Tax Administration
A Tax Executive’s Guide to Spin-offs: 10 Things You Won’t See in Section 355
Advise board and officers to be careful about certain negotiations or public statements during pendency of the spin
Behind the closed doors of a corporate boardroom somewhere in America, the directors of a publicly traded company are discussing the future of their business. For many years, the company has operated two major divisions that have gradually diverged over time. These divisions (having the remarkably original names Business A… Read more »
Data Privacy at a Crossroads
As privacy laws proliferate globally, the IRS expands its ability to seek and obtain taxpayer data
In recent years, two important legal developments have accelerated and are currently on a collision course. The first is the rapid proliferation of data-privacy laws across the globe. As explained below, these laws—such as the European Union’s recently enacted General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)—broadly prohibit unauthorized collection and transmission of… Read more »
Dealing With Significant Multiemployer Pension Plan Issues in Corporate Transactions
Withdrawal liability could be jointly and severally owed by more than one entity in a corporate chain
If your company has targeted or is targeting another entity with a unionized workforce, you should pay particular attention to associated pension obligations. In recent years, a combination of industry and economic factors has led to the massive underfunding of many multiemployer pension plans. Such underfunding can result in substantial… Read more »
Tax Internal Controls in an Era of Transparency and Disclosure
SOX404, ASC 740, and PCAOB may seem easily managed but pose significant risks if not closely monitored
To meet the demands of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, audit firms continue to increase activity related to internal controls. So, what’s the big deal? Let’s look at some numbers: tax accounting was the second leading cause of 2016 financial restatements; in 2016, ninety-eight percent of financial restatements were… Read more »
Pros and Cons of Voluntarily Disclosing Past Wrongs
To disclose or not to disclose, that is the question
Hamlet’s thoughts weighed heavily upon him. Should he suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or take arms against a sea of troubles? For the young Prince of Denmark seeking to avenge his father’s death, the choice was action or inaction, and ultimately life or death. Fortunately, most tax… Read more »
Proposed Related-Party Debt vs. Equity Regulations: Section 385 — Reactions and Practical Responses
The proposed rules ignore commercial realities, create a bias toward third-party borrowing and equity investments, and mandate significant reporting obligations — but what can taxpayers do?
The proposed regulations ignore the commercial realities of doing business in a global economy. They create a bias toward third-party borrowing and equity investments in lieu of intercompany debt. If finalized in their current form, the proposed regulations will force companies to choose inefficient mechanisms for financing their operations and… Read more »
Trends and Developments in Canadian Tax Controversy and Jurisprudence
Transfer pricing issues, increases in voluntary disclosures, and procedural disputes are among major developments, but what will happen in 2016 — and beyond?
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) continues to employ a risk-based approach when auditing large corporate taxpayers, focusing on high-risk areas such as aggressive tax avoidance and international tax planning. Information-gathering involves the use of written requests and requirement letters to routinely attempt to compel delivery of taxpayer information. However, the… Read more »
The OECD’s BEPS Final Report
Part I: Introduction and Background 15 Actions, Dozens of Questions Maybe the anticipation didn’t reach that of ardent fans waiting for the trailer to the next Star Wars movie. And maybe it didn’t rival that of passionate followers of Harry Potter breathlessly lining up at midnight to make sure they… Read more »
The Trials and Tribulations of the Family Office
Get ready to deal with the trappings of wealth and leveraging the next generation’s tax exemptions
If you’re a veteran family office adviser, you’ve spent decades working with the family’s estate-planning counsel to ensure that wealth is passed to succeeding generations as tax efficiently as possible. You faithfully oversee the implementation of annual exclusion gifts, intrafamily loans, and rolling grantor-retained annuity trust (GRAT) programs, and you… Read more »
How To Bind Without Getting in One: Avoiding Controversy Over Signature Authority Issues
It’s late in the day. After weeks of review, it’s time to file an entity classification election for an entity in your company’s structure. The election is due today. You have already carefully analyzed the ramifications of the election. Form 8832 has been drafted, reviewed, and approved. All that is… Read more »
Prepare for Public Country-by-Country Reporting With public country-by-country reporting (CbCR) on the horizon, companies with…
Question: How Can Companies Take Advantage of Digital Assets With No Tax Impact? Digital-asset-based loyalty and reward programs allow companies to create a…
The Rise of the Excise Tax In August 2022, Public Law No. 117-169—commonly called the Inflation…
Optimizing Your Tax and IT Stack Tax leaders, tax technologists, chief financial officers (CFOs), and chief…
Who Is the Customer? Compared to the complexity of cost-of-performance (COP) sourcing of services…
Navigating Tax Risk in the Modern Era: Why Tax Technology Is Essential In today’s ever-changing tax world, managing the organization’s tax risk…