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Eighth Circuit

3M Co. v. Commissioner: IRS shipwrecks hard on the shoals of Loper Bright

by Edward L. Froelich | Oct 16, 2025 | Appellate Courts, Court Procedure Matters, Transfer Pricing Resource

3M Co. v. Commissioner, 136 AFTR 2d 2025-, (8th Cir.) (Oct.1, 2025), is perhaps the most significant tax case to date that implements Loper Bright’s instruction regarding evaluation of an agency’s exercise of delegated authority.[1] The unanimous panel held that:

The Internal Revenue Services’ (IRS) adjustment imputing additional royalty income to 3M from its Brazilian affiliate was invalid because it was outside the authority delegated by Internal Revenue Code Section 482.
The underlying regulation, Reg. § 1.482-1(h)(2) (the blocked income regulation), was invalid for the same reason.

The IRS’s change of tack

Those following the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit’s consideration of the case were aware that the Court had asked the parties to file supplemental briefing on the impact of the Loper Bright decision, which was handed down after the US Tax Court’s decision. The focus of the Tax Court dispute was whether the blocked income regulation was a valid implementation of the statute under Chevron and the Administrative Procedure Act. A plurality of that court agreed it was.

In its briefing before the Eighth Circuit, the IRS pivoted[2] and argued that even if the Court determined that the blocked income regulation was invalid, Code Section 482 provided direct authority to the IRS to make adjustments to income. The IRS maintained that it did not need a regulation to support the adjustment in the case. Moreover, the IRS argued, where adjustments relate to the transfer of intangible property (such as here), its authority was only constrained by the requirement that the adjustment conform to the income commensurate with that attributable to the intangible.[3] Because the parties agreed that the higher royalty would have been paid to an unrelated party, slip op. at 2, the IRS maintained it was authorized to make the adjustment to 3M’s income.

No one can be taxed on income they can’t have

The IRS’s maneuver did not deter the Eighth Circuit from carefully following the mandate it had received via Loper Bright to evaluate whether the agency’s exercise of authority was within its statutory mandate. In other words, even if the IRS could act without a regulation to make adjustments under Code Section 482, the exercise of its authority under that section must remain within the confines of the statute: “[I]t is still our job to ‘fix[] the boundaries of [that] delegated authority’ based on the statute’s text, as we have done today.” Slip. op. at 11 (quoting Loper Bright). Viewed through this lens, the Eighth Circuit found that the adjustments asserted by the IRS were well outside the authority granted by Code Section 482. Because the blocked income regulation purported to exercise the same extra-statute authority, it too was found deficient.

According to the Eighth Circuit, Code Section 482’s broad delegation to the IRS by its terms is limited to making adjustments where necessary to avoid evasion or distortion of income. However, in Comm’r v. First Sec. Bank of Utah, N.A., 405 U.S. [...]

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IRS roundup: September 19 – October 1, 2025

by Evan Walters, Samuel F. Hamer, Edward L. Froelich, Michael J. Scarduzio and Matthew J. Blaney | Oct 8, 2025 | Appellate Courts, Court Procedure Matters, IRS Guidance, Tax Reform, Transfer Pricing Resource

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for September 19, 2025 – October 1, 2025.

September 19, 2025: The US Department of the Treasury (Treasury) and the IRS issued proposed regulations, providing guidance on the “no tax on tips” provision of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The proposed regulations define “qualified tips” and identify which occupations customarily and regularly receive tips on or before December 31, 2024.

September 23, 2025: The IRS issued Notice 2025-54, providing guidance on the 2025 – 2026 special per diem rates for taxpayers when determining their ordinary and necessary business expenses incurred while traveling away from home, including meal and incidental expenses rates, rates for the incidental expenses only deduction, and rates for (and a list of) high-cost localities for purposes of the high-low substantiation method.

September 29, 2025: The IRS issued Revenue Procedure 2025-30, providing updated procedures for taxpayers requesting private letter rulings from the IRS after September 29, 2025, regarding transactions intended to qualify under Internal Revenue Code § 3551. This guidance specially provides details on the representations, information, and analysis taxpayers should submit when requesting these rulings.

September 30, 2025: The IRS issued Notice 2025-46 and Notice 2025-49, providing guidance on the application of the corporate alternative minimum tax (CAMT).

Notice 2025-46 provides interim guidance to domestic corporate transactions, financially troubled companies, and tax consolidated groups. This notice also announces the Treasury and the IRS’s intent to partially withdraw the CAMT Proposed Regulations (described in Section 2.03 of this notice) and instead issue revised proposed regulations with guidance similar to Sections 3 – 6 of this notice. The proposed regulations will reduce compliance burdens related to, and costs associated with, application of the CAMT.

Notice 2025-49 provides interim guidance regarding application of the CAMT as it relates to §§ 55, 56A, and 59. This notice also announced the Treasury and the IRS’s intent to partially withdraw the CAMT Proposed Regulations (described in Section 2.03 of this notice) and instead issue revised proposed regulations with guidance similar to Sections 3 – 10 of this notice.

October 1, 2025: The Treasury and the IRS issued final regulations, providing guidance on interest capitalization requirements on designated property. The final regulations specifically remove the associated property rule (including similar rules in existing regulations), modifies how “improvement” is defined when applying those similar rules, and primarily affects taxpayers making improvements to real or tangible personal property if those improvements are the production of designated property.

October 1, 2025: The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit released its opinion in 3M Company v. Commissioner. The Eighth Circuit reversed the US Tax Court’s decision that 3M must pay taxes on royalties – that it could not legally receive – from a Brazilian subsidiary and remanded the Tax Court’s decision with instructions to redetermine 3M’s tax liability. Relying [...]

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IRS roundup: August 28 – September 15, 2025

by Evan Walters, Samuel F. Hamer, Edward L. Froelich, Michael J. Scarduzio and Matthew J. Blaney | Sep 18, 2025 | Appellate Courts, Court Procedure Matters, IRS Guidance, Tax Reform, Transfer Pricing Resource

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for August 28, 2025 – September 15, 2025.

August 28, 2025: The IRS issued Revenue Procedure 2025-28, providing guidance on making certain elections for domestic research or experimental expenditures under § 70302(f) of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). Revenue Procedure 2025-28 specifically modifies procedures under Internal Revenue Code (Code) § 446 and Treasury Regulation § 1.446-1(e) for obtaining automatic consent from the commissioner of the Internal Revenue to:

Change methods of accounting for research or experimental expenditures under § 174, as amended by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017

Change methods of accounting to comply with §§ 174 and 174A, as amended by OBBBA.

Revenue Procedure 2025-28 also prescribes the procedure for electing to amortize domestic research or experimental expenditures paid or incurred in the taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024, under Code § 174A(c).

September 2, 2025: The IRS issued Tax Tip 2025-59, reminding employers that they can use educational assistance programs to help employees pay for various educational expenses for undergraduate- or graduate-level studies. These programs can help pay for books, equipment, supplies, tuition, and other fees, as well as for qualified education loans. This tax-free benefit is allowed only up to $5,250 per employee per year and does not include meals, lodging, or transportation.

September 3, 2025: In Medtronic, Inc. v. Commissioner, the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated the US Tax Court’s order, rejecting the Tax Court’s three-step unspecified method to value the arm’s length royalty rate for intercompany licensing agreements. The Eight Circuit also held that the Tax Court incorrectly rejected the application of the comparable profits method, explaining that, on remand, the Tax Court should consider whether the proposed comparable companies were “sufficiently similar” to Medtronic Puerto Rico.

September 15, 2025: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2025–38, which includes Notice 2025-38. This notice republishes the inflation adjustment factor and the clean electricity production credit allowable under Code § 45Y for the 2025 calendar year. The inflation adjustment factor – and applicable amounts allowable for the 2025 calendar year – are used to determine the amount of Code § 45Y credits that may apply to calendar year 2025 sales, consumption, or storage of electricity produced at a qualified facility in the United States.

The IRS also released its weekly list of written determinations (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandums, and Chief Counsel Advice).

Late CDP Petitions May Still Be Entitled to Tax Court Review

by Sarah M. Raben and McDermott Will & Emery | Apr 22, 2022 | Appellate Courts, Court Procedure Matters, IRS Appeals, Trial Courts

In a unanimous decision in Boechler, P.C. v. Commissioner issued on April 21, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States reversed the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit’s ruling (which affirmed the US Tax Court) and held that the 30-day time limit to file a petition with the Tax Court in a collection due process (CDP) case is a non-jurisdictional deadline subject to equitable tolling. The Supreme Court remanded the case to determine whether the taxpayer is entitled to equitable tolling.

The one-day-late showdown started in 2015, when the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) notified Boechler, P.C. (Boechler), a North Dakota law firm, of a tax discrepancy. Boechler did not respond, which triggered the assessment of an “intentional disregard” penalty along with a notice that the IRS intended to seize Boechler’s property to satisfy the penalty. Boechler requested a CDP hearing before the IRS Independent Office of Appeals (IRS Appeals), arguing that: (1) there was no discrepancy in its tax filings and (2) the penalty was excessive. IRS Appeals rejected these arguments and sustained the proposed levy. Boechler then had 30 days to file its Tax Court petition but missed the deadline by one day. The Tax Court dismissed the petition for lack of jurisdiction, holding that the 30-day filing deadline is jurisdictional and cannot be equitably tolled. The Eighth Circuit affirmed.

The Supreme Court granted certiorari. The US government argued that the deadline was jurisdictional and the Tax Court lacks the power to accept a tardy filing by applying the doctrine of equitable tolling. Boechler argued that equitable tolling applied, and the Tax Court had jurisdiction over its case. The Supreme Court, continuing a trend of distinguishing between claim processing rules and jurisdictional rules, agreed with Boechler.

Internal Revenue Code (Code) Section 6330(d)(1) states, “[t]he person may, within 30 days of a determination under this section, petition the Tax Court for review of such determination (and the Tax Court shall have jurisdiction with respect to such matter).” The Supreme Court explained that a procedural requirement is treated as jurisdictional “only if Congress ‘clearly states’ that it is” Arbaugh v. Y & H Corp., 546 U. S. 500, 515 (2006), although US Congress need not “incant magic words.” Sebelius v. Auburn Regional Medical Center, 568 U. S. 145, 153 (2013).

The Supreme Court clarified that the question was whether the statutory language limits the Tax Court’s jurisdiction to petitions filed within that timeframe. That answer turned on the meaning of the phrase “such matters.” The first independent clause explains what a taxpayer may do, (“The person may, within 30 days of a determination under this section, petition the Tax Court for review of such determination.”) However, the phrase “such matters” does not clearly mandate the jurisdictional reading and lacks clear antecedent. In addition, the Supreme Court also explained that Code Section 6330(d)(1) lacked in comparable clarity as to other tax provisions enacted around the same time. Finally, the Supreme [...]

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IRS Announces Nonacquiescence in Mayo Tax Regulation Invalidity Holding

by Kevin Spencer and McDermott Will & Emery | Nov 22, 2021 | Appellate Courts, Court Procedure Matters, IRS Guidance, Tax Reform, Trial Courts

We previously wrote here and here about decisions made by the District Court of Minnesota and the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in Mayo Clinic v. United States regarding challenges to the validity of certain Treasury Regulations promulgated under Internal Revenue Code (Code) Section 170. In that case, the Eighth Circuit held for the taxpayer in part and the government in part and remanded to the district court to further develop the record and address certain issues.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced in an Action on Decision (AOD) that it will not acquiesce in the Eighth Circuit’s holding, which invalidated Treas. Reg. § 1.170A-9(c)(1)’s requirement that the primary function of an education organization described in Code Section 170(b)(1)(A)(ii) must be the presentation of formal instruction. This means that in all cases not appealable to the Eighth Circuit, the IRS will not follow this holding and will continue to litigate the issue.

The IRS’s policy is to announce at an early date whether it will follow the holdings in certain cases, and it does so by making an announcement in an AOD. A nonacquiescence is not binding on courts or the taxpayers but merely signals the IRS’s position that it disagrees with a court decision. (Sometimes the IRS will acquiesce in a decision.) Given that an AOD is published in the Internal Revenue Bulletin, it could be argued that the IRS’s action constitutes published guidance taxpayers can rely on. The IRS’s list of AODs, with links to each action, can be found here.

Eighth Circuit Holds the Mayo in Tax Regulation Invalidity Case

by Kevin Spencer and McDermott Will & Emery | May 17, 2021 | Appellate Courts, Court Procedure Matters, Tax Reform, Trial Courts

In the latest tax regulation deference case, the Eighth Circuit provided guidance to taxpayers and tax practitioners on the “analytical path” to resolve the question of whether a tax regulation is a valid interpretation of the Internal Revenue Code. The court held that the regulation was invalid in part because it unreasonably added conditions to the statutory requirements for qualified educational organizations, however, it was valid as to its interpretation regarding the permissible scope of the taxpayer’s activities to fit within the applicable statute. The opinion is noteworthy for its detailed examination of statutory and legislative history, judicial interpretations and agency position during legislation in its analysis of Congress’ intent.

Deference is one topic that captivates many, and tax cases referencing Chevron, Skidmore and Auer (and more recently Kisor) always grab attention. The latest deference case in the tax area is Mayo Clinic v. United States, No. 19-3189 (8th Cir. May 13, 2021). For some background on deference, including the district court proceedings in the Mayo Clinic case, see here.

In the Mayo Clinic case, the question was whether the taxpayer was a “qualified organization” exempted from paying unrelated business income tax (UBIT) on unrelated debt-financed income under Internal Revenue Code (Code) Section 514(c)(9)(C)(i). Answering this question required determining whether the taxpayer was an “educational organization which normally maintains a regular faculty and curriculum and normally has a regularly enrolled body of pupils or students in attendance at the place where its educational activity are regularly carried on” within the meaning of Code Section 170(b)(1)(A)(ii). Relying in part on Treasury Regulation Section 1.170A-9(c)(1), the government asserted that the taxpayer was not a qualified organization because it was not an educational organization because its primary function was not the presentation of formal instruction (primary-function requirement) and its noneducational activities were not merely incidental to the educational activities (merely-incidental requirement). The district court – Mayo Clinic v. United States, 412 F.Supp.3d 1038 (D. Minn. 2019) – held in favor of the taxpayer and invalidated the regulation, holding that the primary-function requirement and the merely-incidental requirement were not intended by Congress to be included in the statute. The Eighth Circuit reversed and remanded the decision. Implementing the longstanding two-pronged deference test under Chevron U.S.A. Inc. v. NRDC, 467 U.S. 837 (1984) and acknowledging recent precedent in Kisor v. Wilkie, 139 S.Ct. 2400 (2019), the Mayo Clinic court emphasized that the question before it was whether the government “stayed within the bounds of its statutory authority.” To answer this question, the court stated that to determine whether the statute was unambiguous required examining the statutory history and applying traditional tools of statutory construction. This led the Eighth Circuit to trace the evolution of the Code over more than a century, focusing on changes to statutory language, legislative history, agency positions during the legislative process and judicial interpretations of the law.

Based on this exhaustive analysis of the evolution of [...]

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IRS Opposes Granting of Certiorari in Cases Addressing Definition of Return

by McDermott Will & Emery and Roger J. Jones | Mar 16, 2017 | Appellate Courts, Court Procedure Matters, IRS Guidance, Uncategorized

Two petitions for certiorari pending before the Supreme Court of the United States ask the Court to resolve the question of whether a tax return filed after an assessment by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is a “return” for purposes of the Bankruptcy Code (BC). The answer to this question will determine whether a bankrupt taxpayer’s tax debts can be discharged or are permanently barred from discharge. According to these petitions, the courts of appeal are divided as to the answer.

BC § 523(a) generally allows a debtor to discharge unsecured debt, except for, inter alia, tax debts of debtors who: (1) failed to file tax returns; (2) filed fraudulent tax returns; or (3) filed late tax returns, where a bankruptcy petition is filed within two years of the date the late return was filed. See BC § 523(a)(1)(B)(i), (B)(ii), (C).

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