Legal Updates & Commentary for Tax & Estate Planning
The IRS continues to issue guidance in the much debated area of corporate spinoffs. A recently published ruling examined the federal income tax treatment of the two steps that comprise a so-called “north-south” transaction.” In doing so, it provides taxpayers with some welcome certainty.
A “north-south” transaction is one in which a parent corporation (…
It is a basic principle of federal tax law that a taxpayer cannot, for purposes of determining the taxpayer’s taxable income, claim a loss with respect to an investment in excess of the taxpayer’s unrecovered economic cost for such investment. If the taxpayer invested $X to acquire a non-depreciable asset – for example,…
Having worked with many families in the administration of their loved ones’ estates, I can report anecdotally that over the last decade, tax-deferred retirement assets have constituted an ever-increasing share of individual wealth, even for those estates that fall below the estate tax exemption amount. Such tax-deferred assets come in many different forms; some of…
The owners of closely-held businesses are among the greatest benefactors of charitable organizations in this country. Although their contributions to charity are usually effectuated through the transfer of cash or marketable securities, it is often the case that the only asset available to satisfy an owner’s charitable inclinations is his or her interest in the…
Be sure to start with Part I, here!
Real Estate as an Active Business
The active conduct of a trade or business does not include the holding for investment purposes of land, or other property, or the ownership and operation (including the leasing) of real property used in a trade or business, unless the…
This is a question that we encounter with some frequency in the context of family-owned corporations, and the backdrop against which the issue arises is not uncommon.
In the Beginning
The older generation may have acquired a building many years ago, either as an investment that would generate a stream of rental income from unrelated…
Don’t miss Part I, here!
“I appreciate your eagerness,” said the adviser. “You can just imagine how I feel every morning when I read through the latest tax news. It takes a Herculean effort to contain myself.”
“OMG,” he’s crazy, “what was my dad thinking when he retained this guy?!”
“I see the look…
The employee-owner of a corporate business will sometimes ask his or her tax adviser, “How much can I pay myself out of my corporation?”
The astute tax adviser may respond, “First of all, you are not paying yourself. The corporation is a separate entity from you, its shareholder. That being said, the corporation can pay…
No, I don’t mean the yellow-brick road, or any train, or anything like that. I am referring, of course, to the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (the “PATH” or the “Act”). The recently enacted legislation provides a number of tax benefits, a few of which will be of particular interest to…
There is nothing like an old proverb to remind you of the obvious. Unfortunately, too many taxpayers need to be reminded all too often. It’s one thing when the reminder comes from the taxpayer’s own advisers – at that point, the taxpayer may still have an opportunity to “correct” his or her actions. It is…
