Posts

IRS Corporate Jet Audits Campaign | MN IRS Audit Tax Lawyer

/in , , /by

On February 21, 2024, the IRS announced that it will begin dozens of audits of business aircraft usage as part of a new tax enforcement campaign. In this short article, I will discuss these new IRS corporate jet audits in more detail.

IRS Corporate Jet Audits: Focus on Personal Use of High-Net Individuals

The IRS announced that it will be auditing the usage of corporate aircraft for personal purposes.  The chief revenue agency of the United States was blunt in identifying who it is targeting — high-net individuals. The audits will focus on aircraft usage by large corporations, large partnerships and high-income taxpayers and whether, for tax purposes, the use of jets is being properly allocated between business and personal reasons.

Officers, executives, other employees, shareholders and partners often use business aircraft for both business and personal reasons. In general, the Internal Revenue Code allows a business deduction for expenses of maintaining an asset, such as a corporate jet, as long as the company uses the asset for a business purpose. However, the company must allocate use of a company aircraft between business use and personal use. This is a complex area of tax law, and record-keeping can be challenging.

Hence, for someone such as an executive using the company jet for personal travel, the amount of personal usage impacts eligibility for certain business deductions. Use of the company jet for personal travel typically results in income inclusion by the individual using the jet for personal travel and could also impact the business’ eligibility to deduct costs related to the personal travel.

The number of audits related to aircraft usage could increase in the future following initial results and as the IRS continues hiring additional examiners.

IRS Corporate Jet Audits: Funding and Strategies

The IRS was quick to identify  the Inflation Reduction Act as the source of funding of this new IRS campaign. The IRS will be using advanced analytics and resources from the Inflation Reduction Act to more closely examine this area. At the same time, the agency complained that, in the past, it did not have the resources to properly audit this area due to low resources.

“During tax season, millions of people are doing the right thing by filing and paying their taxes, and they should have confidence that everyone is also following the law,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. “Personal use of corporate jets and other aircraft by executives and others have tax implications, and it’s a complex area where IRS work has been stretched thin. With expanded resources, IRS work in this area will take off. These aircraft audits will help ensure high-income groups aren’t flying under the radar with their tax responsibilities.”

The examination of corporate jet usage is part of the IRS Large Business and International division’s “campaign” program. Campaigns apply different compliance streams to help address areas with a high risk of non-compliance. These efforts include issue-focused examinations, taxpayer outreach and education, tax form changes and focusing on particular issues that present a high risk of noncompliance.

IRS Corporate Jet Audits: Implications for Broader IRS Tax Enforcement

The IRS corporate jet audits are just part of a larger effort of the IRS to step up tax enforcement worldwide. Prior to the Inflation Reduction Act, more than a decade of budget cuts prevented the IRS from keeping pace with the increasingly complicated set of tools that the wealthiest taxpayers use to avoid taxes. The IRS is now taking swift and aggressive action to close this gap with the focus on high-net-worth individuals.

“The IRS continues to increase scrutiny on high-income taxpayers as we work to reverse the historic low audit rates and limited focus that the wealthiest individuals and organizations faced in the years that predated the Inflation Reduction Act,” Werfel said. “We are adding staff and technology to ensure that the taxpayers with the highest income, including partnerships, large corporations and millionaires and billionaires, pay what is legally owed under federal law. The IRS will have more announcements to make in this important area.”

Of course, one of the most important areas of the increased IRS tax enforcement is US international tax compliance. This involves compliance with foreign income reporting, FBARs and various other information returns (Forms 3520, 3520-A, 5471, 8865, 8938, et cetera).

Contact Sherayzen Law Office for IRS Audits of Your US International Tax Compliance

If the IRS is auditing your US international tax compliance, including foreign income and foreign asset reporting, contact Sherayzen Law Office for professional help as soon as possible. We have helped taxpayers around the world with the IRS international tax audits. We can help you!

Contact Us Today to Schedule Your Confidential Consultation!

§318 Option Attribution | International Tax Lawyers United States

/in , /by

A previous article defined “option” for the purposes of the IRC (Internal Revenue Code) §318(a)(4). Today, I will discuss the main §318 option attribution rule.

§318 Option Attribution: Main Rule

Under §318(a)(4), “if any person has an option to acquire stock, such stock shall be considered as owned by such person.” For the purposes of §318 option attribution rules, an option to acquire an option to acquire stock is also considered an option to acquire stock. Id. It does not matter whether the option to acquire an option is granted by the corporation or by a shareholder.

Additionally, a series of options to acquire an option to acquire stock is considered an option to acquire stock Id.; in other words, the owner of a series of options is the constructive owner of the stock. That is the subject of this series.

Let’s use the following example to illustrate §318 option attribution: A and B each own 10 shares in X, a C-corporation; A has an option to acquire 5 shares of X owned by B; A also has an option to acquire an option to acquire B’s other 5 shares of X; finally, A has an option to acquire 5 unissued shares of X. The issue is: how many shares does A own?

By applying the rules above, A would actually and constructively own a total of 25 shares: 10 shares that he actually owns and 15 shares the he constructively owns under §318(a)(4) (all 10 shares of X owned by B plus 5 unissued shares of X).

§318 Option Attribution: Special Case of Convertible Debentures

Pursuant to Rev. Rul. 68-601, an owner of a convertible debenture (i.e. a debenture that can be converted into stock of a corporation) is deemed to be in the same position as a an option owner for the purposes of §318(a)(4) as long as he has the right to obtain the stock at his election. In other words, an owner of such a convertible debenture is a constructive owner of the stock into which the debenture can be converted.

Moreover, by drawing an analogy to the main §318 option attribution rule, an option to acquire a convertible debenture would be treated in the same manner under §318 as an option to acquire an option to acquire stock. Hence, the owner of an option to acquire a convertible debenture is a constructive owner fo the stock into which this debenture can be converted.

§318 Option Attribution vs. §318 Family Member Attribution

There are certain situations where stocks may be attributed to an individual under both, §318(a)(1) (i.e. family attribution rules) and the §318(a)(4) (i.e. option attribution rules). Since there are differences in legal effect, it is important to understand which rule governs in such situations.

Under §318(a)(5)(D), §318 option attribution supercedes the §318 family attribution. In other words, where an individual is deemed to be a constructive owner of shares under both rules, only the §318 option constructive ownership rules will apply to him.

This primacy of option attribution over family attribution may have a highly important tax impact in certain situations, such as the tax treatment of redemption of stock by a corporation. Let’s analyze an example to illustrate the disparate impact of these two attribution rules in the context of the §302(c)(2) waiver.

Let’s use the following hypothetical situation: W, an individual, owns 10 shares of X, a C-corporation; her husband, H, owns the remaining 40 shares of X; W has an option to purchase all of H’s shares of X. W redeems all l0 shares of X with the idea to establish a complete termination of her interest in the corporation once she waives the attribution of H’s shares to her by using the §302(c)(2) waiver (we assume here that she also fulfills all other requirements under §302). Will this strategy work in this case?

The answer is no. The problem is that the waiver under §302(c)(2) is available only for attribution from a family member. While it is true that W is a constructive owner of H’s 40 shares by the operation of family attribution rules, she is also the constructive owner of the same shares under the §318 option attribution rules. Since option attribution supercedes family attribution, she cannot use the §302 waiver. This means that W cannot establish a complete termination of her interest in X and the redemption of her 10 stocks will be treated as a dividend (with no cost-basis offset against the proceeds) as opposed to a sale.

Contact Sherayzen Law Office for Professional Help With US International Tax Law

If you own foreign assets, including foreign business entities, you have the daunting obligation to meet all of your complex US international tax compliance requirements; otherwise, you may have to face the wrath of the IRS in the form of high noncompliance penalties. In order to successfully meet your US international tax compliance obligations, you need the professional help of Sherayzen Law Office.

We are an international tax law firm that specializes in US international tax compliance and offshore voluntary disclosures. We have successfully helped hundreds of US taxpayers worldwide with their US international tax compliance, and we can help you!

Contact Us Today to Schedule Your Confidential Consultation!