U.S. Supreme Court Limits the Ability of States to Tax a Trust – The Kaestner Case
August 8, 2019
by B. Wade Bowen
On June 21, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion limiting the ability of a state to impose income taxes on a trust when the trust’s connection with the taxing state is minimal. The case is styled North Carolina Department of Revenue v. Kimberley Rice Kaestner 1992 Family Trust. In the…
Second Set of Qualified Opportunity Zone Proposed Regulations Provide Clarity to Potential Investors
As discussed here in November (Why 2019 Will be the Year of Opportunity (Zones)), the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act created a tax-advantaged incentive program for investing in designated “qualified opportunity zones” throughout the country, including many locations in Arkansas. The opportunity zone program…
Recent IRS Interim Guidance Provides That It Is Not Too Late For Your Willful Clients To Voluntarily Disclose Their Offshore Accounts, But Penalties Abound
February 11, 2019
by Anton L. Janik, Jr.
The Internal Revenue Service has had a long-standing practice of providing taxpayers with potential criminal exposure a means to come into compliance with the law and potentially avoid criminal prosecution through the making of a voluntary disclosure of their domestic or offshore noncompliance…
Increased Estate/Gift Tax Exemptions Under TCJA: No-Clawback, but Use it or Lose It
February 11, 2019
by Christopher T. Rogers
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”) passed in December, 2017, doubled the estate and gift tax basic exclusion amount from $5.0 million to $10.0, coupled with a cost of living adjustment. For 2019, the basic exclusion amount is $11.4 million. Unless extended, the increased basic exclusion amount…
Why 2019 Will Be the Year of Opportunity (Zones)
November 6, 2018
by Craig R. Cockrell
One of the more significant additions to the Tax Code under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was the creation of an incentive program for investment in certain low income communities called “Opportunity Zones.” The program is designed to spur economic investment in distressed areas by allowing…