The Presumption of Innocence Podcast: Episode 21 - Conservation Easement Donations: Tax Shelter or Charitable Contribution Deduction?
The Koontz Decision: Limits Conditions a Government can Impose on Developers
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced a new settlement initiative for Syndicated Conservation Easements (SCEs) that are currently under audit and have not reached the Tax Court. This new settlement initiative...more
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the IRS was confronted with a proliferation of corporate transactions that it viewed as aggressive tax shelters. Relying on the authority Congress delegated through Section 6011(a), the IRS...more
In the late 1990s, former Atlanta Braves players John Smoltz and Ryan Klesko formed Big K Farms (“Big K”), a partnership that, over the years, acquired approximately 1,500 acres of land in Georgia for around $4 million. From...more
In the latest victory for taxpayers, the Tax Court determined that the Treasury failed to follow federal law in enacting a conservation easement perpetuity rule known as the “proceeds regulation.” The majority opinion held...more
In holding that that Treas. Reg. § 1.170A-14(g)(6)(ii) (Proceeds Regulation) is procedurally invalid under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), the U.S. Tax Court abandoned its precedent in Oakbrook Land Holdings, LLC v....more
Two recent tax court cases paint an ominous picture for professionals and investors who participated in listed syndicated conservation easement transactions. Coming on the heels of the Fisher conviction and his lengthy...more
“If it is a conservation easement and the people who are receiving the deduction are outside of family...the IRS assumption is that it's a tax shelter.” A backlog of conservation easement Tax Court cases and IRS audits are...more
Summary: In September 2016 Dolomite Holdings 251, LLC (Dolomite), acquired a 723-acre tract of land in Virginia. On November 28, 2017, Dolomite contributed 207 acres of this tract (Property) to Cattail in exchange for a 100%...more
Tax Litigation: The Week of December 19th, 2022, through December 23rd, 2022 Starer v. Comm’r, T.C. Memo. 2022-124 | December 20, 2022 |Wells, J. |Docket No. 615-13 Mamadou v. Comm’r, T.C. Memo. 2022-121 | December 20, 2022...more
Less than a month after the heavily followed Green Valley Investors, LLC, et al., decision, the IRS issued proposed regulations to identify certain syndicated conservation easement transactions as listed transactions – this...more
The Tax Court’s decision setting aside IRS Notice 2017-10 for ignoring the APA’s notice and comment requirements has serious implications for other notices identifying listed transactions. Key Points: ..Notice 2017-10...more
On December 6th, the IRS proposed regulations (and comment period for same) that would require participants and promoters of syndicated conservation easement transactions to make certain disclosures relating conservation...more
Tax Litigation: The Week of November 7th, 2022, through November 11th, 2022 Fields v. Comm’r, T.C. Summary Opinion 2022-22 | November 10, 2022 | Panuthos, Special Trial J. | Dkt. No. 2925-20S (IRS Automated Underreporter,...more
On November 9, 2022, in a 15-2 decision, the Tax Court held that the IRS improperly issued Notice 2017-10 in Green Valley Investors, LLC, et al. v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, 159 T.C. No. 5. The Notice designated...more
As the IRS and the Department of Justice continue to focus enforcement efforts on conservation easements, the Supreme Court has been asked to settle a dispute regarding the validity of the “protected in perpetuity”...more
A trial before the United States Tax Court recently determined the value of a conservation easement imposed on a Georgia golf course which was being contested by the Internal Revenue Service. Relying on the “before and after”...more
Tax Litigation: The Week of August 29th, 2022, through September 2nd, 2022 Domdom v. Comm’r, T.C. Summary Opinion 2022-17 | August 30, 2022 | Carluzzo, J. | Dkt. No. 18270-17S Pressman v. Comm’r, T.C. Summ. Op. 2022-15 |...more
Tax Litigation: The Week of July 18th, 2022, through July 22nd, 2022 Pettennude v. Comm’r, T.C. Memo. 2022-79 | July 18, 2022 | Buch, J. | Dkt. No. 636-21L Gonzalez v. Comm’r, T.C. Summary Opinion 2022-13 | July 18, 2022 |...more
Tax Litigation: The Week of March 14, 2022, through March 18, 2022 Hamilton v. Comm’r, T.C. Memo. 2022-21 | March 15, 2022 |Urda, J. | Dkt. No. 139-19L AptarGroup, Inc. v. Comm’r, 158 T.C. No. 4 | March 16, 2022 |Goeke, J. |...more
Section 6751(b)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code provides that “[n]o penalty under this title shall be assessed unless the initial determination of such assessment is personally approved (in writing) by the immediate...more
Good tax attorneys will do whatever it ethically takes to win on behalf of their clients. Often, this means the attorney must not only have a good understanding of the substantive provisions at play, but also relevant...more
The IRS is vigorously litigating cases involving conservation easements they believe are abusive. One such case was Plateau Holdings, LLC v. Comm’r, T.C. Memo 2020-93 (Plateau I). In that case the Tax Court denied the entire...more
Freeman Law’s “The Tax Court in Brief” covers every substantive Tax Court opinion, providing a weekly brief of its decisions in clear, concise prose. The Week of October 31 – November 6, 2020 - Glade Creek Partners,...more
As businesses face unprecedented challenges, our legal team is here with insights and guidance. Join us as we discuss important developments during these unique times, and bring you up to speed on current initiatives. During...more
The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) in an August 31st news release announced what it described as: . . . the completion of the first settlement under its initiative to resolve certain docketed cases involving syndicated...more