In this third episode in a series of Ropes & Gray podcasts addressing emerging issues for fiduciaries of 401(k) and 403(b) plans to consider as part of their litigation risk management strategy, litigation & enforcement partner Amy Roy and benefits consultant Aneisha Worrell discuss some key takeaways from Anderson v. Intel Corp. Investment Policy Committee, the first case to date to address the prudence question under ERISA of including private equity and hedge fund investments on a defined contribution plan menu.

Following a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, former President Donald Trump will have to face an investigation in New York. María González Calvet, litigation & enforcement partner and former United States federal prosecutor, details the scope of this decision in which Trump, as a U.S. citizen, must provide his tax returns to New York state prosecutors. Trump has for years waged a fierce legal battle through his attorneys to avoid scrutiny of his financial information.

To watch the interview,  click here.

President Biden’s Tax Plan: Beyond the First 100 Days. Elizabeth Smith and tax partner David Saltzman will participate in a Boston Bar Association (BBA) webinar titled “President Biden’s Tax Plan: Beyond the First 100 Days” on May 19, 2021. The webinar will discuss the substantive aspects of the tax changes in the Rescue Plan, proposed tax changes that we are likely to see enacted in both parts of the Recovery Plan, and the various legislative obstacles to major tax reform that President Biden will face beyond the first 100 days. In addition to changes at the federal level, the webinar will also address how these changes will affect taxpayers in states that may or may not conform to the Internal Revenue Code and how those aspects of the Rescue Plan and the Recovery Plan that are likely to result in increased IRS enforcement and tax controversy.

Tax Open Forum Discussion: what next for Pillar One?: Kat Gregor spoke on an IBA webinar on March 30, 2021, which focused on taking a look at Pillar one within the OECD/G-20 Inclusive Framework. The webinar discussed where we are on Pillar One; talked through some of the roadblocks and considered what the potential solutions might look like.

 ABA/IBA/IFA Virtual 21st Annual U.S. and Europe Tax Practice Trends Conference: Kat Gregor was co-chair of the co-organized ABA/IBA/IFA Virtual 21st Annual U.S. and Europe Tax Practice Trends Conference, taking place March 22-25, 2021. The conference focused on practical tax practice trends for multinational corporations and their international advisors as well as provide insight into how government tax officials might view the international tax landscape in light of international developments that affect corporate taxpayers. Kat led a panel looking at recent global transfer pricing developments.  Tax associate Franziska Hertel also spoke on “Responding to a Mess(ier) Crypto Tax Landscape” panel.

71st Virtual Midyear Conference: Kat Gregor was a panelist on “Preserving Privilege in the Virtual World” during the virtual 71st TEI Midyear Meeting on March 23, 2021.

International Tax Disputes, Joint Webinar with A&L Goodbody.  Kat Gregor  jointly hosted a webinar on international tax disputes with tax partners Amelia O’Beirne and Paul Fahy from A&L Goodbody on March 3, 2021. The webinar discussed the Irish and U.S. tax disputes landscapes with a particular focus on transfer pricing related disputes and competent authority procedures.

Connecticut has passed a bill that provides tax relief for 2020 only for employees working remotely who would have potentially had their wages taxed by two states (H.B. 6516) The bill provides particular relief to Connecticut residents who are required to pay income taxes for the 2020 tax year to other states that use some version of the “convenience of the employer” rule, for example, providing relief to Connecticut residents who telecommuted to Massachusetts and New York-based employers.

Please click here to read the full article.

On Wednesday March 31, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden announced the American Jobs Plan and Made in America Tax Plan, designed to provide dramatic improvements to U.S. infrastructure writ large. The American Jobs Plan will focus on physical infrastructure, climate change, domestic manufacturing, research and development (R&D), and home health care services. The plan proposes funding the initiatives from measures including (i) increasing the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%, (ii) creating a 15% minimum tax on global book income, (iii) increasing the minimum effective tax rate on GILTI from 10.5% to 21%, (iv) moving towards a global minimum tax and preventing profit-stripping from U.S., (v) modifying deductions to incentivize on-shoring, (vi) eliminating subsidies for fossil fuels, and (vii) increasing tax enforcement. These proposals are summarized in this Alert.

Click here to read the full Alert.

In a recent FCPA Professor guest post, tax partner and tax controversy group co-founder Kat Gregor, litigation partner Ryan Rohlfsen, litigation senior attorney Yana Grishkan, and tax controversy counsel Elizabeth Smith examine how the final regulations interpreting Section 162(f) of the Code released on January 14, 2021 impact the deduction of amounts paid to the government in connection with an Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) violation.  Further, this post highlights considerations in light of Section 162(f) that companies should keep in mind while negotiating resolutions of governmental investigations of FCPA violations.

To read the full post, please click here.

On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), in furtherance of the fifth phase of the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. The full text of the bill is published here. The key tax provisions of the Phase 5 Stimulus are summarized in this Alert, and include the repeal of the worldwide interest allocation election, an expansion of the employee retention credit, and additional economic impact payments for individuals.

Click here to read the full Alert.

In this second episode of our Ropes & Gray podcast series addressing emerging issues for fiduciaries of 401(k) and 403(b) plans to consider as part of their litigation risk management strategy, ERISA & benefits partner Josh Lichtenstein and benefits principal David Kirchner discuss the importance of implementing a robust cybersecurity program for benefit plans to ensure that participant and beneficiary information and plan assets are properly protected.

For the first time, the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) filed a complaint alleging a manipulative scheme involving digital assets.The CFTC’s complaint, filed on March 5, 2021 in the Southern District of New York, charged antivirus software creator John McAfee and his former employee, Jimmy Gale Watson, who served as executive adviser of McAfee’s cryptocurrency team, for engaging in a pump-and-dump scheme in a variety of digital currencies.

Please click here to read the full alert.