Tax Law Commons^™

The Work Product Doctrine And Tax Accrual Workpapers, Steve R. Johnson

Scholarly Publications

In its rehearing of Textron, the First Circuit has an opportunity to rectify an error and curb unwise recent expansion of work product protection for tax accrual workpapers. In August 2007, a district court denied the government’s petition for enforcement of an IRS summons on Textron Inc. and its subsidiaries for tax accrual workpapers in connection with IRS examinations of the taxpayers’ 1998 to 2001 income tax returns. A divided panel of the First Circuit affirmed in January 2009. In March 2009, the First Circuit withdrew the panel opinion and dissent, and it set the case for en banc hearing …

Risks, Rents And Regressivity Revisited, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Articles

This article seeks to survey the debate in the United States about whether the tax base should be income or consumption, and then focus on some recent arguments that have been made in favour of a consumption tax. In the author's opinion, none of these arguments are convincing, and he would favour adopting a consumption tax in addition to, and not in lieu of, the existing income tax.

The Intellectual Foundations Of The Modern American Fiscal State, Ajay K. Mehrotra

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Tax Shelters And Statutory Interpretation: A Much Needed Purposive Approach, Shannon Weeks Mccormack

Articles

Few are unaware that the Tax Code and Regulations provide a detailed, complex (and lengthy) set of rules. It is hardly surprising (or new) that taxpayers attempt to avoid these rules to lower their taxes. Courts and lawmakers have long grappled to identify abusive transactions and strip taxpayers of the associated tax savings. The transactions have, however, changed dramatically over the last decade making the task much more challenging. The rapid proliferation of aggressive and diverse tax shelters has created what many refer to as a tax shelter war. In general, tax shelters refer to transactions carefully designed to fit …

Tax Policy Challenges, Michael J. Graetz

Faculty Scholarship

In 1995, when the late, great Jack Nolan asked me to deliver the inaugural lecture in honor of Larry Woodworth, I was both honored and flattered. I had come to know Larry Woodworth beginning in 1969, when I was a rookie treasury tax policy staffer. At that time, he had already served the Joint Committee on Taxation for 25 years and had been the third Chief of Staff in its history beginning as chief of staff in 1964. Larry Woodworth was not only as knowledgeable about the tax law as anyone you would ever hope to meet, and as savvy …

Tax Penalties And Tax Compliance, Michael Doran

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper examines the relationship between tax penalties and tax compliance. Conventional accounts, drawing from deterrence theory and norms theory, assume that the relationship is purely instrumental--that the function of tax penalties is solely to promote tax compliance. This paper identifies another aspect of the relationship that generally has been overlooked by the existing literature: the function of tax penalties in defining tax compliance. Tax penalties determine the standards of conduct that satisfy a taxpayer's obligations to the government; they distinguish compliant taxpayers from non-compliant taxpayers. This paper argues that tax compliance in a self-assessment system should require the taxpayer …

Elimination Of The Deduction For Business Entertainment Expenses, Richard L. Schmalbeck, Jay A. Soled

Faculty Scholarship

The proposal is offered as a part of the Shelf Project, a collaboration by tax professionals to develop and perfect proposals to help Congress when it needs to raise revenue. Shelf Project proposals are intended to raise revenue without raising tax rates because the best systems have taxes that are unavoidable to reach the lowest feasible tax rates.

This proposal would deny deductions for all business entertainment expenses. Also, the definition of the term ‘‘entertainment’’ would be narrowed so that expenses that are incurred in a clear business setting and are deeply rooted in producing immediate income or in mining …

Cancellation-Of-Indebtedness Income And Transactional Accounting, Lawrence A. Zelenak

Faculty Scholarship

More than three-quarters of a century after the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Kirby Lumber established that the cancellation of a debt produces taxable income, there is still uncertainty - both in the courts and among commentators - concerning the rationale for the taxation of cancellation-of-debt (COD) income. Is the taxation of COD income based on the simple fact that the cancellation of a debt improves the taxpayer’s balance sheet, thus increasing the taxpayer’s net worth in the year of cancellation? Or is it based on a multi-year perspective, in which inclusion of the cancelled debt in income …

It Down And Count The Cost:" A Framework For Constitutionally Enforcing The 501(C)(3) Campaign Intervention Ban, Benjamin Leff

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) prohibits charities from intervening in a political campaign for or against a candidate for public office. The Internal Revenue Service (Service) currently interprets the campaign-intervention ban to absolutely prevent charities from communicating their views on candidates, even if such communications are completely financed by non-501 (c) (3) affiliates. This article argues that the current Service enforcement paradigm is unconstitutional because it exceeds the government interest in preventing tax-deductible donations to be used for campaign- intervention. A constitutional interpretation exists under the current statutory framework, but it would require the Service to shift …

Enforcing Dividend Withholding On Derivatives, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Articles

The United States imposes a 30 percent withholding tax on dividends paid to nonresident aliens. However, this tax is rarely paid by portfolio investors because they can swap into U.S. securities, receiving payments to match both capital gain and dividends. Treasury has ruled that swap payments have an origin in the taxpayer’s residence so there is no withholding obligation on payments that match dividends. The proposal would impose withholding tax on dividend equivalents on the ground that there is no policy justification for a distinction between dividends, substitute dividends under securities lending transaction (which are treated as dividends and are …

Determining The Character Of Section 357(C) Gain, Fred B. Brown

All Faculty Scholarship

Under section 351, a person transferring property to a controlled corporation generally recognizes no gain or loss on the transaction. An exception to tax-free treatment is contained in section 357(c), which generally provides that a transferor in a section 351 transaction recognizes gain to the extent that any liabilities assumed by the corporation on the transfer exceed the transferor's aggregate adjusted basis in the assets transferred. An issue under section 357(c) is whether the recognized gain should be capital gain or ordinary income. The statute suggests that the character of section 357(c) gain should be based on the character of …

Will The Tax Man Cometh To Coach Rodriguez?, Jeffrey H. Kahn, Douglas A. Kahn

Scholarly Publications

No abstract provided.

Will The Tax Man Cometh To Coach Rodriguez?, Douglas A. Kahn, Jeffrey H. Kahn

Articles

There has been much in the news recently about coaches of major college sports teams moving to a new school and incurring an obligation to make payment to their old school under a buyout provision in their contract. The most recent example is the highly publicized move of Richard Rodriguez from West Virginia University to the University of Michigan. Coach Rodriguez had a contract with his former employer that required him to pay $4 million dollars to West Virginia if he left for another coaching position. After a suit was filed, it was reported that the parties agreed that the …

Give The Tax Court Transfer Power And Plenary Civil Tax Jurisdiction, Steve R. Johnson

Scholarly Publications

A recent decision again raises questions about the powers that the Tax Court does and should possess. In Mobley v. Commissioner, No. 07-2019 (6th Cir. July 8, 2008), Doc 2008-14970, 2008 TNT 132-13, the Sixth Circuit affirmed a procedural decision of the Tax Court. The Tax Court dismissed a petition because it lacked jurisdiction, and it rejected the taxpayers’ request to transfer the case to a district court. The Tax Court concluded, and the Sixth Circuit agreed, that the Tax Court lacks transfer power. Under 28 U.S.C sections 1631 and 610, the power to transfer cases is conferred only upon …

Valuation Discounting Techniques: Terms Gone Awry, Wendy G. Gerzog

All Faculty Scholarship

Fair market value is defined in the section 2031 Regulations. For its validity, that definition of fair market value relies on the normal definitions of its significant terms: a seller is someone who is seeking the highest price for her product and a buyer is someone who wants to obtain the lowest price for his purchase. It is only that tension that creates the realistic, and fair, market value of that asset. Indeed, without that conflict, the definition is comprised of hollow words.

In the context of family limited partnerships, terms have been misused. By utilizing the limited partnership shell, …

The Earned Income Tax Credit As An Incentive To Report: Engaging The Informal Economy Through Tax Policy, John Infranca

Suffolk University Law School Faculty Works

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) provides financial assistance to low-income workers through a refundable tax credit. The EITC, which has received strong bipartisan support since its introduction in 1975, now represents the nation’s largest anti-poverty program for non-elderly individuals. In this Note, I contend that the EITC’s historical development failed to account for (and prior scholarly analysis of its impact on labor supply decisions have ignored) the important role of informal employment in the lives of the working poor. This Note presents the first analysis of the financial impact of government transfer and tax programs on the decision to …

Senator Mccain's Corporate Tax Proposals A Critical Examination, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Other Publications

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has proposed two major changes to the corporate tax code: cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent and allowing corporations to deduct the full cost of investments in technology and equipment in the first year, an accounting process known as expensing. The first proposal aims to enhance U.S. economic competitiveness, create jobs, and increase wages. The second proposal aims in particular to boost capital expenditures and “reward investment in cutting-edge technologies.”1

Comment On Yin, Reforming The Taxation Of Foreign Direct Investment By Us Taxpayers, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Articles

In this excellent article, George Yin addresses an important proposal by the President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform. The Advisory Panel proposed that the United States should permanently switch from taxing the parent corporation of U.S. multinationals on worldwide income to a modified territorial regime under which dividends paid out of active business income would be exempt from U.S. tax.' The Joint Committee on Taxation made a similar recommendation.2

Recent Developments In Federal Income Taxation: The Year 2007, Martin J. Mcmahon Jr., Ira B. Shepard, Daniel L. Simmons

UF Law Faculty Publications

This recent developments outline discusses, and provides context to understand the significance of, the most importnat judicial decisions and administrative rulings and regulations and promulgated by the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department during 2007- and sometimes a little farther back in time if we find the item particulary humourous or outrageous. Most Treasury Regulations, houever, are so complex that they cannot be dicussed in detail and, anyway, only a devout masochist would read them all the way through; just the basic topic and fundamental principles are highlighted. Admendmentsto the Internal Revenue Code generally are not dicussed except to the …

Third-Party Tax Administration: The Case Of Low- And Moderate-Income Households, Michael S. Barr, Jane K. Dokko

Articles

Using a unique household-level data set, this article investigates the taxfiling experiences and refund behavior of low- and moderate-income (LMI) households. We document households' tax-filing behavior, attitudes about the withholding system, use of tax refunds to consume and save, and the mechanisms by which households would prefer to receive their income. We also document the prevalence of the use of tax-preparation services and the receipt of tax refunds and refund-anticipation loans. Finally, we argue that there may be a role for tax administration to enable LMI households to make welfare-improving financial decisions.

Time To Start Over On Deferred Compensation, Michael Doran

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Writing good regulations--"good" in the sense of promoting the public interest--always presents challenges. Regulators must hit a small but important target where private conduct is brought within appropriate government control, but unnecessary compliance burdens and other deadweight costs are minimized. Even if they see the government's objectives clearly, regulators often have only a limited understanding of the underlying private activities. Moreover, regulators may be unaware of how their rules disrupt or distort those activities in socially harmful ways.

Regulators occasionally hit the target exactly. More often, they miss--though not by an intolerably wide margin (good enough for government work, as …

The Tax Treatment Of Advance Receipts, David Hasen

Publications

Under the present income tax, some advance receipts are neither taxable on receipt nor deductible on repayment, while others are taxable when received and deductible when repaid or paid for. From a purely theoretical perspective, it remains unclear why different sets of rules apply in different cases. For example, if the fact of unrestricted control over the payment compels the conclusion that it is income, then most advance receipts, including loan proceeds, should be included in income immediately. Conversely, if the presence of an offsetting liability compels the conclusion that the payment is not (yet) income, then most advance receipts, …

The Elusive Cap And Gown: The Impact Of Tax Policy On Access To Higher Education For Law-Income Individuals And Families, Phyllis C. Taite

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Why And How To Tax Carbon, Michael Waggoner

Publications

Increased concern about possible global warming due to rising levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide ("CO2") suggests the need to control emissions of CO2. This article explores a system of revenue-neutral carbon taxes as a supplement or alternative to other CO2 control systems such as subsidies, regulation, and cap-and-trade. A system of carbon taxation should be, the Article suggests, sufficiently fairer and simpler and more efficient than the other possible systems of CO2 control and that it merits serious consideration. Because the carbon tax that is suggested would be revenue neutral, it should be politically acceptable. Problems with …

From The Greedy To The Needy, Wendy G. Gerzog

All Faculty Scholarship

In some instances when the taxpayer makes a charitable donation, the loss of revenue to the government, and the corresponding gain to the taxpayer, far exceeds the benefit to the charity. Some of these losses may be generated by government sanctioned complex transactions and even government created devices. This article proposes a new way to examine "quid pro quo" charitable gifts that reflects the rationale for the charitable deduction.The article analyzes various charitable donations in terms of the dollars gained by the taxpayer, the dollars lost by the government, and the dollars received by the charity. After considering a sliding …

Intergenerational Equity In Fiscal Policy Reform, Michael Doran

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This article argues that the idea of evaluating government fiscal policy along the dimension of intergenerational equity is largely misguided. In sharp contrast to the intragenerational distribution of wealth--where government policy plays an active and commanding role in transferring resources between and among different groups--the intergenerational distribution of wealth is determined mainly by decisions of private actors that fall outside government policy and that may blunt or even reverse the distributional effects of government policy. Unless a far greater share of intergenerational transfers is brought within the scope of government fiscal policy through such unlikely measures as the confiscatory taxation …

A Structural Critique Of Trader Taxation, Shu-Yi Oei

Faculty Scholarship

This article scrutinizes the structural elements underlying the unusual tax treatment of securities traders under current law. After summarizing the distinguishing features of trader taxation, this article explains how the treatment of securities traders today has occurred due to a long-standing, legislatively created disjuncture at the point where the “to customers” requirement in the capital asset rules (i.e., the requirement that traders must sell “to customers” in order to escape capital asset classification and court findings that they do not) and the “trade or business” concept intersect. The article reviews some of the traditional critiques that have been levied against …

Unwinding Unwinding, David Hasen

Publications

"Unwinding" is a common, if not ubiquitous, feature of tax practice. In a successful unwind, parties to a prior transaction or arrangement back out of it by means of a later transaction and are treated for tax purposes as having engaged in no transactions at all. In a failed unwind, the parties undertake the later transaction, but it is not treated as nullifying the effects of the first transaction; rather, two separate transactions are deemed to have taken place, each with its own tax consequences.

This Article develops the first unified theoretical framework for analyzing tax unwinding. It also provides …

Quantifying The Tax Advantage Of Deferred Compensation, Eric D. Chason

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Relational Tax Planning Under Risk-Based Rules, Alex Raskolnikov

Faculty Scholarship

Risk-based rules are the tax system's primary response to aggressive tax planning. They usually grant benefits only to those taxpayers who accept risk of changes in market prices (market risk) or business opportunities (business risk). Attempts to circumvent these rules by hedging, contractual safeguards, and diversification are well-understood. The same cannot be said about a very different type of tax planning. Instead of reducing risk directly, some taxpayers change the nature of risk. They enter into informal, legally unenforceable agreements with contractual counterparties that are designed to eliminate market or business risk entirely. The new uncertainty these tax planners inevitably …