The path was paved in 2021 for unprecedented tax developments in the coming years for large businesses, especially for multinationals and investment businesses operating across borders.
Continue Reading Taxes: Stepping up Enforcement and Ending the Global “Race to the Bottom”
Diana L. Wollman
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Taxes: The Rules Continue to Change and Tax Authorities Focus on Enforcement
In recent years, the international tax system has experienced significant change as tax authorities across the globe have adopted and implemented new rules and procedures to respond to the new economy and perceptions of taxpayers arbitraging differences among jurisdictions.
Continue Reading Taxes: The Rules Continue to Change and Tax Authorities Focus on Enforcement
IRS Issues Guidance on Deductibility of Settlement Payments Under New Law
By Diana L. Wollman & Jonathan Gifford on
In a February post, we discussed in detail recent changes to the U.S. tax rules governing the deductibility of settlement payments and court-ordered damages payments. The IRS has now released some limited guidance on this new law (IRS Notice 2018-23), and this post addresses what is in this guidance (the “Notice”).
To recap, under the new law: a settlement or court-ordered payment made to (or at the direction of) a government in relation to the violation of any law (or the investigation or inquiry by such government into the potential violation of any law) is not deductible for U.S. tax purposes unless the payment constitutes “restitution (or remediation of property) ” or “a payment for the purpose of coming into compliance with a law”.Continue Reading IRS Issues Guidance on Deductibility of Settlement Payments Under New Law
Settlement Payments Under the New Tax Reform Law
By Diana L. Wollman, Rebecca Reeb & Katie Sheridan on
Investigations into potential violations of U.S. and non-U.S. securities laws are often resolved by a settlement requiring the business to make one or more large settlement payments. We have seen settlements paid to the DOJ, the SEC, other U.S. and non-U.S. regulators, and private plaintiffs. An important question is whether the payment will be deductible for tax purposes. Since 1969, the U.S. tax law has denied a deduction for “any fine or similar penalty paid to a government for the violation of any law.”[i] This limitation was significantly changed by the U.S. tax reform law enacted in December of 2017 (known as the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act or “TCJA”). These changes, which had been proposed in Congress over 30 times since 2003 but not enacted until now, respond in part to disputes the IRS has had with taxpayers in the past.
Continue Reading Settlement Payments Under the New Tax Reform Law