Please refer to the following list of recent tax and tax controversy-related COVID-19 alerts in addition to original articles for insight and guidance pertaining to updates from the Biden Administration. For a comprehensive list of related thought leadership, please refer to the COVID-19 landing page.
Litigation & enforcement partner Dan Ward, benefits partner Josh Lichtenstein, and benefits consulting principal David Kirchner co-hosted a webinar on May 25 focused on the recent wave of retirement plan litigation focused on not-for-profits and how to mitigate risk for employers and plan sponsors. Plaintiffs’ firms are aggressively targeting 403(b)/401(k) retirement plan sponsors in a
In this fourth episode of Ropes & Gray’s podcast series addressing emerging issues for fiduciaries of 401(k) and 403(b) retirement plans to consider as part of their litigation risk management strategy, ERISA & benefits partner Josh Lichtenstein speaks with Ed McNicholas, co-chair of the data, privacy & cybersecurity practice, and David Kirchner, a principal in
**These legal developments are still in progress. We will update this Alert as the Plan makes its way through the legislative process.***
On Wednesday April 28, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden announced the American Families Plan, designed to expand access to education, child care, and health care, among other initiatives. The White House released a fact sheet outlining the plan, and Biden detailed the plan in an address to Congress.1 The American Families Plan would be funded by increasing tax enforcement on corporations and high-income taxpayers, enforcement of which would be supported by newly enhanced information reporting from financial institutions. The initiatives would also be funded by raising taxes on high-income taxpayers, including (i) increasing the top income tax rate to 39.6% from 37%, (ii) increasing the capital gains rate to 39.6% from 20% for those earning $1 million or more, (iii) eliminating a step-up in basis for gains in excess of $1 million, (iv) eliminating the carried interest loophole, (v) eliminating the special real estate tax break on gains greater than $500,000, (vi) extending the limitation that restricts excess business losses, (vii) and ensuring those making over $400,000 pay the same consistent 3.8% Medicare tax. These proposals are summarized in this Alert.
President Biden has also recently proposed investing $80 billion in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for enforcement funding and giving IRS the authority to regulate paid tax preparers.2 The plan did not address expansion of the state and local tax (SALT) deduction, which is currently capped at $10,000. The American Families Plan follows the $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan and Made in America Tax Plan released at the end of March and is the second part of President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda. (See Ropes & Gray April 6, 2021 Alert.)
Continue Reading American Family Plan—Summary of Certain Key Tax Components
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
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
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
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
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