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… Read More
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… Read More
The Broad Reach of the Economic Substance Doctrine
Congress provides tax incentives to change taxpayer behavior. If a taxpayer changes their behavior to take advantage of the incentive, they have to do so carefully. The IRS and the courts can apply the economic substance doctrine to take away… Read More
Documenting the Sec. 199a Rental Real Estate Safe Harbor
We have previously considered the “trade or business” requirement for the Section 199a deduction. The government recently issued guidance to clarify when rental real estate activities can qualify for the deduction. While the guidance is needed, it adopts a record… Read More
Avoiding Hobby Loss Limits for Long-Term Projects
Long-term projects often lose money. They often do so for several years. This is the result of a project that needs capital to build infrastructure or to develop a new market or to capture market share. Taxpayers may be disappointed… Read More
Bad Debt Deduction for Real Estate Lender for Non-Real Estate Loan
If a taxpayer regularly makes real estate loans from their personal accounts, they would be entitled to a bad debt deduction for loans that are not repaid. But what if they venture beyond real estate loans and make a single… Read More
Court Addresses Tax Losses from Short-Term Rentals
Short-term rental properties are more popular than ever. Online services like Airbnb have made this possible. But how are tax losses from short-term rentals handled? Can the taxpayer use the rental losses to offset their non-rental income for tax purposes?… Read More