Updating Your Workplace Drug Use Policy and Enforcement Strategies
Have you been thinking about your drug use policies? Recent trends in the labor market and drug enforcement has encouraged some employers to revise their drug use policies. Here are some of the issues to keep in mind when ensuring your company’s strategy is effective...
Making Smart Mergers and Acquisitions under Today’s Tax Law
Thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), many businesses in Maine and beyond will pay less federal income taxes in 2018 and going forward. Some of these will spend their tax savings to merge with or acquire another business. Before jumping on the M&A bandwagon,...
In Controversial Move, Tax Court Tackles ‘Double Inclusion’ Problem
Estate of Powell v. Commissioner Given the unfavorable optics of a recent case, the Tax Court’s finding that the value of assets transferred from the decedent to a family limited partnership was includible in the value of the decedent’s gross estate is not...
Revenue Recognition: New Rules Go Live for Private Companies
Private companies that follow U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) are required to implement new revenue recognition rules in fiscal years that start after December 15, 2018. Are your personnel and accounting systems prepared for this fundamental shift...
Proposed Regs Would Expand Health Reimbursement Arrangements
Three federal agencies—the IRS, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Health and Human Services—have issued proposed regulations that would let employers fund tax-exempted health reimbursement arrangements in order to help pay for employees’ individual health...
CUT Method Prevails in Amazon’s Transfer Pricing War with IRS
Amazon.com, Inc. v. Commissioner Amazon scored a win against the Internal Revenue Service in a transfer pricing case. The dispute was over the calculation of buy-in payments to compensate Amazon US for the transfer of a group of intangibles to the company’s European...
Improper Use of Active/Passive Framework Skewers Valuation
Bair v. Bair When confronted with quantifying the appreciation of non-marital property, it is common for valuators first to classify the change in value as “active” or “passive” and then do the valuation. A Florida case shows that, when applied prematurely, this...
Eleventh Circuit Affirms Tax Court’s Valuation of Trust’s Interest in LLC
Estate of Koons v. Commissioner (Koons II) The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a 2013 Tax Court ruling in an estate and generation-skipping tax case that centered on the fair market value of a revocable trust’s interest in an LLC. The crux of the valuation was...
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination Allegations: Is Your Business Vulnerable?
Do you know what constitutes pay discrimination in the eyes of the courts and regulators? As equal pay for men and women has become a hot-button issue in the business world due to the #MeToo movement and recent surveys documenting widespread pay disparity, you...
Create an Accountable Plan to Reimburse Employees for Business Expenses
One of the changes in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was to eliminate itemized deductions for employees who incur unreimbursed expenses for company business for 2018 through 2025. To minimize the adverse effects of this TCJA, you can set up a so-called “accountable...