Tax Law Commons^™

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 …

Constructive Dividend Doctrine From An Integrationist Perspective, Anthony P. Polito

Akron Tax Journal

A long standing feature of U.S. corporate taxation is a group of doctrinal devices serving to prevent taxpayer attempts to avoid double taxation of corporate earnings. This Article refers to these devices collectively as the constructive dividend doctrine (hereinafter “CDD”) and analyzes the extent to which the CDD ought to be set aside as counterproductive.

This analysis is grounded in contrasting views of the normative tax treatment of corporate enterprise. On the one hand is the perspective in which the double income taxation of corporate income is normative (the “Double Tax Perspective”). The Double Tax Perspective calls for taxation of …

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, …

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 …

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 …

Recovery Of Interest On A Tax Underpayment Caused By A Tax Advisor's Negligence, Jacob L. Todres

Akron Tax Journal

In my view, this area is relatively straightforward. There are three views that have developed. Once the views are apprehended, it should be relatively easy for a court to choose which view to follow. By presenting and analyzing the three views, this area will be appropriately elucidated and subsequently given the thoughtful attention it warrants.

In Part II, I will focus upon each of the three views and explore the rationale for each view. In Part III, I will trace the development of each of the views, especially the minority view and more modem, intermediate view. The goal of this …

Recent Developments Concerning The Estate Tax Inclusion Of Transfers To A Family Limited Partnership, Brent B. Nicholson

Akron Tax Journal

After a brief examination of the statutory and regulatory background, this paper will summarize the significant cases prior to Shurtz, the significant cases in the last year, discuss the facts and holdings of Shurtz, and then outline the coordinates that have emerged to guide taxpayers

From The Great Depression To The Current Housing Crisis: What Code Section 108 Tells Us About Congress's Response To Economic Crisis, Monica D. Armstrong

Akron Tax Journal

This article will explore the development of section 108, using the three major economic crises mentioned above as a timeline. Part II discusses the judicial debate of whether gross income should include discharge of indebtedness. Part III discusses the development of the insolvency exception following the Supreme Court's decision in Kirby Lumber, which held that gross income includes discharge of indebtedness. More specifically, it provides a discussion of court decisions that carved out exceptions to Kirby Lumber to provide tax relief to struggling businesses impacted by the Great Depression. This part closes with a discussion of the codification of the …

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.

Shifting The Paradigm By Bringing Tax Arbitrage To The Lower Income Separated Family: Why Should The Middle To Upper Class Family Have All The Fun?, Reginald Mombrun

Akron Tax Journal

The background for this article is, of course, the duty of parents to provide sustenance for their children, a duty that necessarily survives the break-up of the family. In this article, I continue to address the problems of the child support system, and I continue to take a holistic view of the problem. A fundamental concept of family law is that the system must do what is in the best interests of the child. Few people will disagree with the soundness of this fundamental concept. However, the problem lies with its application. Although counterintuitive, focusing solely on the child to …

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 …

Deconstructing The Rules Of Corporate Tax, Rachelle Y. Holmes

Akron Tax Journal

While academics, practitioners, and the White House have proposed any number of reform measures to deal with the problems plaguing the U.S. corporate tax regime, their solutions involve varying structural and statutory changes, which are in fact extrinsic to the form of the underlying rules themselves. In contrast, this Article argues for an innate form of change to the U.S. corporate tax rules, which would fundamentally affect the way in which tax lawmakers actually draft tax rules and regulations. In particular, it argues that a systemic focus and commitment by lawmakers to a more principles-based approach to regulation would significantly …

Honorary Board Membership, Real Tax Liability: Limits To Tax-Exempt Organization Honorary Board Member Immunity Under Internal Revenue Code 6672, Kenneth H. Ryesky

Akron Tax Journal

This article will discuss the implications of the various governmental trends and initiatives upon the potential trust fund liability of tax-exempt organizations' honorary board members.

Built-In Gain Discounts For Transfer Tax Valuation: A Resolution For The Big Debate, Scott Andrew Bowman

Akron Tax Journal

This article considers whether and to what extent courts should permit a built-in gain discount. It begins by presenting the challenges of valuing assets for transfer tax purposes, discussing the general principles of transfer tax valuation, and highlighting the particular methodologies used to value closely-held entities. The article then examines how, during the era of the General Utilities doctrine, a prospective liquidation test, which considered the prospect and affect of liquidation, led courts to repeatedly disallow the built-in gain discount. However, since the repeal of the General Utilities doctrine, the prospective liquidation test has been discarded, at least in part, …

Surviving A Heart Attack: Expatriation And The Tax Policy Implications Of The New Exit Tax, Steven J. Arsenault

Akron Tax Journal

Part II of this article provides an overview of the U.S. tax system applicable to citizens, permanent residents, and nonresidents. Part III discusses the prior law applicable to expatriates and the history behind that law. Part IV discusses the provisions of the HEART Act and the changes the new system makes to the exit tax regime. Finally, Part V considers the policy implications of the new exit tax system.

Whistleblowers And Tax Enforcement: Using Inside Information To Close The "Tax Gap", Edward A. Morse

Akron Tax Journal

This article provides a critical look at the current scheme for rewarding tax informants, and in particular on the relatively new program for so-called "whistleblower awards." Despite enhanced incentives for informants to come forward, tax award programs continue to operate in an environment based on discretion and uncertainty. Additional legislation is needed to clarify uncertainties and to limit eligibility for rewards, including protection of private tax return information from disclosure and preventing the government from incentivizing the breach of confidential obligations through offering rewards.

Part II provides an overview of the IRS examination function and examines data involving the utility …

Opinions On The Ethics Of Tax Evasion: A Comparative Study Of The Usa And Six Latin American Countries, Robert W. Mcgee, Wendy Gelman

Akron Tax Journal

This study does not take either of these approaches. It does not analyze tax evasion from the perspective of economics or public finance, and it does not apply ethical theory to determine under what circumstances tax evasion might be considered ethical, although ethics is discussed. It focuses on the attitude toward tax evasion of a wide range of individuals in six Latin American countries as well as the United States. The main goals of this study are to determine general attitudes on the ethics of tax evasion and to determine whether certain demographic variables, including gender, age, level of education, …

The Tax Debts Of Small Business Owners In Bankruptcy, Rafael Efrat

Akron Tax Journal

Tax burden on small business owners in the United States is significant and regressive in nature. Some studies have linked the tax burden on small business owners to lower profitability, lower rate of entrepreneurial growth, and business closures. The tax burden also appears to cause some small business owners to resort to bankruptcy protection. The objective of this study is to investigate the burden tax obligations impose on small business owners at the time of their bankruptcy filing. Specifically, using a national sample, this study ascertains the pervasiveness of tax debts among small business owner bankruptcy petitioners.

The findings from …

Adding Insult To Injury: The Federal Income Tax Consequences Of The Clawback Of Executive Compensation, Matthew A. Melone

Akron Tax Journal

Part I of this article discusses and analyzes clawbacks in general, including clawbacks that are part of common-law remedial schemes, federally legislated clawbacks, and those triggered by contractual clawback provisions. Part II of this article analyzes the tax consequences to the executives that result from the repayment or forfeiture of compensation. This part provides an analysis of the annual accounting concept and the claim-of-right doctrine which will generally result in the payment and return of compensation to be accounted for in separate tax years and, concomitantly, will generally result in incongruent tax consequences. The exceptions to the annual accounting concept …

The Individual Alternative Minimum Tax And The Intersection Of The Bush Tax Cuts: A Proposal For Permanent Reform, Gabriel Aitsebaomo

Akron Tax Journal

The foregoing article begins with a critical examination of the AMT, its purpose, policy rationale, and the manner that it is calculated. Next, the article discusses the mushrooming number of individuals subject to the AMT, and the author posits that the AMT, in its current form, is neither achieving its intended purpose nor fulfilling its policy objective given the increasing number of unintended middle and upper middle class taxpayers subject to the tax. Next, the author critically examines the Bush tax cuts from 2001 to 2004, and concludes that the Bush tax cuts, and the fact that the AMT parameters …

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

Akron Tax Journal

No abstract provided.

To Tax Or Not To Tax - That Is The Question In The Midst Of Murphy V. I.R.S., Margarita R. Karpov

Akron Tax Journal

This note examines § 104(a)(2) and the D.C. Circuit decision in Murphy v. I.R.S. focusing on the need for further guidance on taxation of personal damages. Part II inspects the background of taxation generally and § 104(a)(2) specifically. Additionally, Part II looks at the cases that shaped taxation of personal injury awards and Congress's interpretation of this taxation. Part III discusses the background and judicial response to Murphy's complaint, including the Secretary of Labor's findings, Administrative Law Judge's recommendations, the District Court decision, and the D.C. Circuit arguments and decision. Part IV assesses the reasoning of the D.C. Circuit's decision, …

Analyzing The Schizoid Agency: Achieving The Proper Balance In Enforcing The Internal Revenue Code, Richard Lavoie

Akron Tax Journal

The purpose of this article is to examine the considerations that should influence the development of appropriate controversy position standards for the Service. In this regard it is crucial to understand the inherent duality in the Service's role. On one hand it is charged with enforcing the Internal Revenue Code (the "Code"), and as a result it attempts to maximize the collection of all legally owed taxes. On the other, the Service is charged with maintaining the efficient and fair operation of the tax system as a whole. The United States federal income tax system is premised on voluntary taxpayer …

Fairness And Taxation: The Law Of Deferred Income Recognition For The Members Of Agricultural Cooperatives, Kathryn J. Sedo, Mychal S. Brenden

Akron Tax Journal

This Article examines the application of the principles of income recognition and deferral to agricultural cooperatives and suggests a resolution to current inconsistencies in the law. Recent decisions have brought into question the ability of cooperative members to utilize both the ISA and deferred income agreements. This Article asserts that cooperative members can and should be able to take advantage of such options. Part I provides a general background on agricultural cooperatives and sets out the current legal framework for income recognition and deferral. Part II analyzes the current state of the law in regard to the treatment of cooperatives …

Only A Name? Trademark Royalties, Nexus, And Taxing That Which Enriches, Sheldon H. Laskin

Akron Tax Journal

This Article asserts that the correct constitutional nexus standard for state taxation of royalty income derived from the use of trademarks and tradenames is the well-established business situs rule for taxing intangibles. Pursuant to the business situs rule, a state may, consistent with federal constitutional requirements, levy an appropriately apportioned tax on the trademark royalty income of a business that has purposefully availed itself of the benefits and opportunities of doing business in that state. That is, intellectual property is presumed to have a taxing situs at any location where it is used to realize income. A state may therefore …

Repairing Facade Easements: Is This The Gift That Launched A Thousand Deductions?, Martha Jordan

Akron Tax Journal

This article explores the impact of such a covenant on the characterization for tax purposes of expenditures to maintain the façade. In particular this article explores the following question: Given that the charitable easement holder owns a nonpossessory interest in the façade, which imposes on the charity an obligation to repair and maintain the façade and entitles it to benefit from increases in the value of the façade, is a donor's assumption of the charity's obligation to repair the façade an additional charitable contribution to the charity? If a donor gratuitously makes improvements to property owned outright by a charity, …

Treble Damages In National Health Service Corps Contracts, Public Policy, And Hawronsky V. Commissioner, Richard C.E. Beck

Akron Tax Journal

The main thesis of this article is that Hawronsky v. Commissioner is erroneous and the deduction should be allowed because I.R.C. § 162(f) does not apply. The taxpayer did pay a "fine or similar penalty to the government," but he did not pay it "for the violation of any law," which is a necessary element of I.R.C. § 162(f). The taxpayer merely breached his NHSC contract. This crucial issue went completely unnoticed by the court and the parties. Because I.R.C. § 162(f) does not apply, the treble damages are (except for the original tax-free scholarship itself) a deductible business expense …

Crew 4 You, Inc. V. Wilkins: The Ohio Supreme Court Misapplies Statute And Precedent To Eliminate The Resale Exception To Sales Of Employment Services, Jon R. Stefanik Ii

Akron Tax Journal

This Note critically examines the Ohio Supreme Court's opinion in Crew 4 You. Part II examines the tax on retail sales, the resale exception and its application to services, and the significant Ohio Supreme Court cases applying the resale exception to transactions involving services. Part III provides a synopsis of the arguments and reasoning at each stage of the appeal in Crew 4 You, including the Tax Commissioner's assessment, his Final Determination, the decision of the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals ("BTA"), and the decision of the Ohio Supreme Court. Part IV analyzes the Ohio Supreme Court's reasoning …

Rethinking The Role Of The Judicial Step Transaction Principle And A Proposal For Codification, Yoram Keinana

Akron Tax Journal

Thus, as this article will conclude, the role of the step transaction doctrine has been diminishing over the years from a primary weapon against tax shelters into an alternative test. In order to revive its role, the step transaction principle could be codified. As opposed to the controversial proposed codification of the economic substance doctrine, in my view, the codification of the step transaction principle will be more acceptable. The last part of this article sets forth a basic proposal for such codification.

This article will continue as follows. The first part discusses the fundamentals of the general principle of …