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Global Exchange of Information: How Does the U.S. Fit into the Puzzle? Meet the U.S. Foreign Trust

Global Exchange of Information: How Does the U.S. Fit into the Puzzle? Meet the U.S. Foreign Trust

In the context of a model 1 I.G.A. under F.A.T.C.A., the U.S. undertakes certain reciprocal information exchanges.  But reciprocal may not mean equal.  This produces interesting results when a U.S. foreign trust is formed by a foreign individual.  Galia Antebi and Nina Krauthamer compare C.R.S. reporting and F.A.T.C.A. reporting in the context of a U.S. foreign trust that invests in U.S. assets producing tax-free income for a foreign investor.

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O.E.C.D. Reaction to Research Tax Incentives – Acceptance with a Limitation Blocking Mobility

Notwithstanding the war on State Aid within the E.U., the O.E.C.D. issued a Working Paper recognizing that the encouragement of R&D is an essential part of the development, innovation, and growth of an economy and that carefully tying incentives to the performance of R&D locally is not abusive.  Philip R. Hirschfeld and Galia Antebi explain.

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Insights Vol. 3 No. 8: Updates & Other Tidbits

Fanny Karaman, Galia Antebi, and Nina Krauthamer address recent developments involving (i) the U.S. Treasury Department’s Priority Guidance Plan in the international arena, (ii) the negotiation of a new income tax treaty between the U.S. and Ireland, and (iii) a recently discovered abuse when a disregarded L.L.C. owned by a single foreign member sells U.S. real estate.

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Projected Tax Expense – Can It Be Computed on the Back of Envelope?

Tax advisers are often asked to project tax expense arising from an anticipated transaction by multiplying book income by the statutory tax rate.  This seems like an easy task, but a reliable answer is anything but straightforward, as more jurisdictions enact alternative minimum tax (“A.M.T.”) regimes to protect the tax base.  Galia Antebi, Kenneth Lobo, and Stanley C. Ruchelman explain how the A.M.T. works in the U.S. and how a comparable tax in Puerto Rico lead to a proposed 132% effective tax rate.

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Insights Vol. 3 No. 7: Updates & Other Tidbits

This month, “Tidbits” explores the following developments: (i) the extension of FinCEN reporting requirements by title companies involved in all-cash real estate transactions; (ii) a European Commission decision calling for Spain to recover over €30 million from seven Spanish soccer clubs that unlawfully received State Aid; (iii) other tax breaks involving Spain that are under consideration by the E.C.J. that could affect State Aid cases against U.S.-based companies; and (iv) new rules regarding the need to refresh I.T.I.N.’s issued to nonresident, non-citizen individuals.  Kenneth Lobo, Fanny Karaman, and Galia Antebi discuss these developments.

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Alternative Basis Recovery Methods for Contingent Payment Sales

Basis recovery is important when a taxpayer sells property and recognizes gain over a period of time, or when a taxpayer acquires property – other than inventory that is used in a trade or business – and wishes to depreciate or amortize the cost of the property over its useful life.  When a selling price is contingent on future events, it is possible for income recognition – but not basis recovery – to be frontloaded, resulting in an expensive mismatch in the computation of income.  Galia Antebi explains how matching of basis recovery and income recognition may be achieved in various fact patterns.

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Income Tax Treaties v. Domestic Law: An International Look at the Current Score

Ask most tax advisers outside the U.S. about the way to resolve a conflict between the provisions of an income tax treaty and domestic law, and the almost universal view is to look to the treaty for resolution.  However, in some countries, an income tax treaty is not the last word in resolving conflicts.  In the U.S., the saving clause of a treaty preserves the supremacy of U.S. domestic tax rules as they affect U.S. citizens and residents, as defined in the treaty.  In Brazil, a presidential decree may govern the outcome.  And in India, a domestic tax provision may be crafted in such a way as to circumvent a treaty by altering the identity of the technical taxpayer.  Elizabeth V. Zanet, Galia Antebi, and Neha Rastogi examine ways in which those three countries directly or indirectly override treaty provisions that are deemed domestically undesirable.

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U.S. Immigration Tax Planning – Covered Expatriates

Published in Taxes & Wealth Management by Thomson Reuters, Issue 9-1: February 2016. (p.14)

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Insights Vol. 3 No. 4: F.A.T.C.A. 24/7

This month, Galia Antebi and Philip R. Hirschfeld discuss (i) the growing list of countries with which the I.R.S. will exchange F.A.T.C.A. information, (ii) the litigation in Canada attempting to block F.A.T.C.A. exchanges with U.S., (iii) recent developments in acceptably encryption for F.A.T.C.A. exchanges, (iv) additional competent authority agreements, and (iv) an updated list of I.G.A. partner countries.

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Foreign Owned, Single-Member L.L.C.’s: Proposed Regulations Imminent?

The offshore community often accuses the I.R.S. of having insufficient U.B.O. reporting for offshore companies forming single-member L.L.C.’s that serve as U.S. fronts for global business. The L.L.C. conducts business, but the I.R.S. treats the taxpayer as foreign. If no effectively connected income is generated, no U.S. tax returns are filed.  The I.R.S. announced that information reporting will be required, much like partnership reporting by U.S. partnerships not having U.S. members or U.S. effectively connected income. Galia Antebi and Rusudan Shervashidze explain.

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Insights Vol. 3 No. 3: F.A.T.C.A. 24/7

This month, Galia Antebi and Philip R. Hirschfeld discuss (i) changes to F.A.T.C.A. regulations designed to ease burdens on F.F.I.’s; (ii) continued I.R.S. interest in public comments; (iii) finalization of domestic entity reporting regulations under Code §6038D; (iv) an exemption from F.A.T.C.A. for a Swiss attorney’s confidential client escrow accounts; (v) competent authority agreements that have been reached with Brazil, Colombia, and Italy; and (vi) an updated list of I.G.A. partner countries.

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2016 Model Treaty – Limitation on Benefits Revisions

On February 17, 2016, the Treasury Department released its 2016 Model Treaty. The model serves as the baseline from which the U.S. initiates treaty negotiations. Various provisions are discussed in detail in this month’s Insights.

Those who thought that the limitation on benefits (“L.O.B.”) provision under the U.S.-Netherlands Income Tax Treaty was complex will find that the level of complexity in the 2016 Model Treaty has been raised several levels. Some taxpayers will be losers and others will be winners. Philip R. Hirschfeld and Galia Antebi explain how the revised provision will work.

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3M Case to Test “Foreign Legal Restrictions” Regulations Under Code §482

Who knows best, the I.R.S. or the U.S. Supreme Court? Refusing to give up on its position that Code §482 trumps a foreign law that caps amounts used in related-party transactions, the I.R.S. is challenging 3M, a corporation that is acting in compliance with Brazilian law. Elizabeth V. Zanet and Galia Antebi delve into a legal issue that most adviser though was settled years ago by the U.S. Supreme Court.

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

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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Insights Vol. 3 No. 1: Updates & Other Tidbits

This month, Insights discusses recent events including a Beanie Baby billionaire’s light sentence; a tax reform report by the European Parliament addressing tax rulings, a common consolidated corporate tax base, a crackdown on tax havens, whistle-blower protection, public access to country-by-country (CbC) reports, and a lower threshold to approve E.U. tax legislation; a House Ways and Means Committee action in regard to B.E.P.S., E.U. investigations on State Aid, patent box regimes, and inversions; identity theft risk in I.R.S. proposed regulations regarding charitable deductions; and allowance of accounting non-conformity for foreign-based groups that do not adopt L.I.F.O. accounting when that method is adopted by a U.S. member.

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Insights Vol. 3 No. 1: F.A.T.C.A. 24/7

This month, recent developments in F.A.T.C.A. include the D.O.J.’s Swiss bank deferred prosecution program; new instructions for Form 8966, F.A.T.C.A. Report; six new YouTube videos regarding the Online Registration System; extension of time to file F.A.T.C.A. Reports; upgrade to F.F.I. lists, the current I.G.A. partner countries, and more.

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Insights Vol. 2 No. 10: F.A.T.C.A. 24/7

Recent developments in the F.A.T.C.A. practice include upgrades to the online registration system, a flurry of competent authority arrangements signed with other countries, F.A.T.C.A. guidance issued by the Turks and Caicos Islands, new authorizing statutes in Russia and Georgia, an implementing memorandum in Germany, an I.G.A. with Angola, updated F.A.Q.’s, and a list of Model 1 and Model 2 I.G.A. partner countries.

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The Transparent World: Exchange of Information Has Begun & Pacts to Assist Implementation Have Been Signed

Despite efforts to repeal F.A.T.C.A. in the U.S. and opposition from abroad, it appears that F.A.T.C.A. is here to stay. Galia Antebi and Philip R. Hirschfeld address the recent September 30 milestone and the advent of exchanges of financial account information with tax administrations of I.G.A. partner jurisdictions.

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Insights Vol. 2 No. 8: F.A.T.C.A. 24/7

This month, Philip R. Hirschfeld and Galia Antebi report on Republican-led efforts to curtail F.A.T.C.A., new F.A.Q.’s released by the U.S. and Mauritius, publication of the St. Kitts and Nevis I.G.A., updated foreign account reporting procedures, and much more.

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Insights Vol. 2 No. 7: F.A.T.C.A. 24/7

July and August were busy months for F.A.T.C.A. developments. We explain the highlights:  The I.R.S. notified countries with early I.G.A.’s that more favorable provisions are available, but the notice may escalate the on-boarding controversy with Canada and the U.K.  The Common Reporting Standard (C.R.S.) is moving forward – either with or without U.S. participation – and global F.I.’s must adjust reporting systems.  Iceland and the United Arab Emirates publish F.A.T.C.A. guidance.  Belarus ratified the I.G.A. with the U.S. Italy published an implementation decree for exchange of information. Turkey and Slovakia signed Model 1 I.G.A.‘s. Mauritius and Luxembourg extend local F.A.T.C.A. reporting deadlines.

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