Tax Law Commons^™

Reconsidering The Tax Treaty, Steven A. Dean, Rebecca M. Kysar

Faculty Scholarship

For nearly one hundred years, the international tax regime steadfastly pursued a single nemesis, double taxation. States armed themselves against this common enemy with their weapon of choice, the double tax treaty. Nearly uniform in language and approach, the treaties proliferated to more than three thousand in number,¹ resulting in a secure arrangement between and among states and taxpayers.

Yet in recent years, states have had to expand the war to multiple fronts in the face of globalization, technological changes, evolving taxpayer abuses, and shifts in both domestic and international political pressures. For instance, a growing recognition that the …

Branding Taxation, Jeffrey A. Maine, Xuan-Thao Nguyen

Faculty Publications

Branding is important not only to businesses,but also to the economy. The intellectual property laws and tax laws should thus further the legitimate goals of encouraging and protecting brand investments while maintaining a sound tax base. Intellectual property protections for branding depend on advertisement and enforcement, both of which demand significant amounts of private investment by firms. Although one would expect similar tax treatments of both categories of investment, the categories are actually treated as vastly different for federal income tax purposes. Additionally, tax distinctions also exist within each category. The result is that some branding investments are expensed and …

An Empirical Study Of Modification And Termination Of Conservation Easements: What The Data Suggest About Appropriate Legal Rules, Gerald Korngold, Semida Munteanu, Lauren Smith

Articles & Chapters

The acquisition of conservation easements by nonprofit organizations (“NPOs”) over the past twenty-five years has revolutionized the preservation of American land. Recently, however, legislatures, courts, practitioners, and commentators have debated whether and how conservation easements should be modified and even terminated. The discussion has almost always been on a theoretical level without empirical grounding and has sometimes generated much heat but little light. The discussion has lacked the necessary empirical context to allow legislatures and courts to thoughtfully develop resolutions to these issues free from sloganeering and posturing.

This article provides and analyzes a previously uncollected dataset that offers guidance …

When Tech Startups Outgrow The 1099 Model: Moving Firms Out Of The Kiddie Pool, Chelsea Fitzgerald

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

The 1099 independent contractor has become the new norm for Silicon Valley startups. In the wake of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Alexander v. Fed Ex, tech startups have been scrutinized for their financially savvy preference for 1099 contractors through both class action lawsuits and administrative proceedings. As these movers and shakers grow from humble beginnings to companies with multi-billion dollar valuations, the choice between classifying workers as traditional W-2 employees or 1099 contractors will have dramatic effects on the peer economy's labor force and tax status. This Note examines the startup worker classification dilemma, concludes that …

Designing A 21st Century Corporate Tax – An Advance U.S. Minimum Tax On Foreign Income And Other Measures To Protect The Base, Stephen E. Shay, J. Clifton Fleming Jr., Robert J. Peroni

Faculty Scholarship

The 21st Century has seen unprecedented levels of corporate tax aggressiveness and avoidance. This article continues our exploration of second best international tax reforms that would protect the U.S. corporate tax base and have some likelihood of adoption. In this case, we consider how a U.S. minimum tax on foreign income earned by a controlled foreign corporation should be designed to protect the United States against erosion of its corporate income tax base and to combat tax competition by low-tax intermediary countries. In the authors’ view, a minimum tax should be an interim levy that preserves the residual U.S. tax …

The Eighth Amendment And Tax Evasion: Whether Fatca Non-Compliance Fines And Fbar Penalties Are Excessive, Tyler R. Murray

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

Saving The Next Superman: An Alternative Approach To The Taxation Of Copyright Termination Rights, Benjamin Newell

Journal of Intellectual Property Law

No abstract provided.

Trade Act Of 1974-Countervailing Duties-Nonexcessive Remission Of Foreign Excise Tax On Products Imported Into The United States Does Not Constitute A Bounty Or Grant Requiring The Levy Of Countervailing Duties, Garry Seltzer

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of The United States Tax Laws On International Technology Transfer: An Overview And Some Suggestion For Minimizing The Bite, Marcus B. Finnegan, Robert E. Mccarthy

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Curb Your Enthusiasm For Pigovian Taxes, Victor Fleischer

Faculty Scholarship

Pigovian (or “corrective”) taxes have been proposed or enacted on dozens of harmful products and activities: carbon, gasoline, fat, sugar, guns, cigarettes, alcohol, traffic, zoning, executive pay, and financial transactions, among others. Academics of all political stripes are mystified by the public’s inability to see the merits of using Pigovian taxes more frequently to address serious social harms, some even calling for the creation of a “Pigovian state.”

This academic enthusiasm for Pigovian taxes should be tempered. A Pigovian tax is easy to design—as a uniform excise tax—if one assumes that each individual causes the same amount of harm with …

The Inexorable Rise Of The Vat: Is The Us Next?, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Law & Economics Working Papers

The rise of the Value Added Tax (VAT) from obscure beginnings in the 1950s to one of the most important taxes in the world (by revenue collected) is a story worth telling, and Kathryn James does a magnificent job in telling it in her new book. Despite its significance, very little is known about why so many countries have adopted the VAT and, in particular, why different countries adopt the types of VAT that they do. The popular mythology provides that the merits of the VAT have underpinned its global spread; however, this book contends that much scholarship on the …

The Evolution Of Giving: Considerations For Regulation Of Cryptocurrency Donation Deductions, Ashley Pittman

Duke Law & Technology Review

This Issue Brief looks at the rapidly growing area of cryptocurrency donations to nonprofit organizations. Given the recent IRS guidance issued on taxation of Bitcoin, specifically its decision to treat cryptocurrencies as property, questions now arise as to how charitable contributions of the coins will be valued for tax deductions. Though Bitcoin resembles most other capital gain property, its volatility, general decline in value, anonymity, and potential for abuse require specific guidance on valuation and substantiation so as to handle its unique nature and prevent larger deductions for charitable contributions than those to which taxpayers are entitled.

Post-Graduate Legal Training: The Case For Tax-Exempt Programs, Adam Chodorow, Philip T. Hackney

Journal Articles

The challenging job market for recent law school graduates has highlighted a fact well known to those familiar with legal education: A significant gap exists between what students learn in law school and what they need to be practice-ready lawyers. Legal employers historically assumed the task of providing real-world training, but they have become much less willing to do so. At the same time, a large numbers of Americans – and not just those living at or below the poverty line – are simply unable to afford lawyers. In this Article, we argue that post-graduate legal training, similar to post-graduate …

Of More Than Usual Interest: The Taxing Problem Of Debt Principal, Charlene D. Luke

Seattle University Law Review

Leverage is an essential but often troubling component of the U.S. market. The financial crisis highlighted the risks and complexity of a leverage web that includes flesh-and-blood people from all walks of life and paper people from all corners of the business and investment world. In the tax area, the potentially problematic incentive effects of interest deductibility have long engaged a wide array of tax commentators and policymakers. While interest deductibility rightly receives widespread scrutiny, a more comprehensive approach to leverage is needed. This Article focuses on the surprisingly complicated tax treatment of cash (and cash equivalent) borrowings. This Article …

2015 Tax Conference Forms

William & Mary Annual Tax Conference

No abstract provided.

Employee Benefits In Acquisitions, Paul M. Hamburger

William & Mary Annual Tax Conference

No abstract provided.

Special Family And Lifestyle Tax Issues, Helena S. Mock

William & Mary Annual Tax Conference

No abstract provided.

Dealing With Installment Sales 35 Years After The Installment Sales Revision Act Of 1980, Robert D. Schachat

William & Mary Annual Tax Conference

No abstract provided.

Traps All Tax Practitioners Should Know And Avoid, Christopher S. Rizek, Craig D. Bell, Karen Hawkins

William & Mary Annual Tax Conference

No abstract provided.

The Administration's Tax Reform Targets -- Selected Issues, Stephen L. Owen, Lisa M. Zarlenga

William & Mary Annual Tax Conference

No abstract provided.