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Swiss Corporate Tax Reform Postponed

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Swiss Corporate Tax Reform Postponed

Through the first ten days of February, Swiss tax advisers were contemplating life after the adoption of the Corporate Tax Reform III (“C.T.R. III”). Then, the bottom dropped out from under their feet as Swiss voters defeated the tax reform package by an almost 60-40 majority.  Peter von Burg and Dr. Natalie Peter of Staiger Attorneys at Law in Zurich explain the benefits that were contemplated under C.T.R. III and ponder about what will be adopted in its place.  Switzerland must act promptly to cobble together a replacement package that will appease opponents of C.T.R. III and meet the deadline under its agreement with the E.U. for eliminating existing special benefits allowed to base companies. How much of C.T.R. III can be salvaged?

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§338(g) Election in the Cross-Border Context: I.R.S. Targets Foreign Tax Credit Enhancer

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§338(g) Election in the Cross-Border Context: I.R.S. Targets Foreign Tax Credit Enhancer

Code §338(g) allows a taxpayer to elect to treat certain share purchases as if the transactions were asset purchases.  As a result, the premium paid for the shares can be pushed down to increase the basis in operating assets of the acquired company.  The step-up in depreciable basis results in steeper depreciation and amortization deductions for U.S. tax purposes.  Because a comparable tax benefit is not obtained in the jurisdiction where the target operates, the Code §338(g) treatment magnifies the effective tax rate in the foreign country when looked at from a U.S. tax viewpoint.  This creates mountains of excess foreign tax credits that can be used to reduce U.S. tax on other items of foreign-source income, provided those items are subject to little or no foreign tax and fall within the same foreign tax credit limitation basket.  A similar result can be achieved through a check-the-box election, which acts as a poor man’s Code §338(g) election.  Code §901(m) attempts to disallow the enhanced level of the foreign tax credit, and the I.R.S. recently issued temporary and proposed regulations.  Rusudan Shervashidze and Stanley C. Ruchelman explain the labyrinth of rules.

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India – Guidelines Issued for Determining Place of Effective Management

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India – Guidelines Issued for Determining Place of Effective Management

In Circular No. 6/2017, dated January 24, 2017, the Central Board of Direct Taxes issued final guidelines regarding the factors that will be looked to under Indian income tax treaties when determining the place of effective management (“P.O.E.M.”) of a foreign company that is part of an Indian-based group.  Almost as important as the substantive rules, the Circular establishes the procedure that must be followed before a tax officer may determine that the P.O.E.M. of a foreign company is in India.  There are winners and there are losers in the Circular.  Ashutosh Dixit, Parul Jain, and Kaushik Saranjame of BMR & Associates L.L.P. explain the new rules.

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Debt v. Equity: Judicial Factors Still Applicable Post-§385 Regulations

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Debt v. Equity: Judicial Factors Still Applicable Post-§385 Regulations

The last quarter of 2016 saw the introduction of final regulations establishing benchmarks for treating a debt instrument as true debt for U.S. income tax purposes.  These regulations apply to companies over a certain size issuing debt instruments exceeding $50 million.  Debt issued by owner-managed companies are not covered by the regulations and, as a result, tests established by case law will continue to apply.  Galia Antebi and Kenneth Lobo look at a relatively recent case, Sensenig v. Commr., in which the standard tests were applied – the equivalent of comfort food for tax lawyers.

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Accumulated Earnings Tax Will Hit Taxpayers, Despite Lack of Liquidity or Control

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Accumulated Earnings Tax Will Hit Taxpayers, Despite Lack of Liquidity or Control

Even absent a distribution, shareholders of U.S. corporations may, under certain circumstances, be subject to a second layer of tax: the accumulated earnings tax (“A.E.T.”).  The tax is imposed on the accumulation of earnings beyond the reasonable needs of the business.  Although rarely imposed on well-advised taxpayers, the A.E.T. could become increasingly important if the tax rate disparity between the corporate and individual income taxes increases under proposals put forth by the current administration.  Fanny Karaman and Beate Erwin look at a recent Chief Counsel Advice Memorandum where the absence of liquidity within the corporation was found to be an irrelevant factor in determining that earnings were unreasonably accumulated by the corporate taxpayer.

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Insights Vol. 4 No. 1: Updates & Other Tidbits

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This month, we look briefly at several timely issues, including (i) the termination of foreign acceptance agent agreements used to confirm copies of passports outside the U.S. when a non-U.S. individual obtains an I.T.I.N., (ii) a court order in Canada upholding a demand for disclosure of client names and documentation relating to participation in a discredited tax shelter, (iii) E.U. steps that identify potentially blacklisted low-tax or no-tax countries, and (iv) worsening relations between the U.S. and the E.U. stemming from widening differences in tax policies.

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Corporate Matters: Joint Venture Considerations

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The term “joint venture” is more a term of art than a legal concept.  Joint ventures have been described by the courts as an association of two or more persons, in the nature of a partnership, to carry on a business enterprise for profit.  Simon H. Prisk examines the decision points faced when drafting a joint venture agreement. 

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New Regulations Imminent for Triangular Reorganizations and Inbound Nonrecognition Transactions

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In Notice 2016-73, the I.R.S. announced that it intends to issue regulations preventing certain taxpayer abuses incident to triangular reorganizations involving foreign corporations.  These are transactions in which a subsidiary is the acquisition vehicle and the shares used to acquire the target are shares of the parent company, hence the reference to a triangle.  The Notice is another step in the saga of “Killer B” reorganizations in which U.S. corporations attempt to take cash out of foreign subsidiaries without paying significant U.S. tax.  Transactions occurring in the past two years have been found to be abusive because they apply recently issued regulations in a way that was not intended at the time of publication.  Fanny Karaman and Stanley C. Ruchelman explain the approach enunciated in the Notice.

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S.T.A.R.S. Transactions – Jury Is In, Foreign Tax Credit Disallowed

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S.T.A.R.S. Transactions – Jury Is In, Foreign Tax Credit Disallowed

As a litigation strategy, a large corporation that is important to a community may decide that it is better to pay the tax and demand a jury trial in U.S. District Court as part of its claim for refund, rather than to defer payment while it argues the case before the Tax Court. The basic theory is that the jury will not be sympathetic towards the I.R.S. In a recent jury trial involving Wells Fargo, it found that the strategy did not work when the issue involved a tax shelter knows as a S.T.A.R.S. (structured trust advantaged repackaged securities) transaction. Rusudan Shervashidze and Galia Antebi explain.

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Transfer Pricing Adjustment Does Not Reduce Dividend Received Deduction from C.F.C.

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When the I.R.S. successfully maintains an adjustment to transfer pricing within an intercompany group, taxable income is increased to one participant but cash remains at the level that existed at year-end prior to the I.R.S. adjustment.  To avoid a second tax adjustment, the party with excessive cash – as determined after the I.R.S. adjustment – may be treated as if it incurred an account payable, which can be repaid free of additional tax.  In Analog Devices, the I.R.S. attempted to argue that the account payable of the C.F.C. should be treated as an actual borrowing.  The effect of an actual borrowing limited the favorable tax treatment under Code §965.  That provision temporarily allowed an 85% dividends received deduction for a U.S. corporation receiving a dividend from a controlled foreign corporation.  The Tax Court disagreed with the I.R.S. position. Kenneth Lobo and Beate Erwin explain.

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Foreign Charities active in the U.S. – Public? Or Private Foundations?

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Foreign nonprofit organizations have become more active in the U.S. in carrying out their charitable mandates.  Such activities include performances in the U.S. by foreign artistic companies and the use by U.S. charities of technology and know-how developed by foreign charities.  Fees earned by foreign charities could be subject to U.S. income or withholding taxes, but those taxes can be reduced or eliminated if specific procedures are followed. Much will depend on the status of organization as a “public charity” or a “private foundation,” terms that make reference to the organization’s funding sources.  Nina Krauthamer and Galia Antebi explain the U.S. rules that are applicable.

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New Zealand Foreign Trust Disclosure Regime

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In April 2016, the New Zealand government convened an independent inquiry into the use of New Zealand foreign trusts.  Following this inquiry, a new foreign trust disclosure regime was proposed to obtain information on ultimate beneficial ownership.  Heather Howell, who heads the office of Trident Trust Group in Auckland, New Zealand, explains.

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Looking to the Future: European Efforts Against Tax Evasion Take Center Stage – Where Will It Take Us?

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A globalized economy has been the driving force behind cross-border tax transparency and increased dissemination of tax information in recent years.  The importance of F.A.T.C.A. reporting has paled as the O.E.C.D. Common Reporting Standard has taken effect in the E.U., State Aid cases are progressing, and country-by-country reports may be publicly available.  Europe and the U.S. are moving in different directions.  Philip R. Hirschfeld and Stanley C. Ruchelman explain.

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Trump and the Republican-Led Congress Seek Overhaul of International Tax Rules

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Trump and the Republican-Led Congress Seek Overhaul of International Tax Rules

Elizabeth V. Zanet and Beate Erwin compare the proposals that comprise the Trump tax plan and the House Republican Tax Reform Blueprint, which will be submitted to Congress as part of a massive overhaul of U.S. tax law.  Tax rates for individuals and corporations would likely be lowered, the standard deduction would be increased, and capital gains tax rates would remain at the same level.  The net investment income tax would be repealed.  The estate tax and generation skipping tax would be repealed.  The gift tax would remain.  Other provisions are discussed, also.

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Income Taxation of Trusts in Belgium

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Income Taxation of Trusts in Belgium

How are foreign trusts, Belgian beneficiaries, and Belgian settlors taxed in Belgium when Belgian law civil law generally does not recognize the existence of trusts? Depending on facts and circumstances, the so-called Cayman Tax Law will tax either the settlor or the beneficiary.  Gerd D. Goyvaerts of Tiberghien, Brussels explains.

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News on the French Front: Tax Law Changes for Corporations and Individuals

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News on the French Front: Tax Law Changes for Corporations and Individuals

In France, the enactment of new tax law provisions requires a multi-faceted procedure involving many steps carried out by the government, two houses of parliament, specialized committees, a conference of both houses of parliament, and a review by the French Constitutional Court.  Once the full procedure is completed, the new law may be effective retroactively.  Many changes in tax law were made in 2016, including the adoption of employee withholding tax, changes to the free share regime, a reduction to the corporate tax rate, extension of exemptions to the corporate tax on the payment of dividends, and the parent-subsidiary regime.  Fanny Karaman and Astrid Champion discuss these and other changes.

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U.K. Criminal Penalties for Improper Tax Planning – Could You Be Effected?

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U.K. Criminal Penalties for Improper Tax Planning – Could You Be Effected?

New powers have been given to H.M.R.C. in recent legislation, and new criminal and civil penalties have been enacted as part of a massive legislative program designed to stop U.K. residents from participating in offshore tax avoidance and evasion schemes.  Several criminal penalties are directed to advisory firms that facilitated tax offenses.  In certain circumstances, advisory firms based outside the U.K. will be at risk of prosecution.  Gary Ashford of Harbottle and Lewis L.L.P., London, and Stanley C. Ruchelman examine the new provisions.

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The Resurrection of Code §385: Treasury Department Revises Regulations on Related-Party Debt

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The Resurrection of Code §385: Treasury Department Revises Regulations on Related-Party Debt

In 2016, the U.S. Treasury Department resurrected an area of the tax law that lay dormant for almost 40 years – the debt-equity regulations under Code §385. As we reminisce on the best of 2016, we offer detailed analysis of the new tax treatment adopted under Code §385. These comprehensive and detailed regulations address whether a debt instrument will be treated as true debt for U.S. income tax purposes or re-characterized, in whole or in part, as equity. 

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European State Aid: The Makings of A Global Trade War

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European State Aid: The Makings of A Global Trade War

This month, we reminisce on the best of 2016, with articles on the brewing transatlantic trade war disguised as European Commission attacks on illegal State Aid given to U.S.-based groups.

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The 2016 U.S. Model Income Tax Treaty

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The 2016 U.S. Model Income Tax Treaty

On February 17, 2016, the U.S. Treasury Department released its 2016 Model Treaty. This month, as we reminisce on the best of 2016, we review significant revisions to the baseline text from which the U.S. initiates treaty negotiations.

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