May 09, 2018

Insights Vol. 5 No. 4: Updates & Other Tidbits

May 09, 2018/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

This month, Tomi Oguntunde and Nina Krauthamer look briefly at several recent developments in international tax: (i) the Financial Accounting Standards Board continues to study the effect of the recent tax reform legislation on quarterly and annual reports, (ii) winners and losers under the recent tax reform legislation, and (iii) South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., a case involving the right of a state to impose an obligation on out-of-state internet retailers who maintain a “digital presence” in the state through internet sales.

May 09, 2018

I.R.S. Notice 2018-28 Announces Code §163(j) Regulations on Interest Payment Deductions

May 09, 2018/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

Prior to recent tax reform legislation, Code §163(j) was an earnings stripping provision that placed a cap on interest expense deductions on debt instruments held or guaranteed by foreign related persons that were not subject to full 30% withholding tax on U.S.-source interest income or guarantee fees. Under the T.C.J.A., Code §163(j) is now simply a cap on all business interest expense. Notice 2018-28 addresses open matters arising from the change. This includes the carryover of disallowed interest from prior years to 2018, the Super-Affiliation Rules under the new law, and the loss of excess limitation carryforwards. Elizabeth V. Zanet and Beate Erwin explain these and other items in the Notice.

May 09, 2018

Code §962 Election Offers Benefits Under U.S. Tax Reform

May 09, 2018/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

Two provisions in the recent tax reform legislation – Code §§965 (transition tax) and 250 (50% deduction for G.I.L.T.I.) – focus on C.F.C.’s and their U.S. Shareholders. In each case, corporate U.S. Shareholders are entitled to a deduction that is not granted to an individual with regard to income that is taxed under Subpart F. However, Code §962 may allow an individual who is a U.S. Shareholder of a C.F.C. to elect to be taxed on the Subpart F Income as if a corporation. This allows for tax at a lower rate and a foreign tax credit for corporate income taxes paid by the C.F.C. Elizabeth V. Zanet and Galia Antebi explain the workings of Code §962 and focus on the position of naysayers who caution that it may not provide the relief it appears to provide.

April 01, 2018

New York Resisting S.A.L.T. Cap Under Federal Tax Reform

April 01, 2018/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

When the T.C.J.A. capped the deduction for state and local income and property taxes at $10,000 – more tax can be paid, but only $10,000 can be deducted – state governments did not take the provision lightly. One proposal that has gained traction in Albany and other state capitals involves creating charitable funds that would raise voluntary capital for specific governmental purposes. The goal is for taxpayers to claim the charitable contributions as a deduction for Federal tax purposes and, at the same time, benefitting from a substantial credit against their state income tax liabilities. Another, less contentious proposal would utilize employer-side payroll taxes to offer employees a credit against state and local taxes. Nina Krauthamer, Elizabeth V. Zanet, and Sheryl Shah assess the viability of these proposals and the likely impact of tax reform on New York State. Opinions are not consistent. Stay tuned.

April 01, 2018

Investing in U.S. Real Estate on a (Possibly) Tax-Free Basis

April 01, 2018/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

A Real Estate Investment Trust, or R.E.I.T., is a popular type of investment vehicle. A R.E.I.T. is an entity that generally owns and typically operates a pool of income-producing real estate properties, including mortgages. Its investors generally look to a return on investment in two forms: (i) distributions from the R.E.I.T. and (ii) dispositions of the R.E.I.T. stock. If certain facts exist, U.S. tax law offers foreign investors a completely tax-free avenue to invest in a R.E.I.T. Galia Antebi and Neha Rastogi explain the ins and outs of tax-free treatment for the foreign investor.

February 28, 2018

Qualified Business Income - Are You Eligible for a 20% Deduction?

February 28, 2018/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

Have you ever been asked to define the undefinable? At first glance, the new 20% Q.B.I. deduction – a reduced tax rate for the self-employed and partnerships introduced by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“T.C.J.A.”) – seems to be just that: a maze in which the general rule is modified in hidden ways through subdivisions of subsections and in definitions that have substantive effect. In their article, Stanley C. Ruchelman and Fanny Karaman logically guide the reader in detail and with illustrations.

February 28, 2018

Non-Corporate Taxation: Individuals & Partnerships Face Highs & Lows Under the T.C.J.A.

February 28, 2018/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

Most cross-border tax advisers with clients that are impacted by the T.C.J.A. focus on the principal items, such as B.E.A.T., G.I.L.T.I., and the like. However, the act contains many additional provisions that can affect the non-corporate cross-border investor. Taxes have been reduced, a holding period for capital gains treatment now applies to carried interests, the scope of like-kind exchanges has been limited, and the tax treatment of alimony payments has been changed. These are just a few of the items addressed by Sheryl Shah.

February 28, 2018

B.E.A.T.-ing Base Erosion: U.S. Subjects Large Corporations to Anti-Abuse Tax

February 28, 2018/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

Cross-border payments to related parties have been an arrow in the quiver of cross-border tax planners since the time that income tax and global trade first intersected. The new Code §59A introduces the Base Erosion and Anti-Abuse Tax (“B.E.A.T.”) on large corporations that significantly reduce their U.S. tax liability through the use of cross-border payments to related persons. It is structured as another form of the now-repealed corporate Alternative Minimum Tax rather than a disallowance of a deduction in computing regular taxable income. Banks that have significant interest payments and U.S. companies that pay significant royalties for trademarks, copyrights, and know-how are the targets of the tax to the extent full 30% withholding tax is not imposed. Galia Antebi and Sheryl Shah explain how the tax is computed. Is this another step towards a global trade war?

February 07, 2018

Reform of the U.S. Tax Regime – The Swiss Perspective→

February 07, 2018/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

Published by Prager Dreifuss, Tax Newsletter (February 2018).

January 26, 2018

New U.S. Tax Law Adopts Provisions to Prevent Base Erosion

January 26, 2018/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

Following the lead of the O.E.C.D. and the European Commission (“E.C.”), the T.C.J.A. adopts several provisions designed to end tax planning opportunities. In some instances, the new provisions closely follow their foreign counterparts. In others, the provisions that are specific to U.S. tax law. Among these changes are (i) the introduction of the G.I.L.T.I. minimum tax on the use of foreign intangible property by C.F.C.’s, (ii) the total revamp of Code §163(j) so that it reflects an interest ceiling rather than an earnings stripping provision, (iii) the restriction of tax benefits derived from the use of hybrid entities and transactions, (iv) the broadened scope of Subpart F through definitional changes, (v) legislative reversals of judicial decisions in which I.R.S. positions in transfer pricing matters were successfully challenged, and (vi) legislative reversals of a judicial decision invalidating Rev. Rul. 91-32 regarding the sale of partnership interests by foreign partner. Sheryl Shah and Stanley C. Ruchelman discuss these provisions and place them in context.

January 26, 2018

Modifications to the Foreign Tax Credit System Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

January 26, 2018/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

The T.C.J.A. introduces new concepts in foreign tax credit planning and eliminates others. Gone are the pool of post-1986 earnings & profits and deemed-paid foreign tax credits for intercompany dividends. In their place is a dividends received deduction. Allocations of interest expense between foreign-source income and domestic income now must be based on tax book value. Entities that manufacture in one jurisdiction and sell in another will find that the source of income is controlled only by production activities. Neha Rastogi and Stanley C. Ruchelman explain.

January 26, 2018

Impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on U.S. Investors in Foreign Corporations

January 26, 2018/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

International tax planning in the U.S. has been turned on its head by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“T.C.J.A.”). This article looks at (i) the new dividends received deduction that eliminates U.S. tax on the receipt of direct investment dividends paid by a 10%-owned foreign corporation to a U.S. corporation, (ii) the repatriation of post-1986 net accumulated earnings of 10%-owned foreign corporations by U.S. persons and the accompanying deferred tax rules, (iii) changes to Code §367(a) that eliminate an exemption from tax on outbound transfers of assets that will be used in the active conduct of a foreign trade or business, and (iv) a broadening of the scope of Subpart F income by reason of a change to certain definitions. Rusudan Shervashidze and Stanley C. Ruchelman address and comment on these revisions.

January 26, 2018

A New Tax Regime for C.F.C.’s: Who Is G.I.L.T.I.?

January 26, 2018/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

The T.C.J.A. introduces a new minimum tax regime applicable to controlled foreign corporations (“C.F.C.’s”). It also provides tax benefits for incomefrom “intangibles” used to exploit foreign markets. The former is known as G.I.L.T.I. and the latter is known as F.D.I.I. Together, G.I.L.T.I. and F.D.I.I. change the dynamics of cross-border taxation and can be seen as an incentive to supply foreign markets with goods and services produced in the U.S. Both provisions reflect a view that only two value drivers exist in business: (i) hard assets (such as property, plant, and equipment) and (ii) intangible property. In a detailed set of Q&A’s, Elizabeth V. Zanet and Stanley C. Ruchelman look at the ins and outs of the new provisions.