The IRS frequently challenges travel expenses. These expenses have a higher substantiation requirement, which the IRS uses to disallow every expense no matter how reasonable or how certain it is that the expense was incurred. But what if it was exceedingly certain that the expense was incurred and there is a method for computing the…
Category: Tax
Tax
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Records Needed for Partial Asset Dispositions
Taxpayers often overlook “partial asset dispositions.” Their tax advisers do too. This may be due to it being a depreciation issue that seems unimportant. It may also be that the partial asset disposition is a relatively new concept. Regardless, partial asset dispositions can save taxpayers quite a bit in taxes (it is a timing issue,…
Using Warrants to Make Future Purchases of S Corporation Stock
Can you make a gift to charity but retain the right to pull back the value of the gift in the future, and still get a charitable deduction for the gift? The court said “no” in In Re Stapley, No. 09-47699 RLE (Bankr. N.D. Cali. 2019). The failed tax shelter included an S corporation whose…
Can the IRS Ignore the Legal Existence of a Corporation?
If a taxpayer forms a legal entity and it is taxed as a C corporation, can the IRS disregard the legal existence of the corporation and assess the corporation’s tax to the owner? The court addresses this in Russell v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2019-146. Facts & Procedural History The taxpayer filed his personal income tax…
The Timing Trap: Failed Installment Sales
One of the best tax planning strategies is simply to accept payment over time. This is a simple, but effective tax planning strategy as it can allow taxpayers to spread out their tax liability over time. This is possible given the installment sale rules. What happens if you sell an asset and are to receive…
M&A Finders Fee Not Deductible for Acquirer
If a company acquires another company and pays a finders fee to the party who connected the two for the sale, is the finders fee deductible by the acquirer? This question touches on whether an expense is deductible if the real benefit is to another company. The court addresses this in Plano Holding LLC v.…
Can the IRS Collect Gift Tax From Recipient After 14 Years?
If someone gives you property and then dies and more than ten years has passed since the gift, can the IRS sue you to collect the amount of the gift from you? Most would think the answer is a resounding “no,” as the recipient isn’t liable for unpaid gift taxes and the statute of limitations…
Avoiding State Income Tax on Part-Time Residents
Sometimes you can’t avoid paying state income taxes. This is true for those who have no ties to any state other than a state that has an income tax. But for those who have ties to multiple states, they can often structure their affairs to avoid the state income tax. This can be difficult to…
S Corp Conversions: Watch out for Disappearing AAA
Small and medium-sized businesses can save quite a bit in taxes by using S corporations. But with these tax savings comes complexity. This complexity comes from how S corporations flow through profit and have the profit taxed on the individual owner’s personal tax return. The rules for tracking this are, well, lacking. Accountants are often…
Final Regulations Issued: Leveraged Partnership Distributions Still Viable
The “leveraged partnership distribution” or “disguised sale” is a common tax savings technique used by real estate owners. Taxpayers pushed the envelope with these transactions by using “bottom dollar guarantees.” This led to guidance from the government making it more difficult to benefit from leveraged partnership distributions. The Treasury recently finalized regulations that say what…