There are some circumstances where information has to be reported to the IRS, even though the information does not trigger a tax. But the potential problem can be that the information reporting triggers an IRS audit or other consequences. The Form 1099-C, Cancellation of Debt, form can have this effect. In PLR 201927005 the IRS…
Category: Tax
Tax
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Voluntary Sale In Advance of Forced Auction an Involuntary Conversion?
A taxpayer can generally avoid paying income tax on gain from the sale of property if the sale is an involuntary conversion. This typically involves a government act that takes or destroys the taxpayer’s property. There are a number of different types of property and takings that can qualify? But what about a local TV…
Recouping Tax on Marital Wages Repaid to Employer After Divorce
If a couple files a joint return and pays tax on the income they earn, but after they divorce it turns out that one of the spouses has to repay monies received in error, can the other spouse recoup their portion of the prior tax paid on the income? The claim of right doctrine may…
Does an Author Pay Self-Employment Tax on Royalties?
Taxpayers are free to structure payments for services rather than for something other than services. This can save self-employment taxes. But can a taxpayer carve out part of their service income by asserting that some part of the income is not from a business? The Slaughter v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2019-65, case addresses this in…
Can LLC Use Crewman’s Exemption for Employment Taxes?
This is a question about international tax laws. Can a U.S. citizen who owns and operates a vessel outside of the U.S. avoid paying U.S. employment taxes for its crewmen by using a foreign legal entity? The court considered this issue in DAF Charters LLC v. Commissioner, 152 T.C. 14, for a single-member LLC formed…
Non-Taxable Subsidy or Taxable Benefit?
Some payments are not subject to Federal income tax. State subsidies are an example. But what is the difference between a non-taxable subsidy and a taxable benefit? The court addresses this in Ginsberg v. United States, No. 2018-1788 (Fed. Cir. 2019), in the context of the New York state brownfield tax credit. Facts & Procedural…
IRS Not Limited in Collecting Restitution Assessments
The IRS is authorized to assess criminal restitution for certain tax crimes. This process allows the IRS to collect the criminal restitution as if it was a tax. The law authorizing these collections is relatively new and evolving. The recent Carpenter v. United States, 152 T.C. 12, case highlights why it is important for those…
Can Gambling Losses be Deducted as Casualty Losses?
If a taxpayer cannot deduct gambling losses given the restrictions on gambling losses, can they deduct them as casualty losses instead? What if the gambling loss are attributable to prescription medications known to cause compulsive gambling? The court addresses this in Mancini v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2019-16. Facts & Procedural History The taxpayer diagnosed with…
The Sec. 179D Government-Owned Building Allocation
Section 179D provides an incentive for building owners to install energy-efficient systems. The IRS released CCA 2018-005, which addresses one of the controversial aspects of Sec. 179D–namely, the ability for government building owners to allocate the deduction to the designer of the energy-efficient property. About Section 179D Section 179D was enacted in 2005, as part…
How to Allocate Tax Basis for Real Estate
If you sell real estate, you pay tax on the gain. Gain is the product of the sales price less tax basis. Tax basis in turn is the amount invested in the property. But how do you calculate and then prove tax basis for buildings located on the property when you sell some but keep…