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I.R.S. Adds New Issues of Focus for Cross-Border Audits

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I.R.S. Adds New Issues of Focus for Cross-Border Audits

In late 2018, LB&I announced five additional campaigns aimed at determining whether taxpayers are complying with tax rules in the following areas of the law: (i) foreign tax credits claimed by U.S. individuals, (ii) offshore service providers that assist taxpayers in creating foreign entities and tiered structures to conceal the U.S. beneficial ownership of foreign financial accounts, (iii) F.A.T.C.A. compliance by F.F.I.’s and N.F.F.E.’s, (iv) tax return compliance by foreign corporations that ignore the fact that they are engaged in a U.S. trade or business under the rules of U.S. tax law, and (v) late issuance of Work Opportunity Tax Credit (“W.O.T.C.”) certifications that result in the need to file amended tax returns and result in a misuse of I.R.S. resources when returns are filed without the W.O.T.C certifications. The move follows more than two years, of I.R.S. publications that alert the public to certain issue-based approaches being followed by examiners. Galia Antebi and Elizabeth V. Zanet summarize the new releases.

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How to Handle Dual Residents: The I.R.S. View on Treaty Tie-Breaker Rules

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How to Handle Dual Residents: The I.R.S. View on Treaty Tie-Breaker Rules

The first step in advising a foreign individual who is neither a U.S. citizen nor a green card holder on U.S. income tax laws is to determine the person's residence for income tax purposes. But what is to be done when the individual is resident in multiple jurisdictions? A recent LB&I International Practice Unit offers a quick understanding of the tax issues I.R.S. examiners raise when dealing with individuals who are dual residents for tax purposes. Virtually all income tax treaties entered into by the U.S. contain a tiebreaker rule under which the exclusive residence of an individual is determined for purposes of applying the income tax treaty. Fanny Karaman and Beate Erwin explain how these rules are applied. One point to remember is that the tiebreaker test for treaty residence purposes does not affect an individual's obligation to file an F.B.A.R. form.

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I.R.S. Announces Six Compliance Campaign

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I.R.S. Announces Six Compliance Campaign

The I.R.S. Large Business and International division ("LB&I") recently announced compliance campaigns that are principally directed at compliance in cross-border fact patterns.  Included are campaigns to address (i) non-compliance with respect to Form 3520, (ii) compliance issues related to Form 1042, (iii) nonresident, non-citizen individuals inappropriately claiming tax treaty exemptions, (iv) nonresident, non-citizen individuals inappropriately claiming itemized deductions on tax returns, and (v) inappropriate credits claimed by nonresident, non-citizen individuals. Elizabeth V. Zanet looks into the various campaigns and places into context the effect on individuals.

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Income Shifting: Common Ownership or Control Under Code §482 in an Inbound Transaction

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Income Shifting: Common Ownership or Control Under Code §482 in an Inbound Transaction

The Large Business and International Division of the I.R.S. (“LB&I”) periodically develops international practice units (“I.P.U.’s”) that serve as training material for international examiners.  In November 2017, an I.P.U. entitled “Common Ownership or Control Under IRC 482 – Inbound” was published.  On the same date, the I.R.S. issued a sister I.P.U. for outbound transactions, “Common Ownership or Control Under IRC 482 – Outbound.”  Together, they serve as a primer for determining whether sufficient control exists between two parties to bring the arm’s length transfer pricing rules of Code §482 into play.  Stanley C. Ruchelman explains how the I.R.S. trains its examiners when determining whether a transfer pricing adjustment is appropriate. 

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Foreign Tax Credits: General Principles and Audit Risks

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Foreign Tax Credits: General Principles and Audit Risks

In April, the Large Business & International Division (“LB&I”) of the I.R.S. published an International Practice Unit directed to the foreign tax credit claimed by individuals.  Tax advisers to Americans living abroad or having global investment portfolios may find that the Practice Unit indicates topics of interest for the I.R.S.  Fanny Karaman and Galia Antebi explain the concepts covered, including persons eligible to claim the credit, foreign taxes that qualify for credit, whether to deduct or credit a foreign income taxes, foreign tax credit limitations, and means of ameliorating the effect of unused credits in a particular year.

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LB&I Audit Insights: Using a Code §6038A Summons When a U.S. Corporation is 25% Foreign Owned

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LB&I Audit Insights: Using a Code §6038A Summons When a U.S. Corporation is 25% Foreign Owned

Code §6038A provides that a U.S. corporation that is 25% or more foreign-owned must provide the I.R.S. with information on certain transactions with its 25% foreign owner and any other foreign related party.  The goal is to obtain access to documents that are helpful in determining the correctness of the U.S. tax return.  In an I.P.U., LB&I explains how it plans to obtain documents held outside the U.S.  This may include a requested exchange under a tax information exchange agreement or a summons served on a domestic agent appointed to receive a summons that is enforceable abroad.  Galia Antebi and Stanley C. Ruchelman explain the process that will be followed by the I.R.S.

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I.R.S. LB&I Announces 13 New “Campaigns” for Audit Guidance

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I.R.S. LB&I Announces 13 New “Campaigns” for Audit Guidance

The I.R.S. Large Business and International (“LB&I”) Division has announced 13 issue-based campaigns targeting specific “Practice Areas” for audit and other enforcement activity.  The campaigns involve a combination of examinations, outreach, guidance, and other approaches.  Galia Antebi and Stanley C. Ruchelman look at the new I.R.S. approach to tax examinations in an age of increased complexity and limited budgets for examiners.

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International Practice Unit: I.R.S. Releases Subpart F Sales and Manufacturing Rules

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Beate Erwin, Kenneth Lobo, and Stanley C. Ruchelman explain how the branch rule works when a C.F.C. operates a manufacturing or selling branch in another country. While the concept is easy to explain, the computations are somewhat confusing. The article explains all.

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International Practice Unit: What the I.R.S. Looks for When Deciding if a U.S. Shareholder Has an Interest in a C.F.C.

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Rusudan Shervashidze and Stanley C. Ruchelman explain the tests the I.R.S. applies to determine whether a foreign corporation is a C.F.C. and a U.S. person is a “U.S. Shareholder” potentially subject to tax under Subpart F. They explain the tax forms that examiners are encouraged to look for and the telltale signs of direct, indirect, and constructive ownership of shares by U.S. persons.

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International Practice Unit: License of Intangible Property from U.S. Parent to a Foreign Subsidiary

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Christine Long explains how I.R.S. examiners are encouraged to determine whether foreign subsidiaries are paying fair compensation for using I.P. owned by U.S. parent companies.

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International Practice Unit: Monetary Penalties for Failure to File Form 5471

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The I.R.S. has initiated increased enforcement efforts to ensure compliance with information reporting obligations. Such efforts include increased assessment of penalties. Galia Antebi explains.

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International Practice Unit: Deemed Annual Royalty Income Under Code §367(d)

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Christine Long delves into the world of I.P. contributions to foreign subsidiaries. She explains how Code §367(d) works and how the regulations have been revised recently to attack goodwill and going concern contributions.

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Taxpayers Take Note: I.R.S. Publishes Audit Guides for International Examiners

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U.S.-based companies facing an I.R.S. examination of international operations may secretly wish to obtain an advance look at how I.R.S. examiners plan to carry out the examination. After all, what better way to prepare for a test than to get the questions in advance? Surprise – the Large Business & International (LB&I) Division of the I.R.S. has published its training guides for examiners.

LB&I is responsible for examining tax returns reporting international transactions, and it is in the process of revising the method by which returns are chosen for examination and the the process by which those examinations are conducted. Several aspects of the guidance will be addressed through out this edition of Insights. Stanley C. Ruchelman explains.

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New Centralized Approach to International Audits

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Federal budget cuts have resulted in a new risk-based approach to international audits by the Large Business & International (“L.B.&I.”) division of the I.R.S.

On February 27, Sharon Porter, acting director of International Business Compliance within the L.B.&I., announced that the I.R.S. will “re-engineer” its approach to international audits and begin implementing a pilot program utilizing an experimental centralized method of risk assessment.