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Legislating Morality: The Duty To The Tax System Reconsidered, Watson
Legislating Morality: The Duty To The Tax System Reconsidered, Watson
Scholarly Works
Four years ago, I presented a paper at a symposium on professionalism jointly sponsored by the University of Kansas Law School and the Kansas Bar Association. That paper espoused the view (contrary to what appears to be the popular view among tax scholars) that tax lawyers owe no special duty to the "tax system" other than to abide by the law and the applicable standards of professional conduct. During the four-year interim since my last visit to Kansas, however, we have witnessed the deleterious effect of the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 (RRA '98) on IRS enforcement and …
Charities And The Constitution: Evaluating The Role Of Constitutional Principles In Determining The Scope Of Tax Law's Public Policy Limitation For Charities, David A. Brennen
Charities And The Constitution: Evaluating The Role Of Constitutional Principles In Determining The Scope Of Tax Law's Public Policy Limitation For Charities, David A. Brennen
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This Article expands the discussion of whether tax-exempt charities, for constitutional law purposes, should be treated as government actors, as private actors or as something in between. While government actors are subject to constitutional law restrictions concerning discrimination and free speech, private non-government actors are not generally subject to these same restrictions. Although tax-exempt charities are often thought of as sovereigns and, thus, government-like, the fact remains that charities are private entities created to serve public purposes. As private entities, charities - like all other private entities - are not necessarily bound by constitutional law principles. Still, the many “public” …
Tax Lawyers, Ethical Obligations, And The Duty To The System, Watson
Tax Lawyers, Ethical Obligations, And The Duty To The System, Watson
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Perhaps the most elusive area of law is that of legal ethics. While the term itself is easy to define,' the subject all but defies codification because ethics, or morals (the terms are interchangeable), cannot be encapsulated by or in law. This is because law, in general, contains its own standard of validity on which there is usually clear societal consensus. For example, murder, rape, and theft are morally repugnant universally. Hence, punishment for any of these offenses does not impinge upon religious or individual autonomy because there is no ethical freedom to choose whether or not to engage in …
The Proposed Corporate Sponsorship Regulations: Is The Treasury Department "Sleeping With The Enemy"?, David A. Brennen
The Proposed Corporate Sponsorship Regulations: Is The Treasury Department "Sleeping With The Enemy"?, David A. Brennen
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Part II of this article will outline the historical development of this so-called unrelated business income tax on charities. Part III will show, in detail, how the Treasury's position in the proposed regulation represents a sharp departure from its pre-1993 interpretations regarding the status of sponsorship payments and posit possible reasons for the change. Part IV shows that the Treasury's “new” position on sponsorship payments, while an example of poor policy-making in light of the historical development of the unrelated business income tax, is legally defensible. Finally, part V suggests that the Treasury, in light of the policy concerns, should …
An Update On Federal Estate And Gift Taxation: Recent Decisions And Revenue Rulings, Verner F. Chaffin
An Update On Federal Estate And Gift Taxation: Recent Decisions And Revenue Rulings, Verner F. Chaffin
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"Tax law is constantly evolving, never static, and always in the process of becoming something other than it was." In the following survey, Professor Chaffin brings us abreast of the latest changes in the field of estate and gift tax and gives us insight into the future direction of the law in this area.