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Weekly IRS Roundup March 18 – March 22, 2024

by , and | Mar 28, 2024 | , ,

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of March 18, 2024 – March 22, 2024.

March 18, 2024: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2024-12, which includes the following:

  • Notice 2024-26, which announces that withholding agents (both US and foreign persons) are administratively exempt from having to electronically file Forms 1042, Annual Withholding Tax Return for U.S. Source Income of Foreign Persons, which are required to be filed in calendar year 2024. Withholding agents who are foreign persons are administratively exempt in calendar year 2025 as well.
  • Announcement 2024-14, which revokes the § 501(c)(3) determination for Uplifting Her Inc. and stipulates that contributions made to the organization by individual donors are no longer deductible under § 170(b)(1)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code (Code).
  • Notice 2024-25, which provides population figures to use in calculating the 2024 calendar year population-based component of the state housing credit ceiling under § 42(h)(3)(C)(ii), the 2024 calendar year volume cap under § 146, and the 2024 volume limit under § 142(k)(5) of the Code.
  • Notice 2024-27, which requests additional comments on any situation in which an election under § 6417(a) of the Code could be made for a credit that was purchased in a transfer for which an election under § 6418(a) is made.
  • Revenue Procedure 2024-15, which modifies Revenue Procedure 2005-62 by expanding the definition of “public utility” to include all public utilities, not just investor-owned utilities, and changes the definition of a “qualifying securitization” to allow payments to be provided at least annually. The revenue procedure also sets forth the manner in which a public utility may treat certain legislatively authorized securitization transactions involving the issuance of debt instruments by a qualifying state financing entity, which is entered into by the public utility to recover specified costs through a non-bypassable surcharge to customers within the utility’s historic service area.

March 18, 2024: The IRS reminded taxpayers of the various ways to prevent typical errors on their federal tax returns to help speed up potential refunds, including using electronic filing, keeping copies of tax returns and ensuring the filing status is correct.

March 19, 2024: The IRS released Revenue Procedure 2024-17, which provides that war, civil unrest or similar adverse conditions precluded the normal conduct of business in Ukraine, Belarus, Sudan, Haiti, Niger and Iraq on or after various 2023 dates and, therefore, individuals with established residency or physical presence on or before the relevant dates are eligible for income exclusion under § 911(d)(1) of the Code.

March 19, 2024: The IRS released Notice 2024-29, which provides guidance on the corporate bond monthly yield curve, the corresponding spot segment rates used under § 417(e)(3), the 24-month average segment rates used under § 430(h)(2), the interest rate on 30-year Treasury securities under § 417I(3)(A)(ii)(II) as in [...]

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Weekly IRS Roundup January 15 – January 19, 2024

by , and | Jan 23, 2024 | ,

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of January 15, 2024 – January 19, 2024.

January 16, 2024: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2024-3, which includes the following:

  • Notice 2024-10, which provides guidance on the corporate alternative minimum tax, including rules for determining the “adjusted financial statement income” of a US shareholder when a controlled foreign corporation pays a dividend and modifications to Notice 2023-64.
  • Proposed regulations, which provide guidance on the new Internal Revenue Code (Code) Section 45X advanced manufacturing production credit established by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). This credit is intended to incentivize domestic production of certain green energy components.
  • Final regulations regarding penalty protections for de minimis errors on information returns and payee statements.

January 16, 2024: The IRS released transitional guidance under Code Section 60501 on reporting transactions involving the receipt of digital assets and clarified that at this time, digital assets are not required to be included when determining whether cash received in a single transaction (or two or more related transactions) meets the reporting threshold.

January 16, 2024: The IRS issued Revenue Ruling 2024-3, which provides the February 2024 applicable federal rates.

January 16, 2024: The IRS reminded taxpayers of their rights under the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which includes 10 rights all taxpayers have any time they interact with the IRS. Those rights include privacy, confidentiality and the right to appeal an IRS decision in an independent forum.

January 17, 2024: The IRS announced the appointment of 12 new members to the Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council, a public forum that provides the IRS and agency leaders with feedback, observations and recommendations related to tax administration.

January 18, 2024: The IRS reached a major milestone in the implementation of key provisions in the IRA as more than 1,000 projects have now been registered through the new IRS Energy Credits Online tool.

January 18, 2024: The IRS alerted a limited group of tax-exempt organizations subject to unrelated business income tax that they will not be able to electronically file Form 990-T, Exempt Organization Business Income Tax Return, or Form 1120-POL, U.S. Income Tax Return for Certain Political Organizations, until March 17, 2024.

January 19, 2024: The IRS issued Notice 2024-20, which provides guidance on the qualified alternative fuel vehicle refueling property credit under Code Section 30C. The IRS intends to issue additional guidance via proposed regulations.

January 19, 2024: The IRS released its weekly list of written determinations (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandums and Chief Counsel Advice).



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Weekly IRS Roundup May 8 – May 12, 2023

by | May 15, 2023 | , ,

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of May 8, 2023 – May 12, 2023.

May 8, 2023: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2023-19, which highlights the following:

  • Revenue Procedure 2023-22: This revenue procedure provides qualified mortgage bond issuers and mortgage credit certificate issuers with (1) the nationwide average purchase price for residences located in the United States, and (2) the average area purchase price safe harbors for residences located in statistical areas in each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands and Guam.
  • Announcement 2023-14: This announcement provides the revocation of IRC 501(c)(3) Organizations for failure to meet the code section requirements. Contributions made to the organizations by individual donors are no longer deductible under IRC 170(b)(1)(A).
  • Notice 2023-34: This notice provides that convertible virtual currency should be treated as property for federal tax purposes and general tax principles applicable to property transactions apply to transactions using convertible virtual currency. This notice modifies Notice 2014-21 by revising a sentence in the background section to remove the statement that virtual currency does not have legal tender status in any jurisdiction, among other changes.
  • Revenue Procedure 2023-21: This revenue procedure provides the domestic asset/liability percentages and domestic investment yields needed by foreign life insurance companies and foreign property and liability insurance companies to compute their minimum effectively connected net investment income under Section 842(b) for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2021.
  • Revenue Ruling 2023-9: This revenue ruling provides the applicable federal rates for federal income tax purposes for May 2023. The short-term federal interest rate is 4.30%, the mid-term rate will drop to 3.57% and the long-term rate will fall to 3.72%

May 8, 2023: The IRS announced Saturday hours for May 13 in more than 40 locations across 25 states. The Saturday hours were to help taxpayers who may have a tax concern or questions about an IRS notice.

May 8, 2023: The IRS released Tax Tip 2023-63, providing IRS websites and other publications with tax-related disaster relief information that can help taxpayers.

May 9, 2023: The IRS announced that it will accept applications for Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) matching grants from May 8, 2023, to June 26, 2023. The funding will be for the 2023 calendar year. The IRS awards matching grants to qualifying organizations to develop, expand or maintain an LITC. An LITC must match every dollar of funding awarded by the IRS.

May 9, 2023: The IRS released Tax Tip 2023-64, highlighting the Taxpayer Bill of Rights and the right to challenge the IRS’s position.

May 10, 2023: The IRS released Notice 2023-39, which describes proposed amendments to [...]

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Weekly IRS Roundup April 10 – April 14, 2023

by | Apr 17, 2023 | , ,

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of April 10, 2023 – April 14, 2023.

April 10, 2023: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2023-15, which highlights the following:

  • Revenue Procedure 2023-20: This revenue procedure modifies the effective date of additions to the taxable substances or chemicals list under Section 4672(a). Specifically, this revenue procedure changes the date on which substances are added to the list for purposes of refund claims under Section 4662(e).
  • Notice 2023-27: This notice announces that the US Department of the Treasury and the IRS intend to issue guidance related to the tax treatment of certain non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The guidance requests comments on the treatment of NFTs as collectibles and describes how the IRS intends to determine whether an NFT is a collectible until further guidance is issued.
  • Notice 2023-28: This notice extends temporary relief regarding deposits of the excise tax imposed on certain chemicals under Section 4661 and the excise tax imposed on certain imported chemical substances under Section 4671 (collectively, Superfund chemical taxes). The extended relief is available in connection with deposits of the Superfund chemical taxes for semimonthly periods in the second, third and fourth calendar quarters of 2023.
  • REG-120653-22: These proposed regulations implement the advanced manufacturing investment credit, a new current-year business tax credit under Section 48D to incentivize the manufacture of semiconductors and semiconductor manufacturing equipment within the United States. The regulations address the credit’s eligibility requirements, an election that eligible taxpayers may make to be treated as making a payment of tax (including an overpayment of tax) or for an eligible partnership or S corporation to receive an elective payment instead of claiming a credit, and a special 10-year credit recapture rule that applies if there is a significant transaction involving the material expansion of semiconductor manufacturing capacity in a foreign country of concern.
  • Revenue Ruling 2023-7: This revenue ruling provides the fringe benefits aircraft valuation formula. For purposes of Section 1.61-21(g) of the regulations, relating to the rule for valuing non-commercial flights on employer-provided aircrafts, the Standard Industry Fare Level (SIFL) cents-per-mile rates and terminal charge in effect for the first half of 2023 are as follows:

April 10, 2023: The IRS released Tax Tip 2023-47, providing guidance on when to file an amended income tax return.

April 10, 2023: The IRS and the Treasury issued Notice 2023-30, providing safe harbor deed language for extinguishment and boundary line adjustment clauses as required by the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022. Section 605(d)(2) provides donors with the opportunity to amend certain conservation easement deeds to substitute the [...]

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Weekly IRS Roundup March 13 – March 17, 2023

by | Mar 20, 2023 | , ,

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of March 13, 2023 – March 17, 2023.

March 13, 2023: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2023-11, which highlights the following:

  • Notice 2023-21: This notice postpones the beginning of the lookback periods under Section 6511 for certain taxpayers to file a claim for refund. Affected taxpayers include those who had tax returns due from April 15, 2020 to July 15, 2020, or from April 15, 2021 to May 17, 2021, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those due dates were postponed by Notice 2020-23 or Notice 2021-21 to July 15, 2020 or May 17, 2021, respectively.
  • Treasury Decision 9972: These final regulations amend the rules for filing certain returns and statements electronically to reflect changes made by the Taxpayer First Act of 2019 and to promote electronic filing.
  • Notice 2023-19: This notice provides guidance on the corporate bond monthly yield curve, corresponding spot segment rates and the 24-month average segment rates for February 2023. The notice also provides guidance as to interest rates on 30-year Treasury securities and 30-year Treasury weighted average rates.
  • REG 122286-18: These proposed regulations provide rules relating to the use of forfeitures in qualified retirement plans, including a deadline for the use of forfeitures in defined contribution plans, and clarify that forfeitures arising in any defined contribution plan may be used for one or more of the following purposes, as specified in the plan, to (1) pay plan administrative expenses, (2) reduce employer contributions under the plan or (3) increase benefits in other participants’ accounts in accordance with plan terms.
  • Action on Decision 2023-2: The IRS announced nonacquiescence to the US Tax Court’s decision in Complex Media, Inc. v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2021-14, that the parties’ failure to report transactions fully or consistently should not be a major factor in a decision of whether to allow a taxpayer to disavow the form of its transactions and to the standard the Court applied to allow a petitioner to disavow its form. The IRS also announced nonacquiescence to the court’s determination that the fair market value of a “Deferred Payment Right” for purposes of Section 351(b)(1) is not equal to its issue price.
  • Treasury Decision 9973: This document contains final regulations that treat members of a consolidated group as a single US shareholder in certain cases for purposes of Section 951(a)(2)(B). The final regulations affect consolidated groups that own stock of foreign corporations.

March 13, 2023: The IRS announced that Danny Werfel began work as the 50th Commissioner of the IRS. Werfel was confirmed by the US Senate on March 9, 2023, and his term will run through November 12, 2027. You can read more about his confirmation
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Weekly IRS Roundup February 6 – February 10, 2023

by | Feb 13, 2023 | , ,

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of February 6, 2023 – February 10, 2023.

February 6, 2023: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2023-6, which highlights the following:

  • Notice 2023-12: This notice provides updates on the corporate bond monthly yield curve and corresponding spot segment rates and the 24-month average segment rates for January 2023. The notice also provides guidance as to interest rates on 30-year Treasury securities and 30-year Treasury weighted average rates.
  • Notice 2023-13: This notice sets forth a proposed revenue procedure establishing the Service Industry Tip Compliance Agreement (SITCA) program. SITCA is a voluntary tip reporting program between the IRS and employers in the service industry that is designed to enhance tax compliance through the use of agreements instead of traditional audit techniques.
  • Revenue Procedure 2023-14: This guidance provides the tables of limitations on depreciation deductions for owners of passenger automobiles placed in during calendar year 2023 and the table dollar amounts that must be used to determine income inclusions by lessees of passenger automobiles with a lease term beginning in calendar year 2023.
  • Revenue Ruling 2023-3: This revenue ruling provides the applicable federal rates for federal income tax purposes for February 2023. The short-term federal interest rate is 4.47%, the mid-term is 3.82% and the long-term rate is 3.86%.

February 6, 2023: The IRS released Tax Tip 2023-14, highlighting the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which include the Right to be Informed. Taxpayers have the right to know what they need to do to comply with the tax laws.

February 6, 2023: The IRS and the US Department of the Treasury (Treasury) announced a new program for service industry tip reporting. The proposed SITCA program is designed to take advantage of advancements in point-of-sale, time and attendance systems, and electronic payment settlement methods to improve tip reporting compliance. The proposed program would also decrease taxpayer and IRS administrative burdens and provide more transparency and certainty to taxpayers.

February 6, 2023: The IRS announced special Saturday hours for the next four months at Taxpayer Assistance Centers across the country. The Saturday hours will take place on February 11, March 11, April 8 and May 13 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

February 7, 2023: The IRS released Tax Tip 2023-15, providing information to help business travelers properly claim travel business deductions.

February 8, 2023: The IRS released Announcement 2023-6, which notifies the public that it intends to issue opinion letters by February 28, 2023, for preapproved defined benefit plans that were updated for changes in plan qualification requirements and filed with the IRS during the third six-year remedial amendment cycle. This announcement also notifies the public of the date by which an adopting employer [...]

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Weekly IRS Roundup January 3 – January 6, 2023

by | Jan 9, 2023 | , ,

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of January 3, 2023 – January 6, 2023.

January 3, 2023: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2023-1, which highlights the following:

  • Revenue Procedure 2023-1: This contains the revised procedures for letter rulings and information letters issued by the different offices of the Associate Chief Counsel. This procedure also contains the revised procedures for determination letters issued by the Large Business and International (LB&I) Division, the Small Business/Self Employed Division, the Wage and Investment Division and the Tax Exempt and Government Entities (TE/GE) Division.
  • Revenue Procedure 2023-2: This procedure explains when and how an associate office within the Office of Chief Counsel provides technical advice conveyed in technical advice memoranda (TAM). It also explains the rights a taxpayer has when a field office requests a TAM.
  • Revenue Procedure 2023-3: This procedure provides a revised list of areas of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) under the jurisdiction of the Associate Chief Counsel offices of Corporate, Financial Institutions and Products, Income Tax and Accounting, Passthroughs and Special Industries, Procedure and Administration, Employee Benefits, Exempt Organizations and Employment Taxes. These relate to matters in which the IRS will not issue letter rulings or determination letters.
  • Revenue Procedure 2023-4: This document provides guidance relating to the types of advice the IRS provides to taxpayers on issues under the jurisdiction of the TE/GE Division, Employee Plans Rulings and Agreements and the procedures that apply to requests for determination letters and private letter rulings.
  • Revenue Procedure 2023-5: This provides the procedures for issuing determination letters on items under the jurisdiction of the Director, Exempt Organizations Rulings and Agreements.
  • Revenue Procedure 2023-7: This procedure provides the areas under the jurisdiction of the Associate Chief Counsel International in which rulings will not be issued.

January 3, 2023: The IRS encouraged taxpayers to review the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which may help resolve filing season questions. Each month, Tax Tips will focus on one of the 10 categories of taxpayer rights.

January 3, 2023: The IRS issued Revenue Procedure 2023-10, which prescribes the loss payment patterns for the 2022 determination year and the discount factors for the 2022 accident year for use by insurance companies in computing discounted unpaid losses under Section 846 and discounted estimated salvage recoverable under Section 832.

January 4, 2023: The IRS reminded taxpayers that final 2022 quarterly estimated tax payments are due January 17. The IRS recommends for taxpayers who earn or receive income not subject to tax withholding, such as self-employed individuals or independent contractors, to pay their taxes quarterly.

January 5, 2023: The IRS released its latest executive column in A Closer [...]

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Weekly IRS Roundup October 31 – November 4, 2022

by | Nov 7, 2022 | , , , ,

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of October 31, 2022 – November 4, 2022.

October 31, 2022: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2022-44, which highlights the following:

  • Treasury Decision 9966: These final regulations increase the renewal user fee for enrolled retirement plan agents from $67 to $140 and also increase both the enrollment and renewal of enrollment user fees for enrolled agents from $67 to $140.
  • Proposed Regulations 113068-22: These proposed regulations relate to recordkeeping and reporting requirements for the average income test for purposes of the low-income housing credit.
  • Revenue Ruling 2022-19: This revenue ruling provides a rule for valuing noncommercial flights on employer-provided aircraft, including the three Standard Industry Fare Level (SIFL) rates: the Unadjusted SIFL Rate, the SIFL Rate Adjusted for PSP Grants, and the SIFL Rate Adjusted for PSP Grants and Promissory Notes.
  • Treasury Decision 9967: This document contains final and temporary regulations, which set forth guidance on the average income test for purposes of the low-income housing credit.

October 31, 2022: The IRS released COVID Tax Tip 2022-166, announcing that more than nine million people may qualify for tax benefits they did not claim by filing a 2021 federal income tax return. Many of these people may be eligible to claim some or all of the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit, the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit, among others, which were expanded last year under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and other legislation.

November 1, 2022: The IRS released COVID Tax Tip 2022-167, alerting taxpayers in areas covered by certain Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster declarations that they may have more time to file their returns and may qualify for penalty relief under Notice 2022-36.

November 2, 2022: The IRS released COVID Tax Tip 2022-168, reminding people to review their tax withholdings to avoid tax surprises, such as a balance due or a larger-than-expected refund.

November 3, 2022: The IRS requested comments on three notices related to different aspects of extensions and enhancements of energy tax benefits in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The IRS hopes that comments will aid the agency in drafting the related guidance items. Feedback should be submitted by December 3, 2022. The notices include:

  • Notice 2022-56, which requests comments related to the qualified commercial clean vehicles provisions and the alternative fuel vehicle refueling property
  • Notice 2022-57, which requests comments related to the carbon capture tax credit
  • Notice 2022-58, which requests comments related to the tax credit for the production of clean hydrogen and the clean fuel production tax credit.

November 3, 2022: The IRS
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Senate Confirms Rettig as Next IRS Commissioner; Desmond Next?

by and | Sep 13, 2018 | , , ,

On September 12, 2018, the Senate confirmed, by a vote of 64-33, Charles P. Rettig to be Commissioner of the Internal Revenue for the term expiring November 12, 2022. We previously discussed the nomination of Mr. Rettig and his background here.

The IRS Commissioner presides over the United States’ tax system and is responsible for establishing and interpreting tax administration policy and for developing strategic issues, goal and objectives for managing and operating the IRS. This includes responsibility for overall planning, directing, controlling and evaluating IRS policies, programs, and performance. The IRS Commissioner is also required by statute under Internal Revenue Code (Code) Section 7803 to ensure that all IRS employees are familiar with and act in accord with the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

The nomination of Michael J. Desmond to be Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) remains pending in the Senate. We previously discussed the nomination of Mr. Desmond and his background here.

The IRS Chief Counsel serves as the chief legal advisor to the IRS Commissioner on all matters pertaining to the interpretation, administration, and enforcement of the Internal Revenue Code, as well as all other legal matters. Attorneys in the IRS Chief Counsel’s Office serve as lawyers for the IRS. Their role is to provide the IRS and taxpayers with guidance on interpreting Federal tax laws correctly, represent the IRS in litigation, and provide all other legal support required to carry out the IRS mission



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