and filed with the Bankruptcy Court on that date, does a wonderful job of laying out the daunting federal income ta...

Limited Partner Found to Have "Permanent Establishment" in U.S.: October 6, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 191 Print Report; In 1984, a Massachusetts limited partnership sold real estate located in Boston. The sale produced a long-term capital gain that was distributed among the partners.

UBS Will Become A Holding Company: October 3, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; UBS has announced an internal restructuring which will lead to the formation of a "pure" holding company. Such holding company will own, directly and indirectly, all...

SHLD Is Planning A Rights Offering: October 3, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Sears Holdings Corporation, (SHLD), has a knack for devising creative ways to come up with needed capital. Its latest idea is to "sell," through a rights offering, to...

Salary Reimbursement Is Deductible: October 3, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 190 Print Report; A father and his sons owned all of the stock of Corporation, (C). They are the only officers and directors of C. In late 1965...

Ground Rules For Acquisitions After Spin-Offs Are Liberal: October 2, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; eBay, Inc., (E), following a strategic review by its Board of Directors, has decided, through the mechanism of a tax-free spin-off, to separate its businesses, with the result...

Merged Corporations Are "The Same Taxpayer": October 2, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 189 Print Report; In 1998, N acquired OWF through a forward triangular merger under Sec. 368(a)(1)(A) and Sec. 368(a)(2)(D). OWF merged into WFC, a subsidiary of N organized for purposes of the...

SARs Exempt From Sec. 457A: October 1, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 188 Print Report; SR is a foreign corporation and a nonqualified entity for purposes of Sec. 457A(b). SP is a partnership. Income of SP is allocated to persons subject to U.S. income tax.<...

Civeo Chooses Inversion Over REIT Election: September 30, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Civeo Corporation, (CVEO), faced with a choice of two tried and true tax savings maneuvers, a REIT election or an "inversion," rejected the former and has chosen to p...

Sec. 357(c) Requires "Aggregation": September 30, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 187 Print Report; As of April 20, 1982, C and D were partners in Partnership 1 through Partnership 12 and T3, T4, and T5 were partners in Partnership 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, and 12. The...

Chiquita's Revised Merger Terms Keeps It Out Of Harm's Way: September 29, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Chiquita Brands International, Inc., (CQB), and Fyffes plc, (FFE), have announced that their respective Boards of Directors have approved a revised agreement for the proposed c...

Sec. 951 "Inclusions" Do Not Constitute "PII": September 29, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 186 Print Report; Corporation S, (S), elected to be an 'S' corporation, effective Date 2. S owns all of the stock of DC1 which owns all of the stock of DC2. DC2 owns all of the...

Stock Is Not An Inventory "Surrogate": September 26, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 185 Print Report; Cenex, Inc., (C), a cooperative,sells petroleum products to farmers and ranchers. In 1975, in order to obtain an assured supply of refined petroleum products, C...

Receipt of Warrants Is a "Closed" Transaction: September 24, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 184 Print Report; TP is a venture capital fund the primary purposes of which are to provide lease financing to, and purchase equity interests in, "emerging growth companies"....

Treasury Notice Narrowly Focused On "Bail Outs" Of Untaxed Earnings: September 23, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; The Treasury Department's response to the proliferation of inversion transactions was issued last night and is interesting only in the sense that it is so narrowly focused....

Cancellation of Debt Is Analogized to "Insurance": September 23, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 183 Print Report; Petitioners' Californiahome was damaged on February 9, 1971 as the result of an earthquake. On May 14, 1971, they applied to the Small Business Administrati...

WPG Will Secure A Cost Basis In Glimcher's Assets: September 22, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Glimcher Realty Trust, (GRT), and Washington Prime Group, Inc., (WPG), each a REIT, have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which GRT will be merged with and into...

Taxpayer Not a Maryland Resident: September 22, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 182 Print Report; Mr. G moved into rental property in Maryland in 2006 due to a relocation for his work. Mr. G testified that although he had moved to Maryland, his move was "work...

Sec. 1031 Gain Is Not "Subpart F" Income: September 19, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 181 Print Report; B Corporation, (B),organized under the laws of Country X, is wholly-owned by Corporation A, (CA), a domestic corporation. Accordingly, B is a "controlled f...

Closely-Held Corporation Denied Deduction for Guarantee Fees: September 18, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 180 Print Report; During the taxable year in dispute, the stock of Tulia Feedlot, Inc., (TF), was principally owned by 13 individuals: 11 such individuals each held 280 shares; two&nbs...

Canadian Corporation Can "Double Dip": September 17, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 179 Print Report; L and its wholly-owned subsidiary, CBRA, were each Canadian companies. They belonged to a corporate group known as the CBRG. The parent of the CBRG was a Belgian company, CBRSA...

Determining A REIT's "Real Estate Assets": September 16, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 178 Print Report; For an entity to qualify as a REIT, Sec. 856(c)(4)(A) requires that, at the close of each quarter of its taxable year, at least 75 percent of the value of the entity's tota...

Instrument Similar To "Inversion" Debt Has Been Respected As Such: September 15, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 177 Print Report; Following an inversion, in order to "shift" income from the U.S. to a more favorable foreign jurisdiction, the U.S. company might declare and pay a dividend to its ne...

Tribune's Warrants Treated As Stock For Purposes Of Sec. 355: September 15, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; LTR 201437006, March 7, 2014 is the ruling issued to Tribune Media Company, (D), in connection with its distribution of 98.5 percent of the stock of Tribune Publishing Company,...

Interest on Convertible Debt Is Deducted on a "Cash" Basis: September 12, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 176 Print Report; In Month X, TP, a C corporation, issued debentures whichbear interest that is payable semi-annually on Date y and Date z of each year ("the Payment Dates&q...

AngloGold Ashanti To Pursue "Partial" Spin-Off: September 11, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; AngloGold Ashanti Limited, (AGA), a company organized under the laws of South Africa, has received the required approvals "to restructure its international mining operatio...

Disproportionate Exchanges: September 11, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 175 Print Report; Mr. A, the founder of X Corporation, (X), owns 50 of X's 100 shares of common stock. B and C, Mr. A's sons, each owns 25 shares. &...

Florida "Nexus" Lacking: September 10, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 174 Print Report; TP, a corporation, works with companies who wish to recognize and honor their employees' achievements. TP offers a wide variety of gifts and products. All of TP&#...

FNF Adopts Liberty Strategy With Respect To Remy International, Inc.: September 9, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Fidelity National Financial, Inc., (FNF), is adopting a strategy most closely identified with Liberty Media in order to efficiently divest a less than controlling stake it owns...

Service Partners In Investment Management Partnership Not "Limited": September 9, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 173 Print Report; MC, a State 1 limited liability company treated as a partnership for tax purposes, serves as the investment manager for MF. MF is a family of investment partnerships. MF conduc...

Sen. Schumer Seeks To Penalize "Ancient" Inversions: September 8, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; "Earnings stripping" is a popular strategy that accompanies most, if not all, "inversion" transactions. Through intercompany debt arrangements instituted sh...

REIT Effects A Tax-Free Spin-Off: September 8, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; D is a REIT. D is the sole general partner of OP, a State B limited partnership. D owns approximately "a" of the common limited partnership units in OP. OP has also i...

Intercompany "Loans" Not Bona-Fide Debt: September 8, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 172 Print Report; Sysco Corporation, (SY), was a Delaware corporation that maintained its principal place of business in Houston,Texas. SY filed Combined Massachusetts Corporate...

Open vs. Closed Transaction: September 5, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 171 Print Report; Pursuant to an agreement ("the Bank Agreement"), S Corporation, (S), became subject to possible liability to the Bank for a portion of bad debt losses of th...

LVMH Will Pay "In-Kind" Dividend: September 4, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; LVMH Moet Hennessey Louis Vuitton SA (LVMH) offers its shares to U.S. investors using an ADR mechanism. An American Depositary Share (ADS) represents ordinary shares of a forei...

Not Compensated For "By Insurance or Otherwise": September 4, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 170 Print Report; TPisa regulated utility. The State in which TP is organized enacted legislation permitting utilities to recover"disaster restoration costs"...

D.C. Circuit Confirms Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's Tax Exemption: September 3, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 169 Print Report; Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (FM or the entities) are federally-chartered, privately-owned corporations currently under the conservatorship of the F.H.F.A. Each of these corporat...

Compuware Is Going Private: September 2, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Compuware Corporation, (CPWR), has announced that it will be acquired by Thomas Bravo, LLC, (TB), a private equity firm, in a transaction valued at approximately $2.5 billion.<...

Liberty's Ruling With Respect To Spin-Off Of TripAdvisor Released: September 2, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; LTR 201435005, February 28, 2014, is the ruling issued to Liberty Interactive Corporation, (D), with respect to its spin-off of Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc., (C). Despite...

Circular Flow of Cash Disregarded: September 2, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 168 Print Report; P Corporation, (P), owns all of the stock of D Corporation, (D). The latter is engaged in the active conduct of Business A. D owns all of the stock of C Corporation,...

REIT's "Settlement" Payments Do Not Jeopardize Its Status: August 29, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 167 Print Report; TP is a Real Estate Investment Trust, (REIT). TP owns all of its assets and conducts substantially all of its operations through Partnership, (PS). TP owns approximat...

When Is A Dividend Taxed?: August 28, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 166 Print Report; In April, 1963, the taxpayer, (M), entered into an agreement for the purchase of the stock of four corporations, SE1, SU, SE2, and SE3. The total sale price was $500,...

Most Assets Are "Capital" Assets: August 27, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 165 Print Report; In a case entitled Arkansas Best Corp. v. Commissioner , 485 US 212 (1988), decided by the Supreme Court, the issue was whether corporate stock held by Arkans...

TRS Can Own Lodging Facility: August 26, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 164 Print Report; TP is a Real Estate Investment Trust, (REIT). TP owns substantially all of its assets and conducts substantially all of its operations through a Partnership, (PS), in...

BKW and THI Will Effect A "Non-Abusive" Inversion Transaction: August 26, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Not surprisingly, given the advance publicity, Burger King Worldwide, Inc. (BKW), and Tim Hortons, Inc., (THI), announced today their intention to join forces in a transaction...

"Admission Fees" Subject To Amusement Tax: August 25, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 163 Print Report; All home games played by the Chicago Bears were played at Soldier Field during the periods at issue. Soldier Field has approximately 62,000 seats divided into three sections: r...

BHP Biliton Will Effect A Spin-Off: August 22, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; BHP Biliton, (BHP), plans to create an independent global metals and mining company "based on a selection of its aluminum, copper, manganese, nickel, and silver assets.&qu...

Initial Acquisitions Do Not Constitute "Owner Shifts": August 22, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 162 Print Report; On Date 1, prior to the issuance of any LC stock, LC entered into an agreement (the Agreement) with "First Investors." to sell them convertible preferred stock (CPS)....

Corporation Not Treated As A "Surrogate Foreign Corporation": August 21, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 161 Print Report; USC is State A LLC treated as a domestic corporation for tax purposes. All the shares of USC are held by FS2, a Country C entity classified as a foreign corporation for tax pur...

Installment Obligation Not Satisfied or Disposed Of: August 20, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 160 Print Report; TP was the sole shareholder of A Corporation, (A), owning "o" shares of common stock. TP agreed to sell "p" shares to five employees ("the Ne...

When a Liquidating Distribution Consists of a Partner's Own Debt: August 19, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 159 Print Report; During 1987, X, a C corporation, issued indebtedness without Original Issue Discount, at an issue price of $100x and a stated redemption price at maturity of $100x. T...

Spin-Off Coupled With REIT Election Approved: August 18, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; The question of whether a spin-off coupled with a REIT election for the distributing or controlled corporation could pass muster under Sec. 355 has been, with the issuance of t...

Tax Accounting for Lease Termination Payments: August 18, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 158 Print Report; In August, 1989, WO leased an IBM 3090 mainframe computer from IBM Credit Corporation, (ICC). During 1990, WO decided that th...

Aggregate vs. Class by Class: August 15, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 157 Print Report; I, an individual, owned all of the outstanding stock of Y Corporation, (Y). I and C, an individual, owned all of the stock of X Corporation, (X). &nbs...

"Disqualified Interest" Never Loses Its Taint: August 14, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 156 Print Report; TP is a wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary of P, a corporation organized under the laws of Country A. TP incurred interest expense on indebtedness guaranteed by P for the t...

Spin-Off May Be Followed By REIT Election: August 13, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 155 Print Report; D is a holding company and the parent of a group of U.S. and foreign entities. D is also the common parent of an affiliated group filing a consolidated federal income tax retur...

Treasury Moves To Prevent Evisceration Of Notice 2010-2: August 12, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 154 Print Report; Sec. 382 of the Code provides that the taxable income of a loss corporation for a year following an ownership change may be offset by pre-change losses only...

Lamar's I.R.S. Ruling Was Worth The Wait: August 11, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 153 Print Report; Lamar Advertising Co., (TP), builds and maintains various types of outdoor advertising displays (OADs) and makes available space on such displays to advertisers. In addition, T...

Treasury Notices Can Raise Congressional Ire: August 11, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; When considering the likelihood of the Treasury Department issuing preemptive Notices for the purpose of interdicting inversion transactions, the fate that befell one financial...

KMI To Abandon MLP Format: August 11, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Kinder Morgan, Inc., (KMI), owns a de minimis (approximately 8 percent) interest in Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P., (KMI), an MLP; and a larger interest...

A Redemption's Effect on Earnings and Profits: August 8, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 152 Print Report; A corporation, (X), had outstanding two classes of stock; common stock and 7 percent preferred stock. The preferred stock was...

GCI Proposes A Revamping: August 7, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Gannett Co., Inc., (GCI), is the latest "media" corporation, the last holdout in fact, to announce a restructuring in which the company's beleaguered publishing o...

High Vote and Low Vote Stock Constitute a Single Class of Stock: August 7, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 151 Print Report; On Date 1, P Corporation, (P), acquired all of the stock of S Corporation, (S), which consisted of a single class of common stock. &...

"Failed" Reverse Triangular Merger Qualifies Under Sec. 351: August 6, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 150 Print Report; P is a State W corporation. P has 752,000 shares of voting common stock outstanding, 6,000 shares of preferred stock ("Class 1 Preferred Stock") outstanding...

No Loss From Option Expiration: August 5, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 149 Print Report; TP, a C corporation, created X, also a C corporation. "Investment Units" of X were sold in an IPO. Each Unit consisted of one share of callable X stock and...

Rep. Levin Readies New Anti-Inversion Legislation: August 4, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Rep. Levin, a vocal opponent of inversions, is preparing new legislation, to be titled "Stop Corporate Earnings Stripping Act of 2014," for imminent introduction. Thi...

CBS Outdoor America's I.R.S. Ruling Addresses "LED" Signs: August 4, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 148 Print Report; LTR 201431020 was issued on April 16, 2014, the same day on which CBS Corporation announced that it had received its ruling from the I.R.S. confirming CBS Outdoor Americas, Inc...

Final Regulations On Basis Of Debt "Of Corporation To Shareholder": August 1, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 147 Print Report; Sec. 1366(d)(1) provides that the aggregate amount of losses and deductions taken into account by a shareholder of an 'S' corporation for any taxable year shall not exc...

SSP and JRN To Forge Unusual Alliance: July 31, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; The E.W. Scripps Company (SSP) and Journal Communications (JRN) have announced an intricate, multi-step, transaction that will result in the shareholders of each such corporati...

Expense Disallowance Effects Change in Method of Accounting: July 31, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 146 Print Report; The petitioners are the sole shareholders of two 'S' corporations, IM and HRI, making these entities 'related parties' under Sec. 267 of the Internal...

Why Can't Eaton Spin-Off Its Vehicles Business?: July 30, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; On November 30, 2012, Eaton Corporation (EC) and Cooper Industries plc (CIP) engaged in an "inversion" transaction. A new corporation, Eaton plc (EP), was established...

Prepaid Variable Forward Contracts And Sec. 16(b) Of The Exchange Act: July 30, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 145 Print Report; C is a shareholder of Apollo Group, Inc. (AG). JS is the Chairman of AG's Board of Directors. C sued JS and his son, PS, (the Ss), under Sec. 16(b) of the Securities Exchan...

Windstream's Announcement May Be The Tip Of The Iceberg: July 29, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Windstream, (WI), surprised the market, quite pleasantly, with its announcement of its intention to establish an "opco/propco" configuration--along the lines pioneere...

E&P Diminished By "Spread" On Exercise Of QSOs: July 29, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 144 Print Report; L owned 100,000 shares of R common stock. In 1961, he received $37,245.75 in corporate cash distributions. In 1962, R advised its shareholders that such distributions...

Thoughts On Shay Article: July 28, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; In The Tax ReformAct of1969, Congress enacted Sec. 385, a controversial provision which authorized the Secretary to promulgate regulations which would hav...

Liberty Discloses Details Of "Broadband" Spin-Off: July 28, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Liberty Media Corporation, (L), has provided detailed information regarding the spin-off by L of its newly-created subsidiary, Liberty Broadband Corporation, (B), a spin-off th...

Director Is Carrying on a Trade or Business: July 28, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 143 Print Report; S was employed by KNN, Inc., (KNN), from 1938 until his retirement in 1971. Upon his retirement, S entered into a consulting agreement with KNN. The company agreed to...

Inventory Cannot Be Depreciated (or Swapped): July 25, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 142 Print Report; X Corporation, (X), distributes, sells, rents, services, and finances "equipment". Upon receipt of equipment, X capitalizes the cost of the equipment that h...

Accounting for "Contingencies": July 24, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 141 Print Report; A contingency is broadlydefined as an existing condition, situation, or set of circumstances, involving uncertainty, that may, through one or more rela...

CIT Group's Deferred Tax Assets Move Closer To Realization: July 23, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; CIT Group, Inc., (CIT), has announced that it has entered into a plan and agreement pursuant to which, for consideration totaling some $3.4 billion ($2.0 billion in cash; and $...

Stock Possessing "Voting Power": July 23, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 140 Print Report; P is a electric generation and transmission cooperative incorporated under the laws of State A. P currently has 14 members all of which distribution cooperatives....

Church's Sale of "IP" Does Not Produce UBTI: July 22, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 139 Print Report; Between 2007 and 2008, a tax-exemptchurch, (C), developed and created thecomputer software that runs "Y". Y is an interactive communication syst...

Liberty's Latest Spin-Off Secures Blessing Of I.R.S.: July 21, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc., (TC), is currently, but not for much longer, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty Interactive Corporation, (L). TC's business, assets, a...

A Taxable Recapitalization: July 21, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 138 Print Report; Company, (C), has 1,337,114 shares of common stock outstanding held by 227 shareholders. The ownership of C's shares, actually and constructively, by A, B, C, D,...

AbbVie and Shire Reach An Agreement: July 18, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; AbbVie, Inc., (AV), and Shire plc, (SH), have entered into an agreement pursuant to which each will become a subsidiary of a newly-created Jersey corporation, New AbbVie, (NAV)...

Transitory Corporations Are Disregarded: July 18, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 137 Print Report; T was formed in Year 1 by SH1. He and wife, SH2, owned all of T's outstanding stock in equal proportions. P, a private eq...

Warrants and Wash Sales: July 17, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 136 Print Report; The I.R.S. was asked whether the wash sale provisions of Sec. 1091 of the Internal Revenue Code are applicable to a loss sustained (1) on the sale of common stock of...

At-the-Money Warrants Have Time Value: July 16, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 135 Print Report; J entered into an agreement with C, the sole shareholder of CC, Inc., (CC), to purchase all of C's stock. The purchase was structured as a leveraged buy-out (LBO)...

Lorillard And Rockwood Mergers Will Have Different Tax Outcomes: July 15, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Although most mergers are announced on Mondays, deal activity has been so feverish lately that announcements are now regularly spilling over to later in the week. This morning,...

"De-Facto" Liquidation: July 15, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 134 Print Report; The taxpayer, (AE), a domestic corporation, was formed,in February, 1956,by Mr. Green, (G), who at all times was its sole shareholder. AE engaged in the t...

CJES Will Undertake The Latest Variety Of Inversion Transaction: July 14, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Last week, Bloomberg previewed a new species of inversion transaction, the "Spinversion." In a Spinversion, a large domestic corporation spins off a business unit and...

ACM And URS To Merge: July 14, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; AECOM Technology Corporation, (ACM), and URS Corporation, (URS), have announced the execution of a definitive agreement under which "ACM will acquire all outstanding share...

"Tax Avoidance" and Sec. 355: July 14, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 133 Print Report; D Corporation, (D), is a publicly-traded corporation that conducts a pesticides business. D owns all of the stock of C Corporation, (C), which conducts a baby foods b...

Assuming Options and Warrants in a 'C' Reorganization: July 11, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 132 Print Report; X Corporation, (X), acquired all of the assets of Y Corporation, (Y), in exchange solely for some of X's voting common stock. &n...

Does a Loan Constitute an "Interest" in an Entity?: July 10, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 131 Print Report; On the date of Mr. F's death, September 6, 2001, he and his wife and his son collectively owned all of the voting and non-voting shares of commonstock of FP...

Salix Pharmaceuticals Joins The Inversion Parade: July 9, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; While we are waiting for Abbvie and Shire to effect their landmark inversion transaction, Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd., (SAX), a Delaware corporation, announced that it had ente...

Reorganization Target Is Also a Sec. 351 "Transferor": July 9, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 130 Print Report; P Corporation, (P), is engaged in Business A and Business B. P is an 'S' corporation. P owns all of the voting preferred stock of T Corporation, (T). T is eng...

Pre-Merger Dividend Treated as "Boot": July 8, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 129 Print Report; Prior to September 24, 1941, P Corporation, (P), had outstanding 1,500 shares of capital stock. On September 30, 1941, there was distributed to the shareholders of P...

Solely In Exchange for Voting Stock: July 7, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 128 Print Report; P Corporation, (P), owned all of the stock of S Corporation, (S). S owned 60 percent of the stock of T Corporation, (T). The remainder of the stock of Twas owne...

When Is a Pension Contribution "Paid"?: July 3, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 127 Print Report; The petitioner, (DEW), keeps its books and files its tax returns on the accrual method of accounting. In November, 1963, the board of directors of DEW adopted a profi...

CBI's Acquisition Accounting Is Criticized: July 2, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; On February 13, 2013, Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, NV (CBI) acquired the stock of Shaw for a purchase price, comprised of both cash and CBI stock, totaling $3,340,070,000...

Customer Based Intangible Assets: July 2, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 126 Print Report; TP is engaged in the P1 business. A is also engaged in the P1 business. TP entered into an agreement with A to purchase all the inventory, hard assets, and customer a...

Fluid Handling Paves The Way To MLP Status: July 1, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 125 Print Report; X is a publicly traded partnership. X will provide "essential fluid handling services" to oil and natural gas producers engaged in the exploration, development and pr...

Can BEAV's Spin-off Be Coupled With An Acquisition?: June 30, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; B/E Aerospace, Inc., (BEAV), three weeks ago, announced that its board of directors has "commenced a process to separate its businesses into two independent publicly-trade...

Is Delphi A Surrogate Foreign Corporation?: June 30, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Delphi Automotive LLP, (DAL), a foreign partnership, was formed on August 19, 2009. Shortly thereafter, on October 16, 2009, DAL acquired the "major portion" of the b...

What Is a Gift? Part II: June 30, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 124 Print Report; Mr. D was president of DIM, Inc., (DIM) of Dayton, Ohio. DIM had done business with MMC, Inc., (MMC) located in New York City. Mr. B was president of MMC. &...

The Long Reach of Sec. 1032: June 27, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 123 Print Report; A, a C corporation, and B, an individual, formed AB partnership, (AB), for bona fide business purposes. A contributes 100 shares of its own stock, valued at $100x, wi...

Residual Method Does Not Capture Value Of Hotel's Goodwill: June 26, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 122 Print Report; The California Constitution requires the assessment of property at fair market value. Intangible assets and rights are exempt from taxation and...shall not enhance or be reflec...

Iron Mountain’s Perseverance Pays Off: June 26, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; After nearly two years of uncertainty and speculation, Iron Mountain, Inc.’s (IRM) quest to convert to REIT status has come to fruition. The I.R.S. issued the l...

Exchanging Options in a 'B' Reorganization: June 25, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 121 Print Report; P, a widely-held and publicly traded corporation, is the common parent of a consolidated group. P has voting common stock outstanding, has no preferred stock outstand...

WEC's Acquisition Of TEG Should Constitute A Reorganization: June 24, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Wisconsin Energy Corporation, (WEC), and Integrys Energy Group, Inc. (TEG), have entered into a definitive agreement in connection withwhich the former will acq...

Estate And Trust Administration Expenses Subject To "2% Floor": June 24, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 120 Print Report; The I.R.S. has issued final regulations with respect to Sec. 67(e) of the Code. That section provides an exception to the "2-percent floor" on miscellaneous...

Spin-Off Dictated By Acquirer Invokes Sec. 355(e): June 23, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 119 Print Report; P was a closely-held State A corporation with a single class of common stock outstanding. The Principal Shareholders of P hold approximately "b%" of its stock. P has...

Valeant Proposes Fully Taxable Transaction: June 20, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Whatever the merits of the Valeant/Allergan combination from a commercial viewpoint, one thing is certain as a result of the manner in which the transaction is slated...

Inherited I.R.A. Not "Retirement Funds": June 20, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 118 Print Report; When an individual files a bankruptcy petition, his legal or equitable interests in property become part of the bankruptcy estate. The Bankruptcy Code allows debtors...

Unsevered Commercial Plants Are Real Property: June 19, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 117 Print Report; TP intends to elect to be taxed as a REIT. TP owns Properties that it leases on a triple-net lease basis to unrelated tenants. The unrelated tenants use the Properties for the...

Allocation of Settlement Proceeds Not Respected: June 18, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 116 Print Report; H, a limited partnership, is a specialty pharmaceutical company which has three divisions, including a tissue management division. &...

Stock Issued For Services Is Not Issued For "Property": June 17, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 115 Print Report; On January 12, 1963, Mr. Talbot, (T), entered into an agreement with aMr. James, (J), for the promotion and construction of a rental apartment project in South...

Medtronic Dips A Toe Into The "Inversion" Pool: June 16, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Undaunted by the specter of proposed legislation that would effectively eliminate inversion transactions consummated after May 8, 2014, one of the largest inversions to date, i...

Subsidy Payments Do Not Cause Significant Modification of Debt: June 16, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 114 Print Report; P Corporation, (P), is the common parent of an affiliated group of corporationsthat files a consolidated income tax return. Members of the group are engaged in...

Retroactive Tax Law Violated Due Process Clause: June 13, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 113 Print Report; Plaintiffs are the former owners and sole shareholders of TMC. TMC, which conducted some of its business in New York, was incorporated in New Jersey, and had elected to be trea...

B/E Aerospace's (BEAV) Options: June 12, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; -Publicly announces plan to separate its businesses into two publicly-traded corporations - Manufacturing Co. ("D") and Services Co. ("C"). -"Today's announce...

CBS Announces Details Of "Split-Off" Of CBS Outdoor: June 12, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; CBS Corporation, (CBS), owns approximately 81 percent of the stock of CBS Outdoor Americas, Inc., (COA). CBS will dispose of such stock in a novel manner, via a "split-off...

Taxpayer Not a "Trader": June 12, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 112 Print Report; By 2002, Mr. V had acquired substantial trading experience during his peripateticcareer as a trader at Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and Merrill Lynch. Later i...

Exchange Offer And Merger Constitute A Single Transaction: June 11, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Endurance Specialty Holding, Ltd. (ESH) has decided to take its quest to acquire Aspen Insurance Holdings, Ltd. (AIH) to another level. It is launching a exchange offer for AIH...

Out-Of-The-Money Options Produce New York Income: June 11, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 111 Print Report; Petitioner, (P), was a resident of Connecticut. P was employed by American Airlines, Inc. (AA) for many years until his retirement on April 30, 2005. While so employe...

Who Are The "Historic" Shareholders?: June 10, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 110 Print Report; D is a State X corporation actively engaged in Business A and in Business B. As of August 6, 1997, D had outstanding 200,000 shares of voting common stock owned by--(...

Latest Data Center Ruling Dispels Any Lingering Doubts: June 9, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 109 Print Report; TP has elected to be taxed as a REIT. TP, OP, and its subsidiaries (TPG) own, acquire, manage, develop and build (data) Centers and other property (e.g., office buildings) and...

No Enhanced Deduction For Donation Of "Luxury" Items: June 6, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 108 Print Report; TP is a corporation engaged in Business. During the taxable years ended Date 1 and Date 2, TP donated various hair care and grooming products (wrinkle creams, hair gels, perfum...

Income From Marketing "Frac Sand" Is Qualifying Income: June 5, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 107 Print Report; X is a publicly traded limited partnership. X earns income ina variety of business lines which include the mining, processing, marketing and transportation of v...

"Outbound" Reorganizations Are Generally Taxable: June 4, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 106 Print Report; Where a transaction involving domestic corporations qualifies as a reorganization under Sec. 368 of the Code, the shareholders of the acquired corporation who exchange their st...

Will DuPont And Tronox Engage In An RMT?: June 3, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Rumors are circulating that DuPont is considering a reverse Morris Trust (RMT) transaction in which it would spin-off or split-off its performance chemicals business, and the s...

Exchanging Securities in a Recapitalization: June 3, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 105 Print Report; Prior to the year 1944, the taxpayer, (C), purchased $25,000 1st Mortgage 5 percent bonds of WPRR Company, (WPRR). At the dates of his purchases, interest on the bond...

Recovering The Cost Of A Professional Sports Franchise: June 2, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; The purchase of a professional sports franchise has, since 2004, provided for certain tax benefits that reduce the "effective" cost of the franchise well below its &q...

Effect Of Mr. Ackman's Munificence On Other AGN Shareholders: June 2, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. (VRX), once again, has revised its offer for Allergan, Inc. (AGN). Under the latest offer, each AGN share would be exchanged for $72...

Management Fees Constitute Qualifying Income: June 2, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 104 Print Report; X is a publicly traded partnership. X manages Y, a joint venture of which X owns an "n1%" interest, engaged in the mining of coal, and provides energy infrastructure...

Indefinite Dollars Yields Installment Sale: May 30, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 103 Print Report; X purchased unregistered notes. X sold the notes for cash and quarterly contingent payments equal to a specified notional principal amount multiplied by LIBOR....

Non-Resident Aliens Are Liable for U.S. Estate Tax: May 29, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 102 Print Report; The decedent (D), a resident of Belgium, died, testate , on January 31, 2002. D was born in Uganda in 1930 and was a citizen of the United Kingdom. The descen...

Chelsea Therapeutics' Shareholders Will Receive CVRs: May 28, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Charlie Acquisition Corporation, a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of H. Lundbeck A/S, a Danish corporation, is offering to purchase all of the shar...

NQSOs Are "Compensation": May 28, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 101 Print Report; BNSF (B) offered salaried employees and executives a combination of Incentive Stock Options (ISOs) and Non-Qualified Stock Options (NQSOs). During the years at issue,...

NorthStar Realty's Spin-Off Raises Novel Issues: May 27, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; NorthStar Realty Finance Corporation (NSR), a real estate investment trust, (REIT), is preparing to distribute to its shareholders, in what it hopes will be a tax-free spin-off...

What Might PHH Corporation "Net" From The Sale Of "Fleet?": May 27, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; PHH Corporation, (PHH) is, apparently, in activediscussions to dispose of its "fleet management" business. It is unclear whether this is the first ste...

Rescinding A Stock Issuance: May 27, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 100 Print Report; Ordinarily, a transaction that "undoes" a prior transaction is accounted for separately from such prior transaction. In most cases, the second transaction d...

'G' Reorganizations Require Creditors Holding "Securities": May 23, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 99 Print Report; X,a publicly-traded State R corporation, emerged from a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding as the successor to Y, a State S corporation. As of Date 7, X had accum...

Combined Reporting Denied For Group "Taken Private": May 22, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 98 Print Report; For 2005, Sungard Data Systems, Inc. (SDS) was the common parent of a group of affiliated corporations for federal income tax purposes. For 2006, following an LBO, Sungard Capi...

OSG's CEO And CFO Acted With "Scienter": May 21, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 97 Print Report; Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc., (OSG), is a tanker company with a fleet of over 100 vessels operating both domestically and internationally. The international fleet is owned...

Senator Levin Targets Inversions: May 20, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Under current law, a foreign corporation will be treated as adomestic corporation if (i) it acquires, directly or indirectly,substantially all ofthe...

Excise Tax Imposed On Executives Of Expatriated Entities: May 20, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 96 Print Report; A little-known aspect of the inversion process is an excise tax that is imposed on certain executives of the expatriated entity. This tax has been in the news lately because of...

T And DTV Will Effect An 'A' Reorganization: May 19, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; DIRECTV (DTV) and AT&T, Inc., (T), as widely expected, have announced a plan and agreement pursuant to which DTV will be combined with T in a transaction that is,...

Derivium Naif Escapes Accuracy-Related Penalty: May 19, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 95 Print Report; Derivium, (D),in connection with a purported lending arrangement, acquired stock in Veritas Software Corporation, (VSC), from the taxpayer, (CS), on July 6, 200...

Finessing the "Active Business" Test: May 16, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 94 Print Report; X Corporation, (X), has conducted two active businesses forwell in excess offive years. X transferred the property of one of those businesses to Y Corpora...

JBS Is Free To Approach Hillshire Brands: May 15, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; We have received a number of inquiries regarding the issue of when, should it so desire, JBS SA, which had previously expressed an interest in acquiring Sara Lee'...

Subsidiary's Purchase of Parent's Stock Not a Deemed Dividend: May 15, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 93 Print Report; In Rev. Rul. 69-261, 1969-1 C.B. 94, a subsidiary, (S), purchased for cash some of the stock of parent, (P), S's sole shareholder, from a third party, Mr. A, the...

HSH And PF To Effect "Two Step" Reorganization: May 14, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; The Hillshire Brands Company, (HSH), the old Sara Lee (ex the coffee business), and Pinnacle Foods, Inc., (PF), have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to w...

"Reverting" A Pension Surplus Is Not Worth The Effort: May 14, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 92 Print Report; Now that many pension plans have moved into a surplus position, companies might be tempted to terminate the plans (after providing for all of the benefits that have accrued to...

Integrated Transaction Doctrine Ousts Sec. 269: May 13, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 91 Print Report; Petitioner, (RD), was incorporated in 1963. RD was engaged the business of experimenting and developing outdoor advertising devices. ...

I.R.S. Provides Comprehensive Definition Of "Real Property": May 12, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 90 Print Report; One of the requirements for a taxpayer to qualify as a real estate investment trust (REIT) is that, at the close of each quarter of the taxable year, at least 75 percent of the...

Qualified Business "Safe Harbor" Applied: May 9, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 89 Print Report; C, a State X corporation, is engaged in the business of owning and operating radio stations. The radio stations owned directly by C are: Station D--Station I. Only St...

Retiring Debt In Connection With A Spin-Off: May 8, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 88 Print Report; D, a publicly traded State A corporation with a single class of commonstock outstanding, is the common parent of an affiliated group that files a consolidated i...

Redefining The "Acquiring" Corporation: May 7, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Reg. Sec. 1.381(a)-1(a) reminds us that Sec. 381 of the Code provides that a corporation which acquires the assets of another corporation in certain liquidations and...

"Marine Services" Income is Qualifying Income: May 7, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 87 Print Report; X is a limited partnership and is a publicly-traded partnership. X owns and operates an LNG receiving terminal. X has entered...

Recalculating Qualified Basis: May 6, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 86 Print Report; Sec. 42(c)(1)(A) provides the "qualified basis" of any qualified low-income building for any taxable year is an amount equal to the "applicabl...

Alliant Techsystems To Engage In A "Conventional" Morris Trust: May 5, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Although the 1997 enactment of Sec. 355(e) severely limited the ability of corporations to engage in "Morris Trust" transactions, these transactions do crop up from t...

Blimpie Founder Cannot Escape New York Taxation: May 5, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 85 Print Report; In 1981, Blimpie, (B), became a public company. In that year, B was controlled by four officers, one of whom was the taxpayer, DLS. These officers collectively contro...

Election To Apply "Pushdown" Accounting Proposed: May 2, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 84 Print Report; Current U.S. GAAP offers preciouslittle guidance for determining whether and when a new accounting and reporting basis ("pushdown accounting") should...

EBAY Accrues "Repatriation" Taxes: May 1, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; eBay, Inc. (EBAY) hasreported that its "GAAP" effective tax rate for the first quarter of 2014 was a stunning 366 percent, compared to only 16 percent...

Can a Taxpayer Have Multiple NOLs?: May 1, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 83 Print Report; A taxpayer may have a net operating loss, (NOL), that includes a portion attributable to a specified liability loss, (SLL), farming loss, (FL), or qualified disaster...

EFH Proposes A Tax-Free Spin-Off: April 30, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; One of the issues confronting Energy Futures Holdings (EFH) with respect to any potential restructuring was how it would satisfy the debt owed to the creditors of TCE...

When Is a Liquidation Loss Sustained?: April 30, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 82 Print Report; Amounts received by a shareholder in a distribution in complete liquidation of a corporation shall be treated "as in full payment in exchange" for the stock...

Comcast's Elaborate Divestiture Plan: April 29, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Comcast (CO) hasoutlined its plan to divest cable systems and subscribers in connection with the Time Warner Cable (TWC) merger and, as expected, it is both mul...

Retention of Stock Not a Bar To a Tax-Free Spin-Off: April 29, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 81 Print Report; D Corporation, (D), has outstanding "g" shares of common stock. These shares are widely-held and publicly traded on a national stock exchange. D is actively...

I.R.S. Continues To Chip Away At Inversions: April 28, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; A transfer of stock by a U.S. person to a foreign corporation, for example in connection with an inversion , that is described in Sec. 354 (i.e., is otherwise...

Texas Nexus: April 28, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 80 Print Report; Mr. DavidSebbas, (S), was employed by N Corporation, (N), a Wisconsin corporation that manufactures and sells pneumatic and hydraulic cylinders and valves, as a...

New York State Will Follow The Echo Star Decision: April 25, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 79 Print Report; In Matter of Echo Star Satellite Corporation v. Tax Appeals Tribunal , (20 NY3d 286), the Court of Appeals (New York) held that the purchase of certain equipm...

Foreclosure "Frees Up" Suspended Passive Losses: April 24, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 78 Print Report; In Year 1, A purchases real property for $1,000,000 and A finances the purchase with a recourse mortgage of $1,000,000. A leases the property to a third party. This rental acti...

Comcast's Potential Divestiture and Allergan's Potential Merger: April 23, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Bloomberg is reporting that Charter Communications, Inc. (CHTR) is "...nearing a deal to acquire about 1.5 million subscribers from Comcast Corporation, (CMCSA)...

Sec. 361(c)(3) Eliminates "Trap for the Unwary": April 23, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 77 Print Report; X Corporation, (X), is widely-held and its stock is publicly-traded. Y Corporation, (Y), is closely-held. X acquired all of Y's assets and assumed certain of Y...

Theravance's "Defective" Spin-Off: April 22, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Ordinarily, a distribution by a corporation of the stock of a controlled subsidiary will meet the requirements of Sec. 355 with the result that neither the distribute...

Deferring Prepaid Income: April 22, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 76 Print Report; A partnership, (PS), was formed to acquire, own, manage, and operate a major league baseball team. On March 24, 1995, PS and...

Actavis plc Will Not Be Treated As A Domestic Corporation: April 21, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Over the last few days, concerns have been expressed with respect to the proposed acquisition by Actavis plc (ACT) of Forest Laboratories, Inc. (FRX). Specifically, s...

Interest on Loan Secured by Stock Is Not "Investment Interest": April 21, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 75 Print Report; The petitioners, (E),purchased a personal residence in AlbuquerqueNew Mexicoin 1997 from M. E paid M $1,578,000 for the personalresidence. E f...

"Start-Up Expenditures": April 17, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 74 Print Report; In April, 1998, U hired an investment banker to evaluate the possibility of acquiring a trade or business unrelated to U's existing business. The investment banke...

Put and Call Exercisable On Same Future Day Not Current Sale: April 16, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 73 Print Report; X is a domestic corporation. X has outstanding 222,139 shares of voting common stock held as follows: A--144,632; B--291; C--11,269; H--15,667; I--805; J--9,102; K--11,269; L--...

Determining Insolvency: April 15, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 72 Print Report; On May 30, 1986, CM purchased a variable life insurance policy on her life for a single premium of $500,000. The policy allowed her to borrow against its value, using...

Gleacher & Company To Liquidate: April 14, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Prior to 1987, it was not uncommon for corporations to completely liquidate. In those days, under former Sec. 337(a) of the Code, a corporation that adopted a plan of complete...

Trusts May Qualify For The Sec. 469(c)(7) Exception: April 14, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 71 Print Report; The trust is a residuary trust that owns rental real estate properties and is involved in other real estate business activities. In 1979, FA formed the trust with him as granto...

Preferred Stock Not Recast as Indebtedness: April 11, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 70 Print Report; On September 10, 1960, Z Corporation, (Z), acquired from C Corporation, (C), 10,000 shares of newly-created$9 cumulative preferred stock. Z also acquired 200 sh...

Severance Payments Are "Wages": April 10, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 69 Print Report; QSI entered bankruptcy in 2001. It terminated thousands of employees. The employees received severance payments. The payments were made pursuant to one of two different plans....

"Reverse" Spin-Off Permits Retention of Borrowed Funds: April 9, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 68 Print Report; Old Parent (OP) is the publicly-traded common parent of an affiliated group of corporations that files a consolidated income tax return. OP has a single class of common stock o...

I.R.S. Loses Another "Transfer Pricing" Case: April 8, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 67 Print Report; During the years 2004-2007, substantial sales of furniture were made to customers located in the U.S. involving furniture made in China and shipped to the U.S. by LTD, a Hong K...

MNK To Take Advantage Of Its Irish Domicile: April 7, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Mallinckrodt plc (MNK) and Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (QCOR) announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which QCOR will becom...

Paper Companies "Book" Large Tax Gains: April 7, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Without a great deal of fanfare, the paper industry has been the beneficiary of several significant tax "incentives," one of which is reflected in their year-end fina...

A Conversion Of Convertible Debt Works A "Discharge" Thereof: April 7, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 66 Print Report; TP established Trust for the purpose of issuing convertible preferred securities (CPSs). Trust is a grantor trust. The CPSs were convertible into shares of TP's c...

Converting an Insolvent Corporation Into a Partnership: April 4, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 65 Print Report; X, a domestic corporation, owns 100 percent of the stock of Y, a foreign corporation. X and Y own, respectively, 80 percent and 20 percent of the stock of Z, a foreig...

NAREIT Conference: April 3, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; The I.R.S. has opened up a new project to develop regulations containing "a comprehensive, updated definition of what constitutes real property in the REIT area....

Employee's Residence Is a Capital Asset: April 3, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 64 Print Report; Azar Nut Company, (ANC), agreed to purchase Mr. F's residence for its fair market value upon termination of Mr. F's employment and incorporated this agreement...

Goodwill: Nothing Personal: April 2, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 63 Print Report; Goodwill is the sum total of those imponderable qualities which attract the customers of a business--what brings patronage to the business. See Grace Brothers v....

"Poison Pill" Rights Are Not Taxable: April 1, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 62 Print Report; X is a publicly-held domestic corporation. X's board of directors adopted a plan ("the Plan") that provides the common shareholders of X with so-called&...

Pre-Arranged Sale of Stock Does Not Sink Spin-Off: March 31, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 61 Print Report; A corporation, (T), has been engaged in the manufacturing (M) business and the brokerage (B) business for more than five years. All of the outstanding stock of T was...

I.R.S. Commissions Another "Working Group": March 31, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; The I.R.S. has "temporarily" ceased considering ruling requests with respect to the question of whether a publicly-traded partnership (PTP or MLP) satisfies the "...

Retention of Control Bars The Applicability of Sec. 302(b)(1): March 28, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 60 Print Report; Corporation, (C), has two classes of stock outstanding: voting Class A common stock and non-voting Class B common stock. C's shareholders are individuals 1 and 2,...

Marketer of Refined Fuels Earns Qualifying Income: March 27, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 59 Print Report; X is a limited partnership. A renewable identification number (RIN) is a 38 character code generated by the producer or importer of renewable fuel, which uniquely identifies th...

Virtual Currency Is "Property" For Tax Purposes: March 26, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Virtual currency (VC) may be used to pay for goods or services, or held for investment. VC is defined as "a digital representation of value that functions as a m...

Compensation For Trade Secret Misappropriation is Ordinary Income: March 26, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 58 Print Report; C&F, an 'S' corporation, developed a process for making and freezing pre-cooked sausage. C&F obtained a patent for the process. C&F treated as &qu...

Post Spin-Off "Equity Raise" Approved By I.R.S.: March 25, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 57 Print Report; In a supplemental ruling request (with respect to a tax-free spin-off), the I.R.S. was asked to comment on the following set of facts: Following the distribution of Class A Com...

LIN And MEG Will Engage In A "Sec. 351 Transaction": March 24, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Media General, Inc., (MEG), and LIN Media LLC, (LIN), announced, on March 21st, a definitive merger agreement "that will create the second larges pure-play television broa...

S&P Is A "Financial Information Publisher": March 24, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 56 Print Report; McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., (P) is engaged in the business of publishing and the provision of information services. During the tax years at issue, Standard & Poors (SP) wa...

Not All MLPs Are In The Energy Space: March 21, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Sec. 7704(a) of the Internal Revenue Code sets forth the general rule that all "publicly traded partnerships" (PTPs or MLPs) shall be treated as corporation...

I.R.S. Will Follow The Bobrow Decision: March 21, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Sec. 408(d)(3)(A)(i) of the Code provides that any amount distributed from an I.R.A. will not be included in the gross income of the distributee to the extent...

Hedging Income Excluded From REIT's Gross Income: March 21, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 55 Print Report; C is a real estate investment trust (REIT). C uses both unsecured and secured debt to acquire, redevelop, and carry its real property. The proportion of C's fixed rate debt...

Condemnation Does Not Produce a "Genuine Contraction": March 20, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 54 Print Report; A corporation has been engaged in the business of quarrying limestone and manufacturing various limestone products. In 1962,...

Measuring Solvency: March 19, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 53 Print Report; The petitioners, (Q),incurred substantial amounts of credit card debt which they could not repay. The amount by which their credit card debt exceeded their actu...

Hertz To Spin-Off HERC: March 18, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; The Hertz Corporation, (HTZ), has announced a plan to separate into two independent publicly traded companies. The most tax-efficient method to accomplish such a goal...

Non-Voting Common Stock Is Not "Sec. 306" Stock: March 18, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 52 Print Report; Father, (F), owned 78 percent of the voting commonstock of C Corporation, (C). F's son, (S), owned 17 percent of C's voting commonstock. The remai...

Inland American Real Estate Trust To Repurchase Shares: March 17, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Inland American Real Estate Trust, Inc., (IA), is offering to purchase up to $350 million of its shares of common stock at a purchase price of not greater than $6.50...

Russia/U.S. Tax Treaty Provides Tax Benefits: March 17, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 51 Print Report; The taxpayer, (TP), is a citizen of Country A and a resident of Russia. She is a partner in the Moscow office of partnership, (PS). PS is a "service partnership&...

Shareholders Of EPL Will Be Taxed On Receipt Of Energy XXI Stock: March 14, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; On March 12th, EPL Oil & Gas, Inc., a domestic corporation, (EPL), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with Energy XXI (Bermuda) Limited, (XXI). In the t...

Disgorgement of Insider Trading Gains Allowed As A Loss Deduction: March 14, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; From 1997 to 2001, Joseph P. Nacchio, (N), served as theCEO of Quest Communications, International, Inc. (Q). N received a large portion of his compensation in...

Rental Property Not Used As Principal Residence: March 14, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 50 Print Report; Bentsion and Naomi Cohen ("the Cs") have lived at 119 W. 71st Street, Apartment 8A ("8A"), in Manhattan, New York, since the 1970s. In 1990, they...

Divorce Omaha Style: March 13, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; On March 11th, Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. (BHI), and Graham Holdings Company (GHC, formerly The Washington Post Company), as expected, reached an agreement in principle...

The Ubiquity of Sec. 304: March 13, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 49 Print Report; Husband and wife, (HW), directly owned 30 percent of the stock of NYTH. Group 1, a collection of individuals unrelated to HW, owned 60 percent of the stock and Group...

"Transfer/License Back" Transaction Fails in Bay State: March 12, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 48 Print Report; J Corporation (J), a foreign corporation, owned all of the stock of J-USA Corporation (JU). JU, in turn, owned all of the stock of The Talbots, Inc. (T). J BV Corpora...

Foreign Currency Options Are Not "Sec. 1256 Contracts": March 11, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 47 Print Report; On September 21, 2002, Summitt, (SU), an 'S' corporation, purchased two 180-day major foreign currency options and sold two 180-day minor foreign currency opt...

The First Fruit Inversion: March 10, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Even though the President's budget proposals with respect to "inversions" roiled the market, these transactions are continuing unabated. In fact, in lig...

Home Office Deductions Are Hard to Come By: March 10, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 46 Print Report; Mr. B has a Master's Degree in Accounting from Florida International University. Mr. B operates a tax return preparation business out of his home. ...

SWY Shareholders Will Receive A Novel Package Of Consideration: March 7, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Safeway, Inc., (SWY), and Albertsons, an entity controlled by Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. (CCM), haveannounced a rather complex transaction in which, when...

A Loan Participation Is Analogized To a Guaranty: March 7, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 45 Print Report; Mr. Thomas F.Grojean, (G), owned100 percentof the stock of Schanno Acquisition Corporation, (SAC). SAC was an electing small business corporation---...

New Approach To "Leveraged" Spin-Offs: March 6, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 44 Print Report; D is a publicly traded corporation that directly and through subsidiary entities conducts Business A and Business B. The proposed transaction will separate Business A from Busi...

President Obama Eyes Inversions and Spin-0ffs: March 5, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; President Obama's budget provisions, not unexpectedly, attack "inversion" transactions in a most damaging way. The good news is that most analysts have&...

Washington Mutual Rises From The Ashes: March 5, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Washington Mutual, Inc., one of the most prominent casualties of the financial crisis, was forced to file a petition in bankruptcy. Its plan finally became effective...

Transfer Restrictions Do Not Create "Substantial Risk Of Forfeiture" - Part II: March 5, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 43 Print Report; Sec. 83 of the Internal Revenue Codeaddresses the tax consequences of the transfer of property "in connection with the performance of services." In ge...

Taxpayer Permitted Only One Rollover Per Year: March 4, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 42 Print Report; Petitioner husband (ph) maintained a traditional I.R.A. and a rollover I.R.A. at Fidelity Investments (FI).Petitioner wife (pw) maintained a traditional I.R.A....

Termination Fees Are Ordinary Income: March 3, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 41 Print Report; On Date 1, TP entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with B ("Agreement 1") to acquire the stock of B for stock, cash, and assumption of debt. Under t...

Sec. 108(b) Has Always Applied on a "Single Entity" Basis: February 28, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 40 Print Report; The question is whether, for periods prior to the adoption of Reg. Sec. 1.1502-28T, under Sec. 108(b), members of a consolidated group with excluded cancellation of i...

NOLs In a "Divisive" Reorganization: February 27, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 39 Print Report; Mr. A and Mrs. B owned all of the stock of M Corporation, (M). M was engaged in the business of farming.Serious disputes arose between the shareholders regardin...

Rep. Camp Is "Hostile" Towards REIT Conversions: February 27, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Although the "Tax Reform Act of 2014," introduced yesterday by Rep. Camp, the Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, contains certain provisions...

Skirting the "Anti-Churning" Rules: February 26, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 38 Print Report; TP, an 'S' corporation, began operations during 1994. Mr. A and Mr. B each own 50 percent of TP's stock. TP will...

Liquidating Distributions Are Taxed In A Favorable Manner: February 25, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Black Rock Fixed Income Value Opportunities (FIVO)is a closed-end management investment company whichhas elected to be taxed as aregulated investmen...

Donating Broadcast Station Licenses: February 25, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 37 Print Report; TP is the owner of several low-power television broadcast station licenses. TP operates the low-power broadcast television stations to deliver television programming...

Disallowed RBIL: February 24, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 36 Print Report; TP, a C corporation, experienced an ownership change within the meaning of Sec. 382(g). At the time of the ownership change, TP had a net unrealized built-in loss (NU...

Unrecognized Gain From Dealings In Property Not "Item Of Income": February 21, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 35 Print Report; In June 1997, Trusts (Ts) acquired direct ownership of all shares of AIS with an aggregate basis in AIS stocktotaling $5,612,555. In 1999, theTs formed WR...

Narrowing The Notion Of A New York "Resident": February 20, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 34 Print Report; Petitioner, (P), was domiciled in New Jersey. He operated a business on Staten Island and commuted daily to work. In November 1999, he purchased a multi-family apartm...

"Hook" Stock Complicates Alliance Boots/WAG Inversion: February 20, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Walgreen Company, (WAG), currently owns 45 percent of the "stock" of Alliance Boots GmbH, (AB), which it acquired on or about September 1, 2012. WAG has an...

Will Safeway's Spin-Off Be Taxable?: February 20, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Safeway, Inc., (SWY), announced, yesterday, that it has decided to distribute the remaining 37.8 million shares it owns in Blackhawk Network Holdings (BNH) representi...

AMEC and Foster Wheeler Will Engage In a Reorganization: February 19, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; AMEC plc, (AP), is launching a "public exchange offer" to acquire all of the shares of Foster Wheeler AG, (FW), one of the first U.S. companies to have engaged in an...

NOLs Do Not "Follow" Assets: February 19, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 33 Print Report; P Corporation, (P), is a foreign corporation. In the United States, P conducts Business A through its U.S. Branch, (USB). USB has "effectively-connected" Ne...

Actavis Doubles Down On Inversion Strategy: February 18, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Last year, Actavis, Inc. and Warner-Chilcott plc engaged in an "inversion" transaction pursuant to which each ofActavis and Warnerbecame subsidi...

Berkshire Hathaway and Graham Holdings To Part Company?: February 18, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Graham Holdings Company (the old Washington Post Corporation) and Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. (BHI) own shares in one another. Apparently, the companies would like to dispose of e...

Qualified Real Property Business Indebtedness: February 18, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 32 Print Report; Sec. 61(a)(12) of the Internal Revenue Code provides that gross income includes income from discharge of indebtedness. Sec. 108(a)(1)(D) excludes income from discharg...

Income From Providing "Fractionation" Fluid Is Qualifying Income: February 14, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 31 Print Report; X is a publicly-traded partnership, (PTP). X currently earns income from two separate businesses: (i) the transportation of natural gas and products thereof and (ii)...

Lack of Separately Stated Charges Does Not Produce "ITSI": February 13, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 30 Print Report; R, a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) owns rental apartment buildings. R forms T to provide housekeeping services to tenants of its buildings. These services do no...

Can A U.S. Person Receive HudBay Stock On A Tax-Free Basis?: February 12, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; HudBay Minerals, Inc., (HMI), is offering to "purchase" all of the shares of Augusta Resources Corporation, (ARC), other than the shares of ARC already held...

No 'B' So "QSP": February 12, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 29 Print Report; ACQ is the common parent of an affiliated group of corporations that files a consolidated return. ACQ owns "a%" of the voting common stock and "b%"...

"Treasure Trove" is Gross Income: February 11, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 28 Print Report; In 1957, Mr. C, (C), purchased a used piano for $15. In 1964, while cleaning the piano, C discovered the sum of $4,467. Is this sum "gross income" to C. Bot...

Paired-Share REIT Sighting: February 10, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Extended Stay America, Inc. (ESA) is the largest owner/operator of company-branded hotels in North America. Its hotels are all owned by ESH Hospitality, Inc. (ESH), a real esta...

Holder of "Non-Operator Working Interest" Meets Sec. 355(b): February 10, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 27 Print Report; For more than five years, X has been engaged in the exploration, development, production, and marketing of petroleum products. ...

"Second-Level" Reinsurance Not Subject To Excise Taxes: February 7, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; In a direct insurance transaction, a person or entity contracts with an insurance company to receive protection against casualty loss or to obtain life insurance cove...

Shares Received As "Stock Price Guarantee" Were Tax Free: February 7, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 26 Print Report; In 1969, S, a wholly-owned subsidiary of P, acquired all the assets and assumed all the liabilities of T in a statutory merger that qualified as a reorganization unde...

Taxpayer is Not an "Integrated Oil Company": February 6, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 25 Print Report; TP is the holding company for P's U.S. operations. Si1, Si2, Si3, S1, and S2 are all members of TP's consolidated group. Si1, Si2, and Si3 are all wholly-owne...

I.R.A. Distributions Escape The 10 Percent "Additional Tax": February 5, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 24 Print Report; In Benz v. Commissioner , 132 T.C. No. 15 (2009), Mrs. Benz (W) had been employedat Proctor & Gamble (PG) and during the course of her employment ha...

Will Ziggo's Shareholders Be Taxed On Liberty Global's Stock?: February 4, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Liberty Global, plc (LG) and Ziggo N.V., (Z) have reached an agreement pursuant to which LG will acquire Z and, at least operationally if not legally, Z's busines...

I.R.S. Moves To Rein In Leveraged Partnerships: February 4, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 23 Print Report; A popular method for disposing of a business on a "tax-efficient" basis is the so-called "leveraged partnership" technique. In a leveraged partnership, the...

A Parent and Its Subsidiary Are Separate Entities: February 3, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 22 Print Report; On July 1, 1953, HLM and RJS incorporated M&S, Inc., (M&S), a Montana corporation, which was engaged in the active business of road construction and related a...

JCP Moves To Protect Its NOLs: February 3, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; J.C. Penney Company, Inc. (JCP) has accumulatedover $2 billion in net operating loss carryforwards (NOLs). Approximately $800 million of such NOLs were amassed...

Sec. 302(e)(2) Safe Harbor Requires Two Businesses: January 31, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 21 Print Report; Company, (C), has been engaged since its incorporation in Year G in the sale and servicing of Brand X automobiles under a dealer franchise. Since Year H, C has also b...

Terminating a Business Conducted by a Subsidiary: January 30, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 20 Print Report; X is a State X corporation. X has outstanding only common stock which is bothwidely held and publicly traded. There are no "rights" outstanding which...

Disproportionate Recapitalization Exchange: January 29, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 19 Print Report; X is a corporation established in Y. Originally, there were three shareholders, including SHA.X borrowed funds from its shareholders. These loans ranged from th...

Purchase Of Leased Facility Is A Business Expansion: January 28, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 18 Print Report; Distributing, (D), is a privately-held corporation with a single class of stock outstanding, voting common stock. D has "a" shares outstanding which is owned equally...

I.R.S. Rules That Partitions Constitute Real Property: January 27, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Taxpayer (TP) plans to own a building with certain improvements containing approximately "x" square feet located in City (the "Owned Property"). TP leases f...

Rent-A-Center's Subs Can Deduct Premiums Paid To "Captive": January 27, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 17 Print Report; Rent-A-Center, Inc., (RAC), is the parent of a group of approximately 15 affiliated subsidiaries (Petitioner or P). P rented, sold, and delivered home electronics, furniture, a...

Identifying Five Percent Shareholders Through S.E.C. Filings: January 24, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 16 Print Report; C is a "loss corporation." C has outstanding a single class of common stock, which is both publicly traded and widely held. C relies on the existence and th...

NuPathe, Inc. Succumbs To "Superior" Offer: January 24, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; NuPathe, Inc., (N), had agreed to be acquired by Endo Health Solutions, Inc. (E) in a transaction in which each N share would be converted into (i)the right to...

Taxpayer Elects To Treat Outdoor Advertising Displays As Realty: January 23, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 15 Print Report; TP is an 'S' corporation with Mr. D as its sole shareholder. TP has been in the outdoor advertising business since Year 1. TP entered into an asset purchase agreement w...

Calculating The U.S. Shareholder "Ownership Fraction" In Inversions: January 22, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 14 Print Report; A foreign corporation ("foreign acquiring corporation") generally is treated as a surrogate foreign corporation under Sec. 7874(c)(2)(B) if pursuan...

Who Owns An Unvested Partnership Capital Interest: January 21, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 13 Print Report; CR was a limited liability company. CR developed and managed real estate projects. Before September 7, 2006, CR was wholly owned by DV, a limited liability company. DV was an i...

M.B.A. Candidate Not Carrying On A Trade Or Business: January 17, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 12 Print Report; Petitioner, (P), graduated from college in 2007. In January, 2009, he enrolled in an M.B.A. program with a concentration in finance at Rollins College. From January 1...

Charter Makes Public Its Designs on Time Warner Cable: January 16, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Charter Communications, Inc.(CC) has gone public with its intentions vis a vis Time Warner Cable (TWC). It is offering to acquire its larger rival for a combina...

When Is An Asset "Placed In Service?": January 16, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 11 Print Report; On December 16, 2003, B a highly successful insurance salesman, signed a contract to buy a Bombardier Challenger 604 (the Challenger) for $22,000,000. On December 23, 2003, M s...

Cancelling a "Nonlapse" Restriction: January 15, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 10 Print Report; The taxpayer, (T), a domestic corporation, has outstanding one class of common stock all of which is owned by T's employees. T is required to repurchase such &quo...

Trian Partners Will Not Participate In Wendy's Tender Offer: January 14, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; The Wendy's Company (TWC)has instituted a "Dutch Auction" tender offer in which it will seek to repurchase approximately 32 million of its nearly...

Cleveland Cavalier Remained A California Resident: January 14, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 9 Print Report; Appellant (Lamond Murray) was a professional basketball player during the years at issue. Appellant played for the L.A. Clippers from 1994-1999 until, prior to the beginning of...

Is G.E.'s Effective Tax Rate Going To Increase?: January 13, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; From 2010 through 2012, General Electric's (G.E.)effective tax rate has ranged from 7.3 percent to 28.3 percent, far below the statutory rate of 35 percent....

No Credit For Taxes Paid On N.J. Source Income: January 13, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 8 Print Report; B was a partner in BDO Seidman, LLP (BDO). B and his wife filed a New Jersey (NJ) resident gross income tax return for 2004 reporting $330,798 as B's distributive share of...

Acquisition of Bankrupt Corporation's Stock Is a "QSP": January 10, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 7 Print Report; ACQ is a State A corporation whose stock is publicly traded and widely held. ACQ is engaged in Business A. TP is a State B corporation that is the common parent of an affiliate...

California "Short Sales" and JP Morgan Update: January 9, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; A "short sale" is a sale of real estate in which the proceeds will fall short of the balance of the debts secured by liens against the property, and the pro...

NYC's Hotel Occupancy Tax Is Constitutional: January 9, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 6 Print Report; State law authorizes New York City (the City) to tax the "rent or charge" for hotel room occupancy. The statute provides: "Notwithstanding any other provision of...

"Tracking" Stock Is Stock of The Issuing Corporation - Part II: January 8, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 5 Print Report; Corporation D, (D), is a holding company whose only assets are all of the stock of Sub1 and Sub2. Sub1 is actively engaged in the conduct of Business1 and Sub2 is act...

Income From Lubricating Oil is "Qualifying" Income: January 7, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 4 Print Report; X is a limited partnership organized under the laws of State. X is a publicly-traded partnership, (PTP). X and its affiliates...

Liberty Media Outlines Bid For Remainder Of Sirius XM: January 6, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; Liberty Media Corporation, (L), currently owns, taking into account both stock that it owns directly and stock that it has a right to acquire, approximately 53.4 percent of the...

Economic Presence Produces "Substantial Nexus": January 6, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 3 Print Report; M, Inc., (M), had its commercial domicile in Delaware. During 1998 and 1999, M had no real or tangible personal property and no employees located in West Virginia, (W...

'S' Corporation and ESOPs = Freedom From Taxation: January 3, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 2 Print Report; Effective January 1, 1975, Corporation A, (CA), established an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, (ESOP), known as "Plan Y". Ten years later, CA established &qu...

I.R.S. Adopts New Ruling Policy For Outdoor Advertising Displays: January 2, 2014 - Bulletin Print Report; In Rev. Rul. 68-62, 1968-1 C.B. 365, the I.R.S. concluded that outdoor advertising displays, commonly known as billboards, are "inherently permanent structures" by th...

Taxpayer Is Not an "Insurance Company": January 2, 2014 - Volume 8 Issue 1 Print Report; The taxpayer, (TP), is composed of several entities (the "Members"). All such Members are engaged in the business of underwriting insurance risks.

Berkshire Hathaway To Engage In A "Cash Rich" Split-Off: December 31, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; On December 30th, Phillips 66 (PSX) and Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., (BRK) entered into an agreement pursuant to which PSX will distribute to BHI all of its stock in Phi...

The "Character" Of Income Is Determined At The Partnership Level: December 31, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 251 Print Report; A, B, and C, individual taxpayers,were equal partners in the ABC Partnership. On June 1, 1966, the ABC Partnership acquired 300 shares of X Corporation common s...

Corporations Were Under "Common Ownership": December 30, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 250 Print Report; Prior to the "Applicable Period," X Corporation, (X), was wholly-owned by Y Corporation, (Y). At the beginning of the Applicable Period, Y distributed its s...

Arizona Court Rejects Liquidation Exception To Functional Test: December 27, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 249 Print Report; Harris Corporation, (H), is a Delaware corporation with its executive offices in Melbourne, Florida. It provides voice, data, and video telecommunications products and related...

Endo Will Issue "CPRs": December 26, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; Endo Health Solutions, Inc., (E), has been busy. It is in the process of accomplishing an "inversion" transaction in which both it and Paladin Labs will become subsid...

"Intangible Holding Company" Is "Unitary": December 26, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 248 Print Report; The taxpayer, (RRD), was a Delaware corporation which operated a worldwide commercial printing business and maintained a sales office in Arizona. Rwas a Nevada...

Deducting Partnership Start-Up and Organizational Expenditures: December 24, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 247 Print Report; Sec. 708(b)(1) provides that a partnership shall be considered terminated if...within a 12-month period there is a sale or exchange of 50 percent or more of the total interest...

Processing and Marketing Iron Ore Produces Qualifying Income: December 23, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; X is a publicly traded partnership (MLP). X operates two cokemaking facilities which refine metallurgical coal into metallurgical coke, a substance that is used in blast furnac...

'S' Corporation Renders Its Income Free of Tax: December 23, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 246 Print Report; In December, 1998, petitioners (PA and PK), formed, and elected 'S' status for, UMLIC-SC. Each petitioner transferred his unrestricted ownership interest in the U Entit...

ILFC Will Be Sold In Conjunction With An Election Under Sec. 338(h)(10): December 23, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; International Lease Finance Corporation, ("ILFC") is a subsidiary of AIG Capital Corporation which is in turn a subsidiary of AIG, Inc., ("AIG"). AIG has be...

Taxpayer Denied Use of Alternative Fuel Mixture Credits: December 20, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 245 Print Report; May the Alternative Fuel Mixture Credit (AFMC) be claimed for a calendar quarter other than the calendar quarter in which the claimant sold or used the alternative fu...

Fed Moves To Resolve Tax Refund Controversy: December 19, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; Over the past few months, several cases have been decided regarding the question of whether a holding company or its operating subsidiary "owns" any tax ref...

Foreign Taxes Reduced By Sec. 302(a) Redemption: December 19, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 244 Print Report; USP owns 60 percent of the stock of a controlled foreign corporation (CFC). The other 40 percent of the stock is owned by an unrelated foreign party (FP). CFC does no...

Sec. 1234A Applies To Abandonment of Securities: December 18, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 243 Print Report; Petitioner, (P), is a corporation organized under the laws of Delaware. It is the successor in interest to GKI, which was the successor in interest to GKC. GKC was...

Tribune To Spin-Off Tribune Publishing: December 17, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; Tribune Company, (TC), is moving ahead with its plans to spin-off its newly-created subsidiary, Tribune Publishing, (TP). The latter will own TC's newspaper propert...

"DAD" Tax Shelter Rejected: December 17, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 242 Print Report; This appeal challenges a decision by the Tax Court upholding the disallowance by the I.R.S. of losses claimed by Warwick, (W),and also upholding a 40 percent...

Can APC Deduct Its Damage Award?: December 16, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; On December 12, 2013, a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge issued a Memorandum of Order in a case entitled Tronox, Inc. et al. v. Kerr McGee et al. In its Order, the court found...

Charge To Cover ACA Fee Includible In Gross Income: December 16, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 241 Print Report; M is a U.S. corporation that is engaged in the business of providing health insurance for U.S. health risks. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) imposes an annual fee on...

Redemption vs. Sale: December 13, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 240 Print Report; The Schneiders and their relatives, as of January 1, 1974, owned 100 percent of ANC's Class A voting stock and 99.6 percent of its Class B non-voting stock. ANC, a...

Gain From Sale Of Intangible Assets Found To Be Ordinary Income: December 12, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 239 Print Report; On February 2, 1998, F incorporated his business as FN C, Inc. (FN C), d.b.a. FN S. FN C elected to be treated as a S corporation. On N...

The Case For A "Double Dummy": December 11, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; Sysco Corporation, (SYY), and U.S. Foods, (USF),recently agreed to merge. The transaction will be structured as (1) a reverse triangular merger in which a tra...

Mortgage Interest Deduction Denied: December 11, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 238 Print Report; Beginning in 2003 and continuing through the tax year at issue, (2007), W lived with her boyfriend, AB, in a home in Worcester, Massachusetts. AB hadpurchased...

Plan of Annual Redemption Affects Non-Tendering Shareholders: December 10, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 237 Print Report; Z Corporation, (Z), has one class of stock outstanding. The stock is held by 24 shareholders, all of whom are eitherdescendants, or spouses of descendants, of...

American Airlines Group's NOLs: December 9, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; The merger of AMR Corporation (AMR)and U.S. Airways Group (UAG)will be consummated today. The combined entity will be called American Airlines Group, In...

"Active" Investor Does Not Attain "Trader" Status: December 9, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 236 Print Report; The taxpayer, (K), an individual, operated a ball bearing manufacturing and distribution business which was conducted through CW, an 'S' corporation of which K was...

Qualified Long-Term Care Services: December 6, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 235 Print Report; Decedent, (D), died on August 28, 2008 at the age of 92. MF was decedent's primary care physician. He haddiagnosed her as suffering from dementia....

Interest on Loan Associated With Tax Shelter Is Deductible: December 5, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 234 Print Report; Petitioner, (P), entered into a "STARS transaction" (ST) with theassistance of Barclay's, (B). As part of the transaction, P created the STARS struc...

Issuance of Warrants Does Not Give Rise to an Ownership Change: December 4, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 233 Print Report; The capital stock of TP consists of one class of common stock and three classes of preferred stock (each of which qualifies as Sec. 1504(a)(4) preferred stock), inc...

Refundable AMT Credit Not Subject to Sec. 383: December 3, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 232 Print Report; On Date 1, TP, a C corporation, experienced an "ownership change". For its...taxable year, TP had a net operating loss and no regular tax liability. With...

Hidden Value In Gyrodyne?: December 2, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; Gyrodyne, a corporation in the process of liquidating, will not be taxed on the gain it realized from the condemnation of its real estate. This is confirmed by a ruling the c...

Bankruptcy Court Awards Refund To Holding Company: December 2, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 231 Print Report; DFC is a bank holding company. On or about January 23, 1995, DFC acquired all of the outstanding shares of DB. On Novemb...

U.S./Canadian Tax Treaty Affords No AMT Relief: November 29, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 230 Print Report; Mr. and Mrs. Jamieson are United States citizens who lived in Canada in 2003, earned Canadian income, and paid Canadian taxes on that income. &nb...

Abandonment Losses: November 27, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 229 Print Report; Three brothers controlled 72.3 percent of TP's voting stock. The public owned the remainder of the stock. TP retained Ad...

The Basis of Property Received In a Liquidation: November 26, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 228 Print Report; Ordinarily, the basis of property is its "cost". However, that generalrule does not apply with respect to property received in a "taxable"...

Comcast--Charter--Time Warner Cable: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do: November 25, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; Bloomberg is reporting that Comcast Corporation, (CC), and Charter Communications, Inc., (CCI), "have discussed a joint bid to acquire Time Warner Cable, Inc., (TWC), an...

Attribution From Trusts: November 25, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 227 Print Report; One of the characteristics of the tax law that many find particularly frustrating is the fact that, more frequently than generally believed, identical language is f...

Bond Repurchase Premium: November 22, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 226 Print Report; PR, Inc., (PR), acquired S3, Inc., (S3), in Year1. At the time of acquisition, S3 was engaged in the "b" business. When S3 was acquired, P, Inc., (P), bec...

Exclusively for Conservation Purposes: November 21, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 225 Print Report; S, an individual, owned two properties in the Logan Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The two properties are subject to the D.C. Historic Landmark and Histori...

A "Meaningful Reduction" of a Small Shareholder's Interest: November 20, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 224 Print Report; On Date 1, X Corporation, (X), made a tender offer to purchase up to "y" shares of its common stock. Z Corporation, (Z), acquired shares of X stock on the...

Dividend Waiver Denied: November 19, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 223 Print Report; Prior to 1960, RB was married to WB, who is the mother of the four B children. In September, 1960, RB married MB. RB owned 49.9 of the stock in BG, Inc., (BG), and...

Distribution of Lawsuit and Sale of Stock are Separate Transactions: November 18, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 222 Print Report; H, S, and N were general partners in B, a partnershipformed for the purpose of acquiring the stock of BFI, Inc., (BFI). On December 9, 1991, BFI purchased an...

Anticipatory Assignment of Income?: November 15, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 221 Print Report; In 1964, the petitioner, (S), became a partner in a law firm. Later, S sued his former partners for damages. The defendants cross-claimed for damages. The lawsuit w...

Receipts "From the Use of a License": November 14, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 220 Print Report; TGS Geophysical Company, (TGS), gathers, interprets, and markets seismic and geophysical data regarding subsurface terrains. TGS collects and stores this data in a...

Newco's Qualified Stock Purchase Respected: November 13, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 219 Print Report; Partnership E, (PE), was formed on Date 1. On Date 2, PE formed Corporation H, (CH), for the purpose of acquiring Corporation B, (CB). CH acquired the stock of CB o...

Accounts Receivable Constitute "Related Party Indebtedness": November 12, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 218 Print Report; Petitioner, (P), is a U.S. corporation that develops and licenses computer software. P's wholly-owned BSEH was a controlled foreign corporation under Sec. 957 of th...

Another "Opco/Propco": November 11, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; The Ensign Group, Inc., (EG),will be embarking ona plan to separate its real estate from its operating business in a manner that parallels the steps taken...

Direct Mailer Not Entitled To Sec. 199 Deduction: November 11, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 217 Print Report; During 2005-2007, ADVO, Inc., (A), distributed direct mail advertising in the United States. Direct mail advertisers distribute advertising material through the Uni...

Taxpayer Did Not Hold Realty In His "Dealer" Capacity: November 8, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 216 Print Report; The petitioner, (G), an individual taxpayer, is self-employed. On the Schedule C attached to his 2004Form 1040, he described his business a "carpentry/si...

More Sales Tax Problems for Home Depot: November 7, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 215 Print Report; Home Depot (HD), in the state of Washington,entered into an agreement with General Electric Capital Corporation(GECC) tohaveGECC issue HD&nb...

Endo and Paladin Plan "Double" Inversion: November 6, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; Thelatestvariety of "inversion" transaction involves thecombination of two operating companies, each incorporated in a high-tax jurisdicti...

Weyerhaeuser Will Engage In an "RMT" Transaction: November 6, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; Weyerhaeuser Company, (WY), a real estate investment trust, (REIT), announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to combine its homebuilding business wit...

A Parent and Its Subsidiaries Are Not "The Same Taxpayer": November 6, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 214 Print Report; On September 20, 2000, EE Corporation, (EE), acquired CMP, Inc., (CMP). EE acquired RGE, Inc., (RGE), on July 1, 2002. Subsequent to their respective acquisitions,...

Excise Tax Credits Not Includible In Gross Income: November 5, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; Blenders that produce and sell qualifying biodiesel mixtures to third parties have claimed Sec. 6426(c) biodiesel mixture credits against their excise tax liabiliti...

NOL Preservation Plan Does Not Impair REIT Status: November 5, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 213 Print Report; T is a Real Estate Investment Trust, (REIT). T's stock is publicly-traded on the "Exchange". T's operations have resulted in a net operating loss (NOL) ca...

California Provides Grim News For Homeowners Facing Foreclosure: November 4, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; The California Franchise Tax Board (FTB), in the most recent edition of Tax News (dated November 4, 2013),set forththe tax consequences homeowner...

Waiving Dividends On "Hook" Stock: November 4, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 212 Print Report; P Corporation, (P), is not a life insurance company. As of "c", P's authorized common stock consisted of "d" shares of "e" par value c...

When Restricted Stock Is Awarded to a Spouse In a Divorce: November 1, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 211 Print Report; On Date 1, "a" shares of restricted stock were issued to X, by C, X's employer, as compensation for services rendered. &nbs...

"Inbound" Reorganizations Are Taxable: October 31, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 210 Print Report; Ordinarily, when a transaction qualifies as a reorganization, the shareholders of the acquired corporation are permitted to exchange their stock therein for the&nbs...

Sandell Group's Elegant Plan For Spectra Energy: October 30, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; Sandell Group, a significant shareholder in each of Spectra Energy Corporation, (SE), and Phillips 66, (PSX), has devised a plan intended to "unlock unrecogniz...

Royalty Income Not "DPGR": October 30, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 209 Print Report; The taxpayer, (TP), developed "X" using specificscientific processes. TP produces the product containing "X" in commercial quantities with...

MWV's Tax-Efficient Disposal of Its Timber Properties: October 29, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; MeadWestvaco Corporation, (MWV), announced that it has reached a definitive agreement with Plum Creek Timber Company, Inc., (PCL), whereby PCL will, among other thing...

Deducting Civil Settlement Payments: October 29, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 208 Print Report; TP manufactures and sells "A" in area "B". TP was investigated by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for possibleviolations of the Sherman An...

Caesar's To Begin Reporting Deferred COD Income: October 28, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; During the height of the financial crisis, both Congress and the I.R.S. took steps to ease the application of certain tax rules that would have, without such mitiga...

Are Assumed Liabilities Added To Basis?: October 28, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 207 Print Report; AmerGen Energy Co. LLC, (AG), purchased Three Mile Island Unit1, (TM-1), a nuclear power plant, in December, 1999. AG agreed to pay $23,000,000 in cash for TM...

Debt Incurred To Combine Coop Apartments Is Acquisition Indebtedness: October 25, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 206 Print Report; In Year 1, Y purchased an apartment unit in a cooperative apartment complex. In Year 2, Y incurred indebtedness of Amount 1 and used "$b" of the proceeds...

REIT Merger To Qualify As a Reorganization: October 24, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; American Realty Capital Properties, Inc., (ARCP), and Cole Real Estate Investments, Inc., (C), each of which is a real estate investment trust(REIT),hav...

"COBE": October 24, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 205 Print Report; For a transaction to qualify as a reorganization, it must satisfy not only the "terms of the specifications" (set forth in Sec. 368 of the Internal Revenu...

I.R.S. Restricts Application Of "Segregation Rules": October 23, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 204 Print Report; A "loss corporation" (i.e., a corporation with net operating loss (NOL)carryovers or with net unrealized built-in losses) experiences an "owner...

Will NRG Get A Cost Basis In EME's Assets?: October 22, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; NRG Energy, Inc., (NRG), recently entered into an agreement with Edison Mission Energy (EME) and Edison International (EIX) which provides forNRG's acquisitio...

Income From Sale of Carbon Dioxide Credits Is "Good" REIT Income: October 22, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 203 Print Report; T is engaged in the acquisition and ownership of timberland throughout the United States. T is a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT). Substantially all of its busin...

Internet Retailer's Obligation To Collect Use Tax Is Voided: October 21, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; Sales tax, in Illinois, is comprised of two complementary taxes, the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act, which is the principal means for taxing the retail sale of tangi...

High-Tech Company Qualifies For D.C. Tax Exemption: October 21, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 202 Print Report; District of Columbia, (DC), Code Sec. 47-1817.01 et seq ., grants certain high-technology companies a temporary exemption from the DC corporate franchise ta...

Carbon Emission Units Constitute "Real Estate Assets": October 18, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 201 Print Report; T is a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT). T is primarily engaged in timberland operation and management. T's Country Z timber operations are conducted through A,...

Irish Tax Proposal Will Have Limited Impact: October 17, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; Recently, the Irish Minister of Finance, Mr. Michael Noonan,announced that legislation banning so-called "stateless companies" would be incorporated...

No Tax Break For Sec. 951 Inclusions: October 17, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 200 Print Report; The I.R.S. determined that, for 2003 and 2004, the gross income the Appellants reported based on their ownership of stock of a controlled foreign corporation (CFC)...

Income From Removal of Waste Is Qualifying Income: October 16, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 199 Print Report; X is a limited partnership whichhas beenorganized under the laws of State. X engages in activities that X represents as producing qualifying income unde...

Is Yahoo Running Out of Time?: October 15, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; Yahoo!, (Y),ownsgreater than 20 percent stakes in each of Alibaba, (AL),and Yahoo Japan, (YJ). These stakes are highly appreciated and a taxable d...

Federal Basis Controls for N.J."GIT": October 15, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 198 Print Report; The taxpayers (S), husband and wife,are New Jersey residents who owned a large, vacant parcel of property in the Borough of Tinton Falls. In 1998, they sold t...

Safeway Does Some Tax Planning: October 14, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; In June, 2013, Safeway, Inc., (SWY), announced that ithadentered into an agreement to sell its Canadian operations "though a sale of substantially...

Oilfield Service Provider Earns Qualifying MLP Income: October 14, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 197 Print Report; X is a limited liability company organized under the laws of State. X intends to form Y and cause Y to become a publicly-traded partnership (PTP or MLP). Y will ear...

Liberty Media's Latest Restructuring Actions Are Tax-Efficient: October 11, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; Liberty Media Corporation, (LMC), announced, on October 10, 2013, a series of restructuring actions each of which is fraught with tax implications. 1....

Gifts of "Future Interests" Ruled Taxable: October 11, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 196 Print Report; In 2000, 2001, and 2002, the Fishers transferred 4.762 percent membership interests in GHP, LLC, (LLC), to each of their seven children. LLC's principal asset was a...

A Split-Off Is Not a "Liquidation": October 10, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 195 Print Report; A corporate division (which took the form of a "split-off")was precipitated bya dispute between the two shareholders who had previously had eq...

Classifying (as Real or Personal Property) Outdoor Advertising Displays: October 9, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 194 Print Report; TP is in the business of erecting, maintaining, and renting outdoor advertising displays. Structure X and structure Y are representative of two types of sign struct...

Will An Acquisition of BEAM Jeopardize Its Spin-Off?: October 8, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; In October, 2011, Fortune Brands, Inc.spun-off its home and security business, sold off its golf activities, and changed its name to Beam, Inc., (BEAM). The s...

Dual Character of Bankruptcy Expenses: October 8, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 193 Print Report; TP emerged from Chapter 11 on Date 2. The principal purpose of the Chapter 11 proceeding was the settlement of tort claims arising out of TP's business....

Gyrodyne Is Liquidating: October 7, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; Gyrodyne Company of America, Inc., (GYRO), is a real estate investment trust, (REIT). Several years ago, one of its properties was condemned by New York State. New...

"Tax Loans" Produce Qualifying REIT Income: October 7, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 192 Print Report; TP is a Real Estate Investment Trust, (REIT). TP is in the business of making advances for the payment of real property taxes in the form of "Tax Loans"....

MTNs Acquired By a Foreign Bank Are "(b)(3)" Securities: October 4, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 191 Print Report; Foreign Bank ("FB") engages in the banking business in the U.S. through a branch office ("B"). B participated in soliciting and negotiating vari...

Vodafone Not a "Passive" Investor In Verizon Wireless: October 3, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 190 Print Report; Vodafone(V)owned a 45 percent interest in CPS, a general partnership organized under the laws of Delaware. CPS, which was doing business as "Verizon...

REIT's Condemnation Claim Does Not Jeopardize Status: October 2, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 189 Print Report; T is a Real Estate Investment Trust, (REIT). In Year 2, T brought a claim for just compensation for "a" acres of its property in City Y and City Z in Stat...

BPY Seeks To Acquire BPO: October 1, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; Brookfield Property Partners, L.P., (BPY) is proposing to acquire the shares of Brookfield Office Properties, Inc., (BPO), which it does not currently own at a pric...

The Interaction of Sec. 965 and Sec. 172(b)(1)(H): October 1, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 188 Print Report; M is a U.S. shareholder in a controlled foreign corporation, (CFC). In 2004, M received dividends from the CFC and elected the one-time 85 percent dividends receive...

Software Not "U.S. Property": September 30, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 187 Print Report; Various foreign subsidiaries of S, a U.S. corporation, own software that is protected by copyright laws in the U.S. and foreign countries. The foreign subsidiaries...

Will J.C. Penney's NOLs Be Impaired By Its Stock Offering?: September 27, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; In fiscal 2012, J.C. Penney Company, Inc., (JCP), incurred a net operating loss (NOL)of approximately $1.5 billion of which only $284 million is available for...

Production of Photo Products Is "MPGE" of "QPP": September 27, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 186 Print Report; TP is a pharmacy care provider. At the end of Year X, TP had #a retail drugstores and #c retail specialty pharmacy stores. &nbs...

Regulations Limit Duplication of "Built-In Losses": September 26, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 185 Print Report; Reg. Sec. 1.362-4 implements the provisions of Sec. 362(e)(2). These regulations were finalized on August 30, 2013. The purpose of Sec. 362(e)(2) and its implementi...

Does Asset "Character" Carry Over In a Sec. 332 Liquidation?: September 25, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 184 Print Report; The issue is whether a loss sustained by the taxpayer, (TP), a corporation, was an ordinary loss or a capital loss. The...

Cheniere To Create a "Blocker" Corporation For MLP Investment: September 25, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; Although the virtues of investing in Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) have been well documented, there are classes of investors who usually, for reasons unrelated...

Series of Transactions Amounts to a Liquidation: September 24, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 183 Print Report; P, a domestic corporation, owns all of the stock of FS1, a Country B corporation, and FS2, a Country A corporation. T is also a Country A corporation. FS1 will form...

Berry's Merger With LinnCo Should Constitute a Reorganization: September 23, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; It appears, notwithstanding the accounting controversy in which LinnCo, (LC),has been recentlymired, thatthe merger of Berry Petroleum Company, (B...

Parent Acts As Bank's Agent With Respect To Tax Refund: September 23, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 182 Print Report; NetBank, Inc., (NB), is the parent corporation of a number of subsidiaries, including NetBank, f.s.b., (B or "the Bank"). NB filed consolidated income tax...

Mortgage Secured By Only One Residential Condo Unit: September 20, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 181 Print Report; Petitioners own and reside in an individual residential condominium unit (Unit C) in New York City which they bought in 2008. When the adjacent condominium (Unit B)...

How Quickly Can HUN Spin-Off Its Pigments Business?: September 19, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; Huntsman Corporation, (HUN), announced that it entered into an agreement with Rockwood Holdings, Inc., (ROC) pursuant to which HUN will acquire, in a taxable transa...

What Is An "Amortizable Sec. 197 Intangible": September 19, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 180 Print Report; B started a cellular telephone business in the 1990s by organizing a wholly owned 'S' corporation, R, in 1991. That same year, he purchased an FCC license to operat...

SWY Stock Buyback Should Constitute a Partial Liquidation: September 18, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; JANA Partners, LLC, (JP), has announced the accumulation of a 6.2 percent stake in Safeway, Inc., (SWY). JP has had discussions with SWY, which are ongoing, regardi...

Age Discrimination Settlement Payment Is "Wages": September 18, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 179 Print Report; After Credit Suisse, (CS),terminated his employment, Mr. G (G)filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, (EEOC),asse...

"Buy-Writer" Is Not a Trader: September 17, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 178 Print Report; In 2006, petitioner, (P), began a new endeavor, purchasing and selling stocks and call options. P typically sold call options with a term between one and five months. P's...

Analyzing Penn National Gaming's Groundbreaking I.R.S. Ruling: September 16, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 177 Print Report; Penn National Gaming, Inc., (PNG or D2), submitted its ruling request to the I.R.S. on June 28, 2011. The favorable ruling was finally received by the company on Se...

Are Traders Subject To Extraordinary Dividend Penalties?: September 13, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; The dividend that will be paid by Vodafonein 2014, consisting of a substantial portion of the proceeds itexpects to derivefrom the sale to Verizon...

Debt Payable in Stock is Equity: September 13, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 176 Print Report; H Corporation, (H), owns all of the stock of Sub. The latter owns all of the membershipinterests in FS1, a disregarded entity, and also owns all of the stock...

An "Attribute" of Stock: September 12, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 175 Print Report; M Corporation, (M), acquired all of the outstanding stock of O Corporation, (O), solely in exchange for itspreviously unissued voting convertible preferred st...

Liquidation Is a 'D' Reorganization: September 11, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 174 Print Report; Corporation A, (CA), is an 'S' corporation all of the stock of which was owned by Mr. C. Mr. C, on Date 1, transferred by gift "a%" of the stock to his ch...

CCI Will Convert To REIT Status Without a Ruling: September 10, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; Crown Castle International Corporation, (CCI), announced that "it is commencing the steps necessary to reorganize CCI to qualify as a real estateinvestme...

AT&T On The Verge Of Funding Its Pension Plan: September 10, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; AT&T (T) appears, based on recent press reports, to be on the precipice of making "pension history." Apparently, the company has finally received permis...

I.R.S. Expands "Straddle" Rules: September 10, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 173 Print Report; A corporation which owns an appreciated equity stake in another corporation may seek to "monetize" the stake, rather thandispose of it. Such a strat...

Fluids Management Activities Produce Qualifying MLP Income: September 9, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; X, a domestic corporation, intends to form Y and contribute to Y all or a part of its assets and business operations. X intends for Y to become a publicly traded pa...

Two Corporations Can Constitute A Controlled Group: September 9, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 172 Print Report; Sec. 851(b)(3)(B) provides that, to qualify as a regulated investment company, (RIC), a taxpayer must meet a diversification test pursuant to which not more than 25...

A Charitable Contribution Deduction Depends on Substantiation: September 6, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 171 Print Report; Does a donor who discovers that he failed to obtain a "contemporaneous written acknowledgement" under Sec. 170(f)(8)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code...

Is Physical Presence a Pre-Requisite for "Nexus"?: September 4, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 170 Print Report; Lamtec Corp. (L) is a New Jersey corporation. L manufactures its products at its New Jersey headquarters. L sells these products to customers throughout the United...

Verizon Will Not Obtain A Basis Step-Up: September 3, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; If Verizon Communications, Inc. (VCI)could deduct, for Federal income tax purposes, all or even a portion of the amount it is paying for the 45 percent intere...

Vodafone Agrees To Dispose of Its Interest In Verizon Wireless: September 3, 2013 - Bulletin Print Report; Vodafone (VOD) has owned a 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless (VZW) for over a decade and has seen the stake dramatically increase in value over that period. It h...

Corporation's Satisfaction of Shareholder's Obligation Not a Dividend: September 3, 2013 - Volume 7 Issue 169 Print Report; JM owned all of the stock of B Corporation, (B). JM and his brother, TM, each owned 50 percent of the stock of BR Corporation, (BR)....

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