2026-09-14 The Picasso and the Income

This week we look at: Final Regulations Restore the Car Loan Interest Deduction Under T.D. 10054 Fourth Circuit Affirms $2.9M Willful FBAR Penalty -- United States v. Rund Tax Court Clarifies BBA Extension Mechanics -- Katanga Properties Treasury Proposes Sweeping QOF Certification and Reporting Regulations Proposed Regs Allocate Foreign Source Deductions Under Sections 250 and 904 Unrestricted $16.5M Art Deal Funds Are Taxable Income -- Tunkl v. Commissioner

This week we look at: Federal Circuit Bars Treaty FTCs Against the NIIT -- Bruyea and Christensen Financial Disability Tolling and Third-Party Authorization -- Goldman v. United States OIC Public-Policy Rejections Upheld -- Filipowski v. Commissioner Substantiation and Alter-Ego Doctrine -- Hank Risan v. Commissioner Codifying Racial Nondiscrimination for Private Schools -- Proposed Section 1.501(c)(3)-2 IRS's Certified-Mailing Burden of Proof -- Wales v. Commissioner Automatic Accounting Method Changes for R&E and Construction -- Rev. Proc. 2026-32  

This week we look at: Zero-Return Form 1065 Filings and the Beard Test (IRS CCA 202634014) Full Payment Rule & Presumption of Correctness -- Pellegrino v. United States Pro Rata Share Determinations Under OBBBA -- Proposed Regulations (REG-115646-25) Treaty Exclusivity for Pooled Investments -- South Saskatchewan Community Foundation v. U.S.

This week we look at: Form 1041-A Relief for Passthrough Charitable Deductions (REG-109082-25) Vested Development Rights & Easement Valuation — Malibu Valley Land v. Commissioner First Circuit Bars Equitable Tolling of Section 6213(a) — Kyick Holdings v. Commissioner PRWORA Immigration Restrictions on Refundable Credits (REG-119882-25) Single-Employer DB Pension Funding Proposed Regulations (REG-107855-25) Excluded Property Sales Income Under Section 250 (REG-117130-25) Section 163(j) Business Interest Limitation Update — Fact Sheet FS-2026-14 Doug LaMalfa Federal Disaster Tax Relief Certainty Act (H.R. 5366) IRS Ends Uniform Easement Settlement Initiative, Creates Office of Conservation Easements Trump Account Eligible Investment Rules — Proposed Regulations (RIN 1545-BS14)

This week we look at: Unpacking the Saver's Match: Technical Guidance and Operational Frameworks Under Notice 2026-48 Harmonizing Section 3406 Backup Withholding with Section 6050W De Minimis Reporting Thresholds The High Bar for Equitable Tolling in Tax Practice: The Eighth Circuit's Final Ruling in Boechler, P.C. Employer Contributions to Trump Accounts and Nondiscrimination Rules under REG-101355-26 The Perpetual Burden of Carryover Substantiation: AMT Credits and Recordkeeping in Beacom v. Commissioner Equitable Tolling of Tax Court Filing Deadlines: Maniktala v. Commissioner (8th Cir.) Standardizing Retirement Plan Rollovers and Trustee-to-Trustee Transfers under SECURE 2.0: Notice 2026-49 Unmasking the $70 Million Dubai Fraud: Section 165 Theft Loss Deductions in Deutsch v. Commissioner Treasury Proposes Substantive Section 987 Relief for Controlled Foreign Corporations (REG-103844-26) Rehearing Reversal: The Fifth Circuit's Management Test for the Limited Partner Exception (K Alain, L.L.L.P.) The Crucial Role of Highest and Best Use in Conservation Easement Valuations: Evans v. Commissioner

This week we look at: IRS Reinstates Tax Deferral on Variable Annuity Term Certain Options: Reconsideration and Reversal in PLR 202630002 Understanding the ERC Pleading Standard: Federal Claims Court Deferral in I Health and Life Insurance Services Predecessor Losses, the Lonely Parent Rule, and the Limits of Economic Reality: Analysis of HBM Holdings Co. v. Commissioner Double Books and Disguised Payees: Corporate Personal Expenses and the Civil Fraud Penalty in Prezioso v. Commissioner

This week we look at: Valuation of Remainder Interest Gifts Upon Trust Termination: State Law and Net Gift Adjustments in Lewis v. Commissioner Revenue Procedure 2026-26: Technical Overview of 2027 Indexing Adjustments for Premium Tax Credits and Affordability Standards Limitations of Interest Abatement Claims Under I.R.C. § 6404(e)(1) in the Context of ERC-Driven Amendments Section 6015(c) Relief and the Substantiation Trap: An Analysis of Anderson v. Commissioner Navigating the AICPA's New Tax Services Independence Standards: A Guide for Practitioners

This week we look at: Partnership Recourse Rules: Conditional DROs will not establish EROL under § 1.752-2. Mileage Rate Adjustment: Business standard mileage rate rises to 76 cents on July 1, 2026. Business Tax Account: Modernized self-service portal expands features but requires active annual maintenance. Litigation Legal Fees: FCRA settlements are taxable gross income without above-the-line deduction. Corporate Reorganizations: Tax Court invalidates regulation limiting 100% DRD in post-Loper Bright era. ERC Litigation Realities: Exhaustion loophole rejected; notice pleading standards approved in refund suits. Conservation Easements: Valuation must be grounded in immediate local market demand, not speculation.

This week we look at: Transitioning from First Time Abate (FTA) to Automatic Exemption from Penalty (AEP) Strict Enforcement of Tax Refund Statutes of Limitations Employee Retention Credit (ERC) Refund Claims & Pleading Standards Pandemic-Era Persistence of New York's Convenience of the Employer Rule Invalidity of Treasury Regulation Section 1.951A-2(c)(5) Non-Shareholder Capital Contributions vs. Compensation Final Section 1035 Exchange & Corporate Reorganization Regulations Reclassification of Abusive CRAT Structures as Listed Transactions The National Taxpayer Advocate's Perspective on AEP  

This week we look at: Section 7508A(d) and Interest on Pre-COVID-19 Disaster Tax Deficiencies The Soroban Capital Partners SECA Tax Controversy Pleading Requirements for the Employee Retention Credit (Tapestry Senior Housing) ERC Causation and the Essential Business Hurdle (RAAM Construction) The Section 530A Transfer Tax Safe Harbor (Rev. Proc. 2026-25) Penalty Supervisory Approval Verification in CDP (Besicorp Group) Retroactive ERC Deadlines & Constitutional Challenges