Law Commons^™

Economic Recovery Tax Act Of 1981, Merlin G. Briner

Akron Law Review

In essence this Act and the results it either produces or fails to produce will be a test of our free enterprise system. The Act, coupled with the administration's policy of deregulation and relaxing government controls of business, provides the opportunity business leaders have been looking for.

A key to future economic health is the reduction of federal expenditures. If these cannot be curtailed, the combined effect of expenditures and reduced tax revenues on inflation will be disastrous. If expenditures cannot be controlled, then taxes will have to be increased substantially in the not too distant future.

Federal Income Tax Developments: 1984, Merlin G. Briner, Richard J. Kovach, James W. Childs

Akron Law Review

FEDERAL INCOME TAX DEVELOPMENTS: 1984 is the twelfth in a series of articles published at The University of Akron School of Law. In keeping with the established format, the scope of this survey is limited to selected substantive developments in the field of income taxation.

The Trust Throwback Rules: The Solution Remains After The Problem Fades, John R. Cunningham

Akron Law Review

This article will briefly review the history of the throwback rules and will then show that the small savings still available through trust accumulations that would result without the operation of the throwback rules do not justify the continuance of these complicated throwback rules. In fact, the tax savings through trust accumulations without the throwback rules can be matched even within the operation of the throwback rules. Finally, this article will show that through a small rate change that may be forthcoming for other reasons, the potential savings through the accumulation of income in trusts may be reduced to such …

Nonpayment Of Taxes: When Ignorance Of The Law Is An Excuse, Jon Strauss

Akron Law Review

"Ignorance of the law is no excuse" is a well-known saying regarding criminal law. Yet the 1991 Supreme Court decision of Cheek v. United States held that a defendant's ignorance of the federal tax laws is an excuse to the crime of nonpayment of income taxes. This paper reviews the history of the defense of ignorance of the law in tax crimes, discusses the philosophical ramifications of this defense, and examines the extent to which the Supreme Court's allowance of this defense is appropriate.

Of Taxes And Duties: Taxing The System With Public Employees' Tax Obligations, Kenneth H. Ryesky

Akron Law Review

Governmental agencies, including and especially those involved in the taxation function, have compelling reasons to insist that individuals in their employ comply with the laws of the land, including the personal tax requirements. As tax law complexity increases, so does the general propensity for noncompliance. The governmental agencies are thus confronted with increasing volumes of disciplinary issues relating to employee tax obligations. This article will explore how the various types of governmental agencies deal with enforcing compliance by their employees with personal taxation obligations, and will discuss how fallout from thetax law arena affects the efficiency of government as compliance …

Why Congress Adopted The Church Audit Procedures Act And What Must Be Done Now To Restore The Law For Churches And The Irs, J. Michael Martin

Akron Tax Journal

This Article explores the significant policy purposes achieved by CAPA through the lens of the law's history and present challenges. Part II reviews the historical context and events leading to the adoption of CAPA in 1984. Part III then describes the present challenges associated with the law due to the failure of Congress and the Treasury Department to rectify the issue of who is an appropriate high-level Treasury official under CAPA. Finally, Part IV concludes with recommended solutions for restoring the law consistent with congressional intent in adopting CAPA-solutions that could easily be achieved through a simple amendment to the …

Reconciling Intentions With Outcomes: A Critical Examination Of The Mortgage Interest Deduction, David Frederick

Akron Tax Journal

This article will work to answer the question: What effect has the mortgage interest deduction had on the American mortgage market? The main examination proceeds in two ways. First, this article recounts the interrelated histories of the American mortgage market and the deduction of interest from taxable income throughout the twentieth century, giving special attention to the Tax Reform Act of 1986 and the events that led to the codification of the current mortgage interest deduction. Second, this article analyzes several sets of time series data and numerous pieces of qualitative evidence on mortgage consumption in and around the 1980s …

Challenges To Federal Income Tax Exemption Of The Clergy And Government Support Of Sectarian Schools Through Tax Credits Device And The Unresolved Questions After Arizona V. Winn: Is The U.S. Supreme Court Standing In The Way Of Taxpayer Standing To Seek Meritorious Redress?, Gabriel O. Aitsebaomo

Akron Tax Journal

Part II of the article begins with a critical examination of the parsonage exemption Act as was originally conceived at inception, the expansion and modification of the Act over the years, and the current statutory framework of the exemption under the Internal Revenue Code ("Code"). Part III evaluates who is considered a minister of the gospel within the meaning of the Code, and whether a minister of the gospel may obtain a parsonage exemption for more than one home at a time. Part IV discusses the various attempts to rid the Code of the parsonage exemption. In this part, the …

Give Taxpayers A Break: Putting The Reliance Element Back Into The Reasonable Reliance And Good Faith Defense, Ronald Z. Domsky

Akron Tax Journal

This Article considers the present law regarding the accuracy related penalties pursuant to I.R.C § 6662 and the reasonable reliance and good faith defense provided for in I.R.C § 6664 using Canal as a prime example of how the courts have treated and penalized taxpayers for relying on tax advisors in planning proposed transactions and in taking positions on returns and proposes a new analysis of a taxpayer's good faith and reasonable reliance. Section II of this Article discusses the current state of the law regarding the Section 6662 penalties, the function and regulations imposed on tax attorneys in advising …

I.R.C. Section 1014(E) And Gifted Property Reconveyed In Trust, Mark R. Siegel

Akron Tax Journal

The taxpayer’s method of property acquisition is significant in determining the proper income tax or adjusted basis in the property. Distinct adjusted basis rules apply to the transferee of property acquired by purchase, gift, and inheritance. A buyer who purchases property for cash receives an adjusted basis in the property acquired equal to its cost. For property acquired by gift, the general rule is that the donee’s adjusted basis equals the donor’s adjusted basis immediately prior to the transfer. A third income tax basis regime applies to the taxpayer who happens to acquire property by inheritance upon the death of …

Penalty Protection Opinions And Advisor Conflicts Of Interest, David T. Moldenhauer

Akron Tax Journal

This article has five parts. The second part describes the statutory and regulatory standards for taxpayers seeking to rely on tax advice to avoid penalties. The third part describes the cases where a taxpayer has sought to rely on the opinion of a tax advisor with a conflict of interest. Those cases involve three types of situations: (1) tax advisors acting as promoters or brokers of a tax shelter; (2) tax advisors with referral arrangements with tax shelter promoters; and (3) tax advisors that are developers or implementers of a tax strategy. Typically, in the first two types of situations, …

Failing Corporate Tax Transparency And The Immediate Need To Reduce Overburdening Duplicative Tax Reporting Requirements, Ilya A. Lipin

Akron Tax Journal

The benefits to corporate taxpayers from the continuing additions to disclosure requirements have not been obvious. Despite expenditures by corporate taxpayers on compliance, there is evidence that the Service has not been using all of the information it receives from additional disclosure forms.28 Duplicative disclosures of the same or similar tax information that lead to additional costs are of immediate concern to the corporate taxpayer.29 The estimated corporate taxpayers’ compliance tax burden is summarized in Appendix 1. Part II of this article describes in detail key existing reporting requirements such as reportable transaction disclosure statement and Form 8886, disclosure statements …

Achieving Meaningful Civil Tax Penalty Reform And Making It Stick, Jeremiah Coder

Akron Tax Journal

This essay examines the historical use of penalties within the tax code, reviews a number of reports that led to the last round of significant penalty reform legislation, and considers existing problems of penalty administration. Several proposals are outlined to ensure that if and when Congress acts to simplify and revise the penalty regime, the reforms will have lasting impact. Part II covers the growth of penalties in the tax system from its original simple form through its significant expansion to the time that the IRS and Congress worked to cut back the complexity of the civil tax penalty regime …

Informal Claims For Refund - A Winding Road, William A. Neilson

Akron Tax Journal

In reviewing the manner in which courts have interpreted [the informal claim] doctrine, it appears that the doctrine can be more effective if steps are taken to create a definite set of rules for the doctrine's application, and if those rules are incorporated into the IRC or Treasury regulations. This Article, after briefly reviewing the history of the informal claim doctrine and its current form, will discuss the possibility of creating such rules.

The Importance Of Being Interest: Why A State Cannot Impose Its Income Tax On Tribal Bonds, Scott A. Taylor

Akron Tax Journal

In order to provide the fullest consideration of these very complicated issues, I have divided my discussion into six parts. In the first part, I discuss specific state statutes to show how their application to the state income taxation of interest on tribal bonds is textually unclear. The primary purpose of this part of the discussion is to show that the analysis must start with the particular state income tax statute itself to see if it purports to tax the interest income generated by a tribal bond. In some instances, the more reasonable interpretation of the state statute may lead …

Tax Interpretation, Planning, And Avoidance: Some Linguistic Analysis, Menahem Pasternak, Christophe Rico

Akron Tax Journal

No abstract provided.

Personal And Political Bias In The Debate Over Federal Income Taxation Rates And Progressivity, Richard J. Kovach

Akron Tax Journal

Unlike the commentaries of flat tax proponents, this article will not attempt to dispel the notion of progressive taxation. Rather, this article will first question whether professors who write about tax policy can as a group reach unbiased conclusions about progressivity policy. Next, this article will address a few progressivity concepts that fuel taxation debates. Finally, this commentary will outline some ideas for structuring the federal income taxation system in ways that reduce political rancor and potentially create reasonable acceptance by tax producers, tax beneficiaries, and their respective advocates.

The New Dividend Tax Cut; Bush's Prescription For Rescuing The Economy, Beckett G. Cantley

Akron Tax Journal

The purpose of this paper is to cover the Act as passed by Congress and signed by President Bush, discussing each of the major provisions contained within the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act and examining the differing views as to whether it will succeed.

Religiously-Based Social Security Exemptions: Who Is Eligible, How Did They Develop, And Are The Exemptions Consistent With The Religion Clauses And The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (Rfra)?, James Glenn Harwood

Akron Tax Journal

There are parallels to this biblical example in the current regime of religiously-based social security exemptions. Ministers, members of religious orders, Christian Science practitioners and members of certain religious faiths may receive an exemption from social security taxes based on a religious or conscientious objection. This article will first review the current law granting exemption for these groups. It will next review the historical development of these exemptions in light of the overall expansion of the social security program to show the ad hoc approach Congress took in granting these religiously-based exemptions. It will then analyze the constitutionality of the …

Dana Corporation V. United States: The Deductibility Of Legal Retainer Fees Used To Acquire A Corporation, Alexander F. Kennedy

Akron Tax Journal

This Note discusses the Federal Circuit's holding in Dana Corp. Part II details the important history of the deductibility of legal fees leading up to Dana Corp. Part III provides the factual background of Dana Corp. Part IV explains the court's reasoning in Dana Corp. Part V analyzes the court's holding in Dana Corp. and explains why it is ultimately correct.

The Proposed Federal Taxation Of Frequent Flyer Miles Received From Employers: Good Tax Policy But Bad Politics, Dominic L. Daher

Akron Tax Journal

The purpose of this article is to dissect the plausibility of taxing frequent flyer miles that were earned by employees on employer-paid travel and later used for personal travel. The first issue for resolution is whether the accrual and utilization of frequent flyer miles earned by an employee while on company-paid travel constitutes compensation for services, and hence gross income, within the meaning of I.R.C. § 61(a)(1). The second issue for resolution is whether the accrual and utilization of frequent flyer miles earned by an employee while on company-paid travel constitutes a taxable fringe benefit, and hence gross income, within …

International Tax Competition: An Efficient Or Inefficient Phenomenon?, Mitchell B. Weiss

Akron Tax Journal

This Article examines the legal and economic implications of this globalization phenomenon. Part I discusses the allocative effect an income tax system has on a particular country's resources. This first part, while focusing only on domestic tax policy, is intended to throw some light on the international issues that are the central focus of this article. So with this background in mind, Part II turns to the international scene, analyzing the efficiency effect international integration is having on the world's income tax systems in general and the U.S.'s income tax system in particular. Finally, Part III considers what the Organisation …

Capturing The Harm: Defining "Tax Loss" For Use In Federal Sentencing, Bruce Zucker, Michelle Carey

Akron Tax Journal

The United States Sentencing Guidelines have set forth the system by which tax offenders are punished for violating the federal income tax laws. This Article explores the various methods that the appellate courts have used to define "tax loss" under the United States Sentencing Guidelines for purposes of sentencing enhancement for tax related offenses. It discusses the concept of "tax loss" for federal sentencing purposes, including the guideline provisions that drive the tax offender's offense level and ultimate guideline imprisonment range. It explores major circuit decisions which interpreted the proper implementation of the guideline sentencing factors. Finally, it examines issues …

International Estate Planning 101: A Basic Guide To Estate Planing For Non-Citizen Clients, Robin Rose Stiller

Akron Tax Journal

The United States has often been called the "great melting pot of the world" because of the large numbers of foreign-born individuals that can be found here. In fact, according to the 1990 U.S. Census, 19.8 million people living in the United States were foreign-born, including nearly 260,000, or 2.4%, of Ohioans. Nearly 12 million of those foreign-born and living in the U.S. were not U.S. citizens and in 1996, Ohio alone was home to 113,000 legal permanent resident aliens. In addition to these resident aliens, large numbers of nonresident aliens, such as the more than 19 million alien tourists, …

Rethinking The Progressive Estate And Gift Tax, Barbara Redman

Akron Tax Journal

This article will not review the philosophical arguments about the legitimacy of unearned wealth versus the right of a person to give as she pleases with her own accumulation. Rather, it will focus on a view of the tax not yet explored to any great extent in legal and political circles, but supported by recent economic research, and to argue, if not against the tax itself, at least against the progressive nature of the tax.

Economic Nexus: Legislative Presumption Or Legitimate Proposition?, Craig J. Langstraat, Emily S. Lemmon

Akron Tax Journal

This article discusses the theory of economic nexus, the present nexus conditions in various states, and the constitutional issues surrounding nexus. These constitutional issues will then be applied to the theory of economic nexus in order to draw conclusions concerning the constitutionality and feasibility of this theory.

Entrenching Interests: State Supermajority Requirements To Raise Taxes, Max Minzner

Akron Tax Journal

This article attempts to answer the question of supermajority design. If alterations in the tax code are to be restricted, how should they be limited? To what type of bills should a supermajority requirement apply? At what level should the requirement be implemented? When and how should the legislature be allowed to avoid the rule? Part II discusses the current House rule and considers why it was imposed, whether or not it is constitutional, and the effect the rule has had in practice. Part III moves to the states' experiences with supermajority requirements, and examines both the de jure limitations …

The Failure To Provide Adequate Higher Education Tax Incentives For Lower-Income Individuals, Natasha Mulleneaux

Akron Tax Journal

This Article suggests that the cost of the education incentives in the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 is better spent on programs which more effectively subsidize lower-income families' educational expenses. Part II discusses the benefits of higher education for the nation and individuals, and it provides a brief history of the federal government's role in funding higher education. Part III discusses the effect that increasing tuition costs and eroding grant programs likely have on college attendance. Part IV outlines the educational incentives contained in the Taxpayer Relief Act and critiques the usefulness of the tuition tax credits, and Part V …

Sports And Entertainment Figures (And Others) May Be Able To Deduct Legal Expenses For Criminal Prosecutions (And Wrongful Death Suits), John R. Dorocak

Akron Tax Journal

This article, first, explains the Gilmore origin of claim test. Secondly, the extension of the origin of claim to situations where the legal claim is less clearly connected to the taxpayer's business or income-seeking activities will be discussed. Thirdly, this article will analyze the issue of how a criminal prosecution, particularly for a murder in a situation such as Mr. Simpson's, can be connected to business or income-seeking. Fourthly, the issue of whether any government policy would prevent the deduction, especially for an unsuccessful criminal defendant, will be reviewed Fifthly, prior murder cases in which the defendant was not allowed …

The Origin Of The Claim Test: A Search For Objectivity, Edward J. Schnee, Nancy J. Stara

Akron Tax Journal

Recently, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in United States v. Kroy (Europe) Ltd., used the origin of the claim test to determine the deductibility of financing expenses. At approximately the same time, the Tax Court, in Fort Howard Corp. v. Commissioner, concluded the use of the origin of the claim test to characterize similar expenditures was inappropriate. Given this conflict and the extensive use of this test to evaluate the deductibility of expenditures, this article reviews the development of this test and provides an analysis of the potential conflicts and uncertainties in its application.