Tax Blog

Members of our Tax Controversy & Litigation practice filed comments last week on the proposed regulations published July 2, 2024, regarding the Employee Retention Credits. They argued that these proposed regulations exceed the IRS and Treasury authority. They also urged these bodies to abandon the current proposed regulations as they relate to the ERC, and to reconsider the appropriateness of the final regulations treating excessive ERC refunds as underpayments of tax, particularly in light of the Supreme Court's recent decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. 

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Background:

Millions of Employee Retention Credit (ERC) claims have been filed with the IRS as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with millions of taxpayers already receiving their refunds and others still waiting to receive refund checks. The IRS audits and Appeals work has commenced with a fury at a dizzying pace. While many appropriate ERC claims have been filed, the IRS has seen a number of erroneous claims as well. On December 21st, the IRS launched a new initiative to address the issue of erroneous ERC claims. The Voluntary Disclosure Program, part of a broader IRS effort to ...

Recently, the IRS has been devoting substantial resources to its investigation of Malta Pension Plans.  Just this month, the IRS Criminal Investigation division served summonses on multiple entities and persons who it believes were involved with such plans, and has proposed making the transaction a “listed” transaction.  Either action would be noteworthy, but that combined activity tells a story of deep IRS scrutiny.  This article discusses that activity, and provides some high-level options for affected taxpayers.

The Latest Listed Transaction: the Maltese Pension

On June ...