December 03, 2023

Insights Volume 10 Number 6: Updates & Other Tidbits

December 03, 2023/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

This month, Wooyoung Lee looks at several interesting items, including (i) Aroeste v. U.S, an F.B.A.R. case that will bring joy to many expat green card holders living abroad and claiming U.S. tax benefits as a resident of a treaty partner country, (ii) continued movement towards passage of the Taiwan tax-treaty bill, reflecting bipartisan support in the Senate and House of Representatives, and (iii) the issuance by FinCEN of final regulations allowing a 90-day period for filing beneficial owner statements for companies formed in 2024.

March 28, 2023

Insights Volume 10 Number 2: Updates & Other Tidbits

March 28, 2023/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

This month, Michael Bennett and Wooyoung Lee look briefly at four items. The first is Bittner v. U.S., a Supreme Court case holding that the non-willful penalty for failing to file a complete and accurate F.B.A.R. form is $10,000 for the annual form and not $10,000 for each account. The second is Aroeste v. U.S., a U.S. District Court case holding that a dual resident individual whose residence is allocated to a treaty partner jurisdiction is not a U.S. person for purposes of filing F.B.A.R. reports. The third is a concession by the I.R.S. that a person had reasonable cause for the failure to file Form 3520 (Annual Return To Report Transactions With Foreign Trusts and Receipt of Certain Foreign Gifts) when following bad advice from his tax adviser. Finally, the BE-12 Benchmark Survey of Foreign Direct Investment in the U.S., conducted every five years by the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis, is due this year. The final due date for filing is (i) May 31 for those filing by mail or fax or (ii) June 30 for those filing electronically.

September 29, 2022

Insights Volume 9 Number 5: Updates & Other Tidbits

September 29, 2022/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

Two recent items of interest are addressed this month in Updates & Other Tidbits. The first is Franklin v. U.S., where the Fifth Circuit upheld the forfeiture of a U.S. passport in the context of a U.S. citizen who was seriously in tax debt to the I.R.S. Code §7345, allows the I.R.S. to effect the revocation of a U.S. citizen’s passport where a taxpayer owes more than $50,000 in tax, penalties, and interest. The taxpayer argued that international travel is a fundamental right of citizenship that was violated by the I.R.S. when it triggered forfeiture of his passport. The court disagreed, holding that a citizen has a fundamental right to travel within the U.S., but not internationally. The second item is an I.R.S. announcement that information on bank account interest will be exchanged automatically with Turkey when a Form W-8BEN (Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Withholding and Reporting (Individuals)) has been provided by the account holder and indicates that he or she is a resident of that country. Wooyoung Lee addresses the case, explains the I.R.S. announcement, and lists all countries that receive information concerning interest received from U.S. bank accounts.

June 28, 2019

Updates & Other Tidbits

June 28, 2019/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

This month, Fanny Karaman, Galia Antebi, and Stanley C. Ruchelman look at interesting items of tax news, including (i) the I.R.S. announcement that French contribution sociale généralisée ("C.S.G.") and contribution au remboursement de la dette sociale ("C.R.D.S.") are now considered creditable foreign income taxes as they are no longer considered to fall under the provisions of the France-U.S. Totalization Agreement, (ii) the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has recommended approval of protocols to income tax treaties with Japan, Luxembourg, Spain, and Switzerland, paving the way for Senate approval, and (iii) proposed regulations under Code §951A now allow taxpayers to claim the benefit of the high-tax kickout to limit the inclusion of G.I.L.T.I. income, thereby allowing individuals to avoid current taxation of net tested income when the controlled foreign corporation incurs foreign income taxes imposed at a rate that exceeds 18.9%.

February 28, 2019

Insights Vol. 6 No. 2: Updates & Other Tidbits

February 28, 2019/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

This month, Neha Rastogi and Nina Krauthamer look at interesting items of tax news from around the world: A new foreign investment law could ease the U.S.-China trade war, and another illegal State Aid investigation has been announced — this time over Dutch tax rulings issued to Nike and Converse.

January 28, 2019

Insights Vol. 6 No. 1: Updates & Other Tidbits

January 28, 2019/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

This month, Rusudan Shervashidze and Stanley C. Ruchelman look at several interesting items, including (i) the publication of draft legislation by the Crown Dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey, and Isle of Man calling for the existence of economic substance for resident companies engaged in certain businesses and defining what that means, (ii) the denial of benefits incident to foreign earned income for a military contractor in Afghanistan who maintained a place of abode in the U.S., (iii) an increase in fees charged by the I.R.S. to issue residency certificates, (iv) the establishment of a working group to combat transnational tax crime through increased enforcement collaboration among tax authorities in several countries, and (v) changes to China’s residency rules and the sharing of taxpayer financial information under C.R.S.

September 26, 2018

Insights Vol. 5 No. 8: Updates & Other Tidbits

September 26, 2018/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

This month, Rusudan Shervashidze, Neha Rastogi, and Nina Krauthamer look at several interesting updates and tidbits, including (i) potential tax reasons for Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Italy, (ii) a law suit brought by high-tax states against the U.S. Federal government in connection with the T.C.J.A. limitations on deductions for state and local taxes, (iii) the finding of the European Commission that the aid given to McDonalds by the Luxembourg government did not constitute illegal State Aid, and (iv) a successful F.A.T.C.A. prosecution against a former executive of Loyal Bank Ltd.

July 30, 2018

Insights Vol. 5 No. 6: Updates & Other Tidbits

July 30, 2018/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

This month, Neha Rastogi and Nina Krauthamer look at several interesting updates and tidbits, including (i) an I.R.S. notice that addresses legislative workarounds to limitations on deductions for state and local tax payments effective in 2018, (ii) new rules under Code §83(i), which allow a qualified employee to defer income attributable to stock received in connection with the exercise of an option or the settlement of a restricted stock unit (“R.S.U.”), and (iii) a call for guidance regarding cryptocurrency accounting.

June 14, 2018

Vol. 5 No. 5: Updates and Other Tidbits

June 14, 2018/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

This month, Rusudan Shervashidze and Nina Krauthamer look at several interesting updates and tidbits, including (i) limited relief for transition tax, (ii) a new twist to phishing that involves fake I.R.S. calls, (iii) another twist on phony correspondence requesting W-8BEN information that is used to obtain persona information often used by banks to confirm identities of customers, and (iv) new FinCEN money transmitter rules that apply to I.C.O.’s.

May 09, 2018

Insights Vol. 5 No. 4: Updates & Other Tidbits

May 09, 2018/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

This month, Tomi Oguntunde and Nina Krauthamer look briefly at several recent developments in international tax: (i) the Financial Accounting Standards Board continues to study the effect of the recent tax reform legislation on quarterly and annual reports, (ii) winners and losers under the recent tax reform legislation, and (iii) South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., a case involving the right of a state to impose an obligation on out-of-state internet retailers who maintain a “digital presence” in the state through internet sales.

April 01, 2018

Insights Vol. 5 No. 3: Updates & Other Tidbits

April 01, 2018/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

This month, Tomi Oguntunde, Sheryl Shah, and Nina Krauthamer look briefly at four recent developments in international tax: (i) the E.U. counteroffensive to U.S. tax reform involving stricter tax rules, (ii) the amendment of Form 1023-EZ, which is a streamlined application for non-profit entities applying for tax exempt status, (iii) Spain’s crackdown on celebrities attempting to evade tax, and (iv) Luxembourg’s continued pushback against the Amazon State Aid case.

February 28, 2018

Insights Vol. 5 No. 2: Updates & Other Tidbits

February 28, 2018/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

This month, Tomi Oguntunde, Sheryl Shah, and Nina Krauthamer look briefly at four recent developments in international tax: (i) an I.R.S. directive temporarily halting new examinations involving cost sharing agreements that do not include stock-based compensation costs, (ii) an I.R.S. appeal of a Texas District Court case in which certain anti-inversion rules were invalidated for nonconformance with the Administrative Procedures Act, (iii) Dutch measures to eliminate intragroup dividend withholding tax and address abusive tax planning channeled through the Netherlands, and (iv) a revised timeline for implementation of withholding tax on transfers involving effectively connected gain under Code §1446(f).

January 26, 2018

Insights Vol. 5 No. 1: Updates & Tidbits

January 26, 2018/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

This month, Neha Rastogi and Nina Krauthamer look briefly at three recent developments in international tax: (i) expired I.T.I.N.’s and how tax returns that use an expired I.T.I.N. will be treated by the I.R.S., (ii) the E.U. blacklist of uncooperative jurisdictions, which includes American Samoa and Guam, and (iii) and unanticipated tax demands on contributions to the Brexit campaign.

November 30, 2017

Insights Vol. 4 No. 11: Updates & Other Tidbits

November 30, 2017/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

This month, Sheryl Shah and Nina Krauthamer look briefly at two I.R.S. actions: (i) the roll out of a long-awaited passport denial program and (ii) the end of favorable rulings on certain worthless stock deductions and spinoffs.

October 24, 2017

Insights Vol. 4 No. 10: Updates & Other Tidbits

October 24, 2017/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

This month, Sheryl Shah, Neha Rastogi, and Nina Krauthamer look briefly at certain timely issues: (i) Swiss nexus requirements to be eligible for treaty benefits, (ii) the impact of technology tax reporting and information sharing, (iii) an I.R.S. pilot program expanding the scope of letter rulings to Code §355 stock and security distributions, and (iv) recent application of the 2016 anti-inversion regulations issued by the Obama Administration under Code §7874.

August 15, 2017

Insights Vol. 4 No. 8: Updates & Other Tidbits

August 15, 2017/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

This month, Neha Rastogi and Nina Krauthamer look briefly at certain timely issues: (i) a European parliament proposal to extend the scope of country-by-country (“CbC”) reporting by group members when the group parent is not obligated to report and (ii) regulations identified by the I.R.S. as imposing undue burden on taxpayers.

May 23, 2017

Insights Vol. 4 No. 5: Updates & Other Tidbits

May 23, 2017/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

This month, Astrid Champion and Nina Krauthamer look briefly at several timely issues, including (i) a novel claim of treaty residence in Ireland by a nonresident Irish domiciled individual subject to the domicile levy under Irish law and (ii) the introduction of a beneficial ownership register regime in the Cayman Islands regarding certain Cayman Islands corporations.

February 21, 2017

Insights Vol. 4 No. 2: Updates & Other Tidbits

February 21, 2017/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

This month, Astrid Champion and Nina Krauthamer look briefly at several timely issues, including (i) the expansion of the European Commission’s attack on illegal State Aid to the French multinational group Engie (formerly G.D.F. Suez), (ii) the request for review by the French Constitutional Court of the penalties imposed under Article 1736, IV bis of the French Tax Code, regarding the failure to disclose a connection with a foreign trust, and (iii) the decision of the European Commission in World Duty Free Group, which affirms the criteria for judging whether a measure by a Member State is selective in relation to certain companies and not others and, for that reason, constitutes illegal State Aid.

January 26, 2017

Insights Vol. 4 No. 1: Updates & Other Tidbits

January 26, 2017/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

This month, we look briefly at several timely issues, including (i) the termination of foreign acceptance agent agreements used to confirm copies of passports outside the U.S. when a non-U.S. individual obtains an I.T.I.N., (ii) a court order in Canada upholding a demand for disclosure of client names and documentation relating to participation in a discredited tax shelter, (iii) E.U. steps that identify potentially blacklisted low-tax or no-tax countries, and (iv) worsening relations between the U.S. and the E.U. stemming from widening differences in tax policies.

November 30, 2016

Insights Vol. 3 No. 10: Updates & Other Tidbits

November 30, 2016/ Ruchelman P.L.L.C.

This month Sultan Arab, Nina Krauthamer, and Galia Antebi look briefly at several timely issues, including (i) a Swiss court order granting UBS the right to appeal an administrative order to disclose French client information to French tax authorities, (ii) the expansion of I.R.S. offshore tax avoidance investigations to banks in countries other than Switzerland, and (iii) a continuing controversy over the Common Consolidated Tax Base, known as the C.C.T.B., proposed by the E.U. Commission.