An often-explored theme of this blog is the frequency with which similarly situated owners of similarly situated closely held business, facing a similar set of economic circumstances, and presented with a similar set of...more
5/3/2022
/ Appellate Courts ,
B Corporation ,
C-Corporation ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Compensation ,
Dividends ,
Entrepreneurs ,
Management Fees ,
Reasonable Compensation ,
Shareholders ,
Stocks ,
Tax Court ,
Tax Deductions ,
Written Agreements
Withdrawing Value-
In general, the owners of a closely held business have several options by which they may withdraw money from the business without selling their interest in the business....more
4/26/2022
/ Capital Assets ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Compensation ,
Debtor-Creditor ,
Equity ,
Fund Distribution ,
IRS ,
Liquidation ,
Partnership Distributions ,
Partnership Interests ,
Partnerships ,
Passthru Payments ,
Taxation
Withdrawing Value-
Any tax adviser who has represented closely held businesses and their owners long enough realizes there are certain recurring themes that transcend the otherwise unique characteristics of the industry of...more
3/21/2022
/ C-Corporation ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Compensation ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Credit Cards ,
Dividends ,
IRS ,
Management Fees ,
Meal and Entertainment Expenditures ,
Personal Use ,
Shareholder Distributions ,
Shareholders ,
Tax Court ,
Tax Planning
Double Tax-
The shareholders of C corporations have long sought legitimate operational and transactional structures by which they may reduce the double tax hit that is realized when such a corporation distributes its...more
3/11/2022
/ Audits ,
Burden of Proof ,
C-Corporation ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Corporate Bonuses ,
Corporate Net Income ,
Disguised Sales ,
Dividends ,
Income Taxes ,
IRS ,
Job Duties ,
Midsize and Large Business Loans ,
Multi-Factor Test ,
Purchase Price ,
Reasonable Compensation ,
Salary/Wage History ,
Sale of Assets ,
Shareholders ,
Tax Liability ,
Tax Returns
“It’s My Business”-
The owner of a closely held business will often find it difficult to distinguish the business from their own person. That is certainly true for a sole proprietorship. In many cases, unfortunately, the...more
2/17/2022
/ Alter Ego ,
Client Assets ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Compensation ,
Creditors ,
Fraudulent Transfers ,
IRS ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
Purchase Agreement ,
Tax Assessment ,
Tax Liability ,
Trusts
“Would I ever leave this company? Look, I’m all about loyalty. In fact, I feel like part of what I’m being paid for here is my loyalty. But if there were somewhere else that valued loyalty more highly, I’m going wherever they...more
2/11/2022
/ Closely Held Businesses ,
Compensation ,
Corporate Officers ,
Directors ,
Employee Stock Purchase Plans ,
Equity ,
ESOP ,
Fair Market Value ,
Family Businesses ,
Forfeiture ,
IRS ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
Partnerships ,
S-Corporation ,
Tax Court ,
Tax Shelters ,
Trustees ,
Vested Benefits
Goodbye New York-
Late last year, the U.S. Census Bureau released data showing population shifts across the country during 2021. According to this information, New York lost 1.8 percent of its population...
...more
1/18/2022
/ Apportionment ,
C-Corporation ,
Census Bureau ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Domicile ,
Exit Tax ,
Income Taxes ,
Middle Market ,
New York ,
Pass-Through Entities ,
Residence Status ,
Small Business ,
State of the State ,
Tax Advice ,
Tax Increases ,
Tax Relief ,
Taxable Income
Counting the Days?-
We are 302 days away from the national mid-term elections, to be held November 8, 2022, yet the first full week of the new year has already highlighted some of the economic issues with which the...more
1/12/2022
/ Appraisal ,
Business Ownership ,
Business Valuations ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Estate Planning ,
Estate Tax ,
Fair Market Value ,
Federal Budget ,
Gift Tax ,
Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs) ,
Grantor Trusts ,
Investment Banks ,
IRS ,
Letters of Intent ,
Mark-To-Market ,
Medicare ,
Net Investment Income ,
Qualified Small Business Stock ,
Stocks ,
Surtax ,
Target Company ,
Tax Increases ,
Wealth Tax
Timing-
I had planned to post this piece during the third week of December, a day or so after the exchange between Senator Manchin and the White House sealed the fate of the Build Back Better plan, at least in its current...more
1/4/2022
/ Business Assets ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
IRS ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
New York ,
Partnerships ,
Pass-Through Entities ,
Private Equity ,
QSub ,
Reorganizations ,
Revenue Procedures ,
S-Corporation ,
SALT ,
Shareholders ,
Tax Increases ,
Tax Liability ,
Transfer Taxes
“I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress.” – Pres. Ronald Regan-
That line probably describes the exasperation with which many Americans...more
12/14/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
Business Ownership ,
Capital Gains ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Fair Market Value ,
Federal Budget ,
Income Taxes ,
Partnerships ,
Private Equity ,
Stocks ,
Target Company ,
Tax Code ,
Tax Deferral ,
Tax Increases ,
Tax-Free Exchanges
Haste Makes Waste?
How many of you are suffering from Build Back Better Fatigue? Seriously, it’s a thing.
Sure, the House passed its version of the President’s tax and spending bill on November 19, and the Senate...more
12/9/2021
/ Beneficiaries ,
Business Ownership ,
C-Corporation ,
Capital Gains Tax ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Good Faith ,
IRS ,
Reorganizations ,
Restructuring ,
S-Corporation ,
Sale of Assets ,
Shareholders ,
Target Company ,
Tax Increases ,
Trustees ,
Trusts ,
Ways and Means Committee
Same old in D.C.-
On Monday, November 15, the President will sign into law the approximately $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was finally passed by Congress when the House approved the Senate’s...more
11/15/2021
/ Beneficiaries ,
Business Assets ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Dynasty Trust ,
Fair Market Value ,
Gift Tax ,
Infrastructure ,
IRS ,
Joe Biden ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
Net Investment Income ,
Partnerships ,
Revocable Trusts ,
Surcharges ,
Tax Advice ,
Tax Returns ,
Taxable Exchanges ,
Taxable Income ,
Transfer Taxes ,
Valuation
It was quite a week, wasn’t it?-
Manchin-
Senator Manchin continued to attract a lot of attention.
To the dismay of his fellow Democrats, the West Virginian – who also chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources...more
10/13/2021
/ Business Ownership ,
Business Taxes ,
Capital Gains ,
Carbon Taxes ,
Clean Energy ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Debt Ceiling ,
Estate Tax ,
Estate-Tax Exemption ,
Gift Tax ,
Gift-Tax Exemption ,
Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs) ,
Grantor Trusts ,
Irrevocable Trusts ,
IRS ,
Joe Biden ,
OECD ,
Pandora Papers ,
Private Equity ,
SALT ,
Tax Increases ,
Tax Rates ,
Valuation ,
Ways and Means Committee
What was your month like?
If you’re a transactional professional – a class in which I include those who advise clients on the purchase and sale of businesses and investment assets, as well as those who assist clients in...more
10/5/2021
/ Budget Reconciliation ,
Business Ownership ,
Capital Gains ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Federal Taxes ,
Joe Biden ,
Popular ,
Tax Code ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tax Increases ,
Ways and Means Committee
Summertime in Washington-
On August 11, the Senate passed the $3.5 trillion budget resolution for the 2021-2022 fiscal year – S. Con. Res. 14, as amended – by a vote of 50 to 49, strictly along party lines, including...more
9/7/2021
/ Budget Reconciliation ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Congressional Budget Resolution ,
Earn-Outs ,
Escrow Accounts ,
Estate Tax ,
General-Business ,
Gift Tax ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Popular ,
SALT ,
Selling a Business ,
Tax Increases ,
Tax Rates ,
Transfer of Assets
Not Good-
As Mr. Biden settled into the White House, and as the Democrats began planning how to best utilize their slim Congressional majority to enact and pay for their sweeping legislative agenda, the principal concern...more
6/29/2021
/ Budget Reconciliation ,
Capital Gains ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Green Book ,
Joe Biden ,
Pass-Through Entities ,
Popular ,
Portfolio Companies ,
Tax Increases ,
Tax Rates ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Wealth Tax
I Read the News Today-
Much of today’s news is dominated by the future of the Administration’s broadly defined infrastructure plan. Discussions among “those in the know” inevitably turn into debates over the wisdom of...more
6/21/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Infrastructure ,
IRS ,
Popular ,
S-Corporation ,
Shareholders ,
Split Dollar ,
Tax Court ,
Tax Policy ,
Tax Returns ,
Trusts
What A Ride-
No one anticipated that the Administration’s proposed tax increases would fly through Congress easily – at least no one residing in a state in which the recreational use of marijuana has not been legalized....more
6/14/2021
/ Bipartisan Agreement ,
Budget Reconciliation ,
C-Corporation ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employment Tax ,
FICA Taxes ,
Financial Adviser ,
Infrastructure ,
IRS ,
Joe Biden ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
Marijuana ,
Medicare ,
Net Investment Income ,
Partnerships ,
Pass-Through Entities ,
Popular ,
Reasonable Compensation ,
S-Corporation ,
Shareholders ,
Social Security Taxes ,
Wealth Tax
Recap-
Last week, we considered several of the revenue proposals included in the Biden Administration’s 2022 Budget that are probably of interest – or should we say, “of concern”? – to the owners of closely held...more
6/7/2021
/ C-Corporation ,
Capital Contributions ,
Capital Gains Tax ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Compensation ,
Fair Market Value ,
Federal Budget ,
Gift Tax ,
Green Book ,
Hedge Funds ,
Income Taxes ,
Investment Partnerships ,
IRS ,
Joe Biden ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
Long-Term Investment Funds ,
Partnerships ,
Profits Interests ,
S-Corporation ,
Tax Equity ,
Tax Equity Partnership ,
Transfer Taxes ,
Valuation ,
Vested Benefits
Extra, Extra!-
Last Friday afternoon, as millions of unsuspecting Americans prepared for the long Memorial Day weekend – for many, perhaps, their first mask-less holiday celebration in almost 15 months – the Biden...more
6/2/2021
/ Adjusted Gross Income ,
Biden Administration ,
C-Corporation ,
Capital Gains ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Dynasty Trust ,
Fair Market Value ,
Family Businesses ,
Federal Budget ,
Fiscal Year ,
Gift Tax ,
Green Book ,
Interest Rates ,
Irrevocable Trusts ,
IRS ,
Like Kind Exchanges ,
Loans ,
Long-Term Investment Funds ,
Popular ,
Public Charities ,
Revocable Trusts ,
Spouses ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tax Increases ,
Taxable Income ,
Transfer Taxes ,
Trust Assets ,
Trusts ,
U.S. Treasury
Tax Gap-
In a report released last week, the U.S. Treasury Department explained that the so-called “tax gap” – i.e., the difference between the amount of federal income taxes owed by taxpayers for a taxable year and the...more
5/25/2021
/ Audits ,
Business Expenses ,
Business Losses ,
Business Taxes ,
C-Corporation ,
Capital Expenditures ,
Capital Gains ,
CCA ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Enforcement ,
Income Taxes ,
IRS ,
Like Kind Exchanges ,
Long-Term Investment Funds ,
Net Investment Income ,
Partnerships ,
Pass-Through Entities ,
Real Estate Investments ,
S-Corporation ,
Shareholders ,
Tax Advice ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Increases ,
Tax Rates ,
Taxable Income ,
U.S. Treasury
Ask the owner of a closely held business to describe their most recently recurring nightmare and you are likely to get an earful regarding the prospect of an increased federal income tax on their profits, an increased federal...more
5/17/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Bona Fide Purchaser ,
Capital Gains ,
Cash Transactions ,
CCA ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Estate Tax ,
Fair Market Value ,
Federal Taxes ,
Income Taxes ,
Investigations ,
IRS ,
Joe Biden ,
OCC ,
Promissory Notes ,
Tax Advice ,
Tax Deferral ,
Tax Increases ,
Tax Liability ,
Unsecured Debt
A Night to Remember?
Did you listen to the President’s speech last Wednesday? He addressed a joint session of Congress to pitch the Administration’s $1.8 trillion American Families Plan. Due to COVID-related...more
5/3/2021
/ Capital Assets ,
Capital Gains ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Estate Tax ,
Fair Market Value ,
Gift Tax ,
IRS ,
Joe Biden ,
Liquidity ,
Qualified Small Business Stock ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tax Fraud ,
Tax Liability ,
Taxable Income ,
Wealth Tax
“Yeah, I’m the Tax Man”
Last week, several media outlets reported that Mr. Biden will soon propose that Congress increase the federal income tax rate applicable to long-term capital gains recognized by individual...more
4/26/2021
/ American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA) ,
Baby Boomers ,
Budget Reconciliation ,
Business Assets ,
Business Ownership ,
Business Taxes ,
Capital Gains ,
Census ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Deferred Compensation ,
Depreciation ,
Economic Downturn ,
Income Taxes ,
IRS ,
Joe Biden ,
Loans ,
Pass-Through Entities ,
Personal Property ,
Popular ,
Retirement Funds ,
Tangible Property ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Increases ,
Tax Reform ,
Tax Relief Act of 2010 ,
Tax-Free Transfers ,
Taxable Income