Tax Law Commons^™

Taxation Of Prepaid Tuition Plans And The 1997 Tax Provisions - Middle Class Panacea Or Placebo? Continuing Problems And Variations On A Theme, Eric A. Lustig

Akron Law Review

This article addresses the continuing tax issues and policies attendant to one form of financing the costs of higher education -- prepaid tuition plans. These plans generally allow one to purchase tuition in advance for future use. One attraction of such a plan is that the purchaser can lock in tuition at present rates, thus protecting against inflation and other tuition hikes. Moreover, favorable tax treatment exists as the build up of benefits is generally tax-free to the purchaser, which provides a significant advantage over other savings programs. Although prepaid tuition plans have been in existence for a number of …

The Taxation Of Cause-Related Marketing, Terri Lynn Helge

Terri L. Helge

With the economy in turmoil, charitable organizations are looking to nontraditional sources of financing to supplement contributions and fee-based revenues. One potentially lucrative source of revenue stems from cause-related marketing. Cause-related marketing is the public association of a for-profit company with a charitable organization to promote the company’s product or service in order to raise money for the charitable organization. Introduced almost twenty-five years ago, cause-related marketing has now become a $1 billion a year industry. Cause-related marketing has evolved beyond mere use of a charitable organization’s name to an apparent union for the purpose of promoting products that carry …

Attacking Profit Shifting: The Approach Everyone Forgets, Jeffrey M. Kadet

Articles

No abstract provided.

Taxation Expatrition: Will The Fast Act Stop Wealthy Americans From Leaving The United States?, Beckett G. Cantley

Akron Law Review

In the wake of September 11, 2001, several influential lawmakers have sought to pass tax legislation that would reduce the tax benefits that may result from an American citizen expatriating to a foreign nation. According to these congressional critics, certain wealthy American citizens are willing to relinquish their United States citizenship to save taxes (“tax expatriates”). The last major attempt to prevent tax expatriation was undertaken in 1995 when Internal Revenue Code (“I.R.C.”) § 877 was enacted. Several congressional critics have charged that I.R.C. § 877 is being easily circumvented by tax expatriates and their advisors. To stem the tide …

Credit Vs. Exemption: A Comparative Study Of Double Tax Relief In The United States And Japan, Lawrence Lokken, Yoshimi Kitamura

Lawrence Lokken

The overriding issue in international taxation is the problem of double taxation. Under the tax laws of most countries, income may be taxed on the basis of either residence or source. That is, a country may tax residents of the country on worldwide income and may tax nonresidents on income from sources within the country. Thus, if a resident of one country has income from a business activity or investment in another country, the person may be taxed on the income on a residence basis by its home country and on a source basis in the other country. Most countries …

A Tax Lawyer's Observations On Scary Numbers, Politics, And Irresponsibility: A Commentary On Shaviro's Reckless Disregard, Lawrence Lokken

Lawrence Lokken

The fiscal gap is filled by the issuance of government debt, au increasing portion of which is held by foreigners. Although foreigners still seem willing to absorb large amounts of U.S. debt, international organizations express concern over U.S. budgetary deficits. A significant source of the fiscal gap is the Social Security system. Two changes that might resolve Social Security funding issues include raising the minimum age to receive full retirement benefits to seventy years old and raising the taxable wage base. Politically, however, adopting either of these changes soon seems impossible. In addition, current Medicare costs will exceed current tax …

Tax Significance Of Payments In Satisfaction Of Liabilities Arising Under Section 16(B) Of The Securities Exchange Act Of 1934, Lawrence Lokken

Lawrence Lokken

This article examines the income tax significance to the insider of his payment in satisfaction of a liability arising under section 16(b). Such taxpayers have usually sought a deduction against ordinary income in the year of payment. When the issue was first raised, the deduction was denied. Section 16(b) liability was held to be in the nature of a penalty; allowance of the deduction, it was found, "would weaken an effective method of enforcing the sharply defined policy expressed in sectin 16(b)...." In 1961 the Internal Revenue Service modified its earlier position by ruling that section 16(b) is not a …

Standing In The Mud: Hein V.Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc.

Akron Law Review

In 1968, in Flast v. Cohen, the Supreme Court first set forth the requirements that a plaintiff must satisfy to have standing to challenge a government action in federal court solely based on his or her status as a taxpayer. The subsequent history of taxpayer standing is littered with precedents supported by unclear reasoning. Hein v. Freedom from Religion Foundation, Inc. represents the Supreme Court’s latest effort to address the limits of taxpayer standing in an Establishment Clause challenge. Unfortunately, the Court in Hein maintained its tradition of providing perplexing decisions in taxpayer standing cases. In Hein, a plurality of …

Se(C)(3): A Catalyst For Social Enterprise Crowdfunding, Dana Brakman Reiser, Steven A. Dean

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Profiles - Ucan’S New Campus Construction Project, Chicago, Illinois, James Hagy, Sahar Nikanjam

Rooftops Project

Funding and constructing a new $41 million facility may be a once-in-a-generation, if ever, event, for many social service not-for-profits. Choosing a site that invests directly in the neighborhood and the people served can have ripple effects far beyond the central purpose of the delivery of services the buildings are designed to support. The Rooftops Project’s Sahar Nikanjam and Professor James Hagy walked the site of UCAN’s new campus construction under way in the Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago.

Exile To Main Street: The I.R.S.'S Diminished Role In Overseeing Tax-Exempt Organizations, Evelyn Brody, Marcus Owens

Chicago-Kent Law Review

The Internal Revenue Service’s post-Citizens United approach to political activity by would-be tax-exempt organizations has threatened the financial health of the entire agency. Suffering from a siege mentality in the best of times, the IRS predictably and understandably responded to the asserted “scandal” by retreating into a shell of bureaucratic reshuffling, management mumbo-jumbo, and paper moving. A fresh cadre of senior management lacking relevant experience has overhauled the exempt-organization function and emphasized granting recognition of exemption now and (possibly) asking questions later. The new self-certification process of exemption for small charities could also be setting the agency up for the …

European Non-Profit Oversight: The Case For Regulating From The Outside In, Oonagh B. Breen

Chicago-Kent Law Review

When it comes to the regulation of non-profits, the European Commission experiences many of the same pressures and constraints faced by national charity regulators. It suffers, however, from an added disadvantage in that, arguably, it lacks jurisdictional competence to regulate non-profits qua non-profits. This article explores the consequences of the Commission’s unsuccessful attempt to secure the passage of its proposal for a European Foundation Statute (“EFS”). Notwithstanding the European Council’s inability to muster the necessary Member State unanimity required to pass the proposal and its subsequent demise, the Commission is still dogged by the problems it identified as giving rise …

Politics, Disclosure, And State Law Solutions For 501(C)(4) Organizations, Linda Sugin

Chicago-Kent Law Review

Since the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC, there has been an explosion in section 501(c)(4) organizations active in politics. Unable to effectively process applications, the IRS mishandled organizations with conservative political ties, producing a scandal from which the agency has yet to recover. It proposed regulations that would have helped it more easily determine eligibility for 501(c)(4) exemption, but after massive public outcry, the regulations were withdrawn. No new regulations will be proposed before the 2016 presidential election.

Given the federal government’s inability to address the problem of dark money politicking by 501(c)(4) organizations through …

Fragmented Oversight Of Nonprofits In The United States: Does It Work? Can It Work?, Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer

Chicago-Kent Law Review

The United States is well known for its distinctive, although not unique, division of political authority between the federal government and the various states. This division is particularly evident when it comes to oversight of nonprofit organizations. The historical focus of federal government oversight has been limited primarily to qualification for tax exemption and other tax benefits, with more plenary power resting with state authorities. Over time, however, the federal government’s role has come to overlap significantly with that of the states, and many nonprofits have become subject to regulation by multiple states as their operations and donor bases expand …

The Charity Commission For England And Wales: A Fine Example Or Another Fine Mess?, Debra Morris

Chicago-Kent Law Review

The ability of the Charity Commission for England and Wales to regulate the charitable sector effectively has been repeatedly called into question in recent years. At the same time, public sector funding cuts have led to its budget being almost halved in real terms since 2007/08. Numerous official reviews and inquiries into its effectiveness have highlighted its weaknesses and raised concerns about it failing to take sufficient action to prevent abuses of charitable status. In response to the Commission’s claims that it lacks sufficient legal powers to deal with such abuse, new legislation has been passed which will fill some …

Australia – Two Political Narratives And One Charity Regulator Caught In The Middle, Myles Mcgregor-Lowndes

Chicago-Kent Law Review

After two decades of debate about the regulation of the nonprofit sector, Australia established a national charity regulator in December 2012. The creation of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (“ACNC”) had as one of its objectives to reduce red tape, and to increase clarity by enacting a statutory definition of charity. Less than two years later, a new government proposed to abolish the ACNC, also in the name of reducing red tape. There appears to be a paradox—or at least diametrically opposed views about red tape reduction and how it can be achieved. With the government nearly two-thirds through …

Reforming The Regulation Of Political Advocacy By Charities: From Charity Under Siege To Charity Under Rescue?, Adam Parachin

Chicago-Kent Law Review

A newly elected liberal federal government in Canada has pledged to reform the legal distinction between charity and politics. This paper provides context to this reform initiative, linking it to a controversial political activities audit program funded by the former conservative federal government. It identifies three distorting ideas about charity—that charity can be understood as a tax expenditure, economic or neutral concept—that should be eschewed in the reform process. It also identifies three characteristics of charity—the capacity of charities for thought leadership, the pervasiveness of messaging in charitable programming and the distinctiveness of charity and government—that should guide reformers.

Se(C)(3): A Catalyst For Social Enterprise Crowdfunding, Dana Brakman Reiser, Steven Dean

Faculty Scholarship

The emerging consensus among scholars rejects the notion of tax breaks for social enterprises, concluding that such prizes will attract strategic claimants, ultimately doing more harm than good The SE(c)(3) regime proposed by this Article offers entrepreneurs and investors committed to combining financial returns and social good with a means of broadcasting that shared resolve. Combining a measured tax benefit for mission-driven activities with a heightened burden on shareholder financial gains, the revenue-neutral SE(c)(3) regime would provide investors and funding platforms with a low-cost means of screening out "greenwashed" ventures.

The Contemporary Tax Journal Volume 5, No. 1 – Spring/Summer 2015

The Contemporary Tax Journal

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Oecd Commentaries As Interpretative Aids - The Static/Ambulatory-Approaches Debate Considered From The Perspective Of International Law, Maria Hilling, Ulf Linderfalk

Maria Hilling

Since many years, international tax law experts debate the relevance of changes to OECD Commentaries for the purpose of the interpretation of previously concluded tax treaties. Although, generally, most experts seem averse to the idea of an ambulatory approach to the usage of OECD Commentaries, they are reluctant to exclude this idea altogether. Such a position raises an important issue of justification: When exactly should the ambulatory approach be taken? As argued in this essay, the proper answer to this question depends on the particular rule of interpretation justifying the usage of OECD Commentaries in particular cases. If Commentaries are …