IRS boosts 2008 housing cost allowances for those working abroad in high-cost areas Notice 2008-107, 2008-50 IRB
A new Notice effectively increases the maximum housing cost exclusion for U.S. citizens and residents working abroad in specified high-cost locations. The increases are based on geographic differences in foreign housing costs relative to U.S. housing costs.
Fact sheet explains wage compensation of S corporation officers Fact Sheet 2008-25
A recently released IRS fact sheet provides useful information for S corporations and their owners concerning the proper tax treatment when corporate officers perform services for the entity. Specifically, it explains the proper employment tax treatment of payments made to officers of S corporations and how 2% shareholder-employees treat company-paid health insurance premiums.
Senators question Treasury’s liberalization of bank NOL rules
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), ranking member of the Committee on Finance, and Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), have questioned a controversial IRS Notice that changed the existing rules to allow banks to deduct the built-in losses of other banks that they acquired. Code Sec. 382 generally limits the amount of an acquired corporation’s losses that can be used by the acquiring corporation. After an ownership change, such as in a takeover, Code Sec. 382 limits the amount of a corporation’s taxable income in a post-change year that can be offset by pre-change losses. However, on September 30, IRS issued Notice 2008-83, 2008-42 IRB 905, which provided that a bank’s losses on loans or bad debts (including deductions for a reasonable addition to a reserve for bad debts) wouldn’t be treated as pre-change losses. IRS implemented this administrative action–which resulted in billions of dollars of tax savings for the banks (and lost tax revenue for the government)–on its own.
Farmer’s Tax Guide highlights administrative and tax law changes for 2008 IRS Publication 225
IRS recently released Publication 225, Farmer’s Tax Guide, for use in preparing 2008 returns on its web site. It highlights several administrative and tax law changes for 2008 and 2009.
IT company owes nearly $1.7 million in back wages due to H-1B Visa Program violations [DOL ESA News Release, 10/30/08]:
An information technology (IT) company has agreed to pay $1,683,584 in back wages to 343 non-immigrant workers after a Department of Labor (DOL) investigation found that the company had violated the H-1B visa provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Roundup of recent employment tax rulings
There have been several recent rulings issued in the employment tax area. Here is a summary:
Gambling winnings or losses?
As a US taxpayer, you can deduct gambling losses only if you itemize your deductions on form 1040. You can claim your gambling losses as a miscellaneous deduction on IRS Form 1040, Schedule A. However, the amount of losses you deduct can not total more than the amount of gambling income you’ve reported on your return. It’s important to keep an accurate diary or similar record of your gambling winnings and losses. To deduct your losses, you must be able to provide receipts, tickets, statements or other records that show the amount of both your winnings and losses.
Estate not taxed on transfer of decedent’s pension to charitable beneficiary PLR 200845029
IRS has privately ruled that an estate will not be taxed on a distribution of the decedent’s pension benefits to a charitable beneficiary of the estate.
Facts. An individual, whom we’ll call, Smith, died owning an interest in a defined benefit pension plan (the Plan Interest) of which his estate (Estate) was the beneficiary. His will (Will) named Charity as a residuary beneficiary. The executor of Estate proposes to assign the benefit of the Plan Interest to Charity in partial satisfaction of Charity’s share of the residue. The Will gave the executor the power to distribute property in kind and state law further allows distributions in kind without any requirement that they be made on a pro-rata basis.
Year-end tax planning client letter with checklist
As the end of the year approaches, it is a good time to think of planning moves that will help lower your tax bill this year and possibly the next. Factors that compound the challenge include the stock market’s swoon, the difficult economic climate we’re in right now, and the strong possibility that there will be tax changes in the works next year. In fact, there might even be another economic stimulus package carrying tax changes enacted before the end of this year.
The indisputably good news we are certain of is that Congress has acted to “patch” the AMT problem for 2008, has retroactively reinstated a number of tax breaks (such as the option to deduct state and local general sales tax instead of state and local income tax and the above-the-line deduction for higher education expenses), and has created new tax breaks that go into effect for the 2008 tax year (including a tax credit for first-time homebuyers, a nonitemizers’ deduction for state and local property tax and a nonitemizers’ deduction for certain disaster losses). For 2008, businesses enjoy tax breaks such as a beefed-up expensing option and a 50% bonus first-year depreciation write-off for most machinery and equipment placed into service this year and a reinstated research credit.
How businesses are affected by tax changes in the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
As I’m sure you’re aware, on Oct. 3, 2008, the President signed into law the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-343). Although virtually all of the press coverage of this law has concentrated on its hotly debated $700 billion financial industry bailout plan, the legislation also contains scores of mostly beneficial tax changes for business.
Most of the new law’s tax changes for business fall into one of these categories: tax changes that apply to a wide range of businesses; special tax breaks for disaster areas; and tax changes for specialized industries (there are numerous tax breaks relating to alternative energy production, but they are highly specialized and so not covered in this letter).
Tax Relief Blog