Spring Newsletter 2018

In this Ropes & Gray podcast, tax associate Brandon Dunn is joined by tax partners Kat Gregor and David Saltzman to discuss one of the most notable tax decisions from the fourth quarter of 2017 and its implications for taxpayers, particularly multinational corporations. On September 29, 2017, in Chamber of Commerce of the United

In a trilogy of releases in the last six weeks, the Department of Treasury (“Treasury”) provided much-needed guidance on the implementation of the partnership audit rules in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (the “BBA Rules”). On the eve of the BBA Rules coming into effect (for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017), Treasury

On December 29, 2017, the Delaware Chancery Court decided in LSVC Holdings, LLC. v. Vestcom Parent Holdings, Inc. et al. to deny the buyer’s claim for an allocated share of transaction tax deductions (“TTDs”) taken by the seller in a pre-closing tax filing. TTDs include many transactional expenses, such as professional fees and payments for options cancellations or bonuses. Generally, absent contractual modification, pre-closing TTDs benefit the seller, and post-closing TTDs benefit the buyer. As described further below, this case highlights the importance of careful review of transaction documents, as TTDs can dramatically decrease tax obligations for the company eligible to benefit from them.
Continue Reading Delaware Chancery Court Rules that Buyer is Not Entitled to Share in Transaction Tax Deductions

Congress has passed and President Trump has signed new tax reform legislation (the “Act”). Although the Act falls short of repealing the “death tax”, it doubles the amount an individual may transfer free of tax either by gift during lifetime or at death, rendering federal transfer taxes irrelevant for all but the wealthiest of Americans.

After much uncertainty surrounding competing bills, the House of Representatives voted to pass comprehensive tax reform legislation (the “Act”) on December 20, 2017, shortly after the Senate passed the measure. The Act will now be sent to President Trump’s desk, and it is expected that he will sign the bill into law. The Act contains

On Wednesday, December 20, 2017, the House of Representatives voted to pass the most significant tax reform legislation in three decades (the “Act”) just hours after the Senate passed the measure. The legislation’s provisions will affect a broad range of taxpayers, making substantial changes to the taxation of businesses, individuals, and tax-exempt organizations, and adding

On November 29, 2017, the Department of Treasury (“Treasury”) issued proposed regulations (REG-119337-17) addressing certain international tax aspects of the centralized partnership audit regime passed into law in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (the “BBA Rules”). The newly proposed regulations provide rules addressing FATCA and other tax withholding on foreign partners and the treatment of certain foreign tax payments made by a partnership. The newly proposed regulations are one piece of guidance expected from Treasury as the BBA Rules come into effect for partnership tax years beginning after December 31, 2017.
Continue Reading New Partnership Audit Regulations Released as Effective Date Draws Near

After months of screening global tax policies by the European Council’s Code of Conduct Group, the EU has finalised its tax-haven blacklist – a list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes, which currently comprises the following 17 jurisdictions: American Samoa, Bahrain, Barbados, Grenada, Guam, Macao SAR, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Namibia, Palau, Panama, Saint Lucia, Samoa,

Last week the House Republicans introduced the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, their long-awaited first draft of tax reform legislation, bringing Congress one step closer to achieving tax reform. Earlier this year, the House of Representatives and the Senate passed budget resolutions with reconciliation directives, clearing a path for tax reform which is not subject