Tax Alert - California Enacts Sales and Use Tax Restrictions for Cannabis

The California cannabis trailer bill for the 2020-21 budget, which contains changes necessary to implement the budget, is enacted for cannabis excise and cultivation tax purposes.

Cannabis Excise Tax Mark-Up Amount

The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) is prohibited from increasing the mark-up amount during the period beginning on and after September 18, 2020, and before July 1, 2021.

Cannabis Cultivation Tax Inflation Adjustment

The CDTFA is also prohibited from adjusting for inflation the cannabis cultivation tax rates that are imposed in the 2021 calendar year unless the adjustment is for an inflation rate that is less than zero. Moreover, beginning January 1, 2023, the rates imposed for the previous calendar year must be annually adjusted for inflation by the CDTFA.

Wilson Tax Law Group, APLC (www.wilsontaxlaw.com) is a boutique Orange County tax controversy law firm that specializes in representation of individuals and businesses before federal and state tax authorities with audits, appeals, FBAR, offshore compliance, litigation and criminal defense.  Firm founder, Joseph P. Wilson, is a former Federal tax prosecutor and trial attorney for the IRS and California Franchise Tax Board.  Wilson Tax Law Group is exclusively comprised of former IRS litigators and Assistant US Attorneys from the US Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, Tax Division and Criminal Division.

For further information or to arrange a consultation, please contact Wilson Tax Law Group, APLC  at our offices in Newport Beach or Yorba Linda, California.

Tel: (949) 397-2292 (Newport Beach Office)

Tel: (714) 463-4430 (Yorba Linda Office)

IRS Releases Information on Syndicated Conservation Easement Transaction Initiative

The IRS has released additional information to help address questions related to syndicated conservation easement (SCE) transaction initiative. See here.  Further, the IRS Chief Counsel has released Chief Counsel Notice 2021-001 (CC Notice), which contains information regarding Chief Counsel’s settlement initiative for certain pending Tax Court cases involving abusive SCE transactions described in Notice 2017-10, I.R.B. 2017-4, 544.  See here.

The IRS will soon publish updates to the Conservation Easement Audit Technique Guide, which will set out new arguments that taxpayers can expect the IRS to make in cases involving SCE transactions. Notably, the newly established Office of Fraud Enforcement and the National Fraud Counsel are coordinating with examining agents and Chief Counsel attorneys to canvas cases for additional fraud considerations, which might include assertion of the 75 percent civil fraud penalty, or where applicable, referrals to Criminal Investigation. The CC Notice entails the following:

It responds to a recurring question raised by several groups of partners. The CC Notice explains that, in rare cases, Chief Counsel may permit less than all the partners to settle on some terms. In most cases, however, the IRS will require settling groups of less than all partners to pay an additional 5 percent penalty, reflecting the lost efficiencies of the IRS having to proceed with the partnership case.

It indicates that the IRS would settle with individual partners (or groups of individual partners) only when they own a significant percentage of the partnership and they cooperate with Chief Counsel. The CC Notice provides that partners or groups of partners interested in resolving their cases on these terms have 30 days from the date of this Notice to elect to settle.

It also explains that Chief Counsel would consider a variety of factors in deciding whether to extend an offer in the Tax Court, including whether the partnership fully cooperated with the IRS during the audit.

Finally, it answers numerous procedural questions related to the settlement terms.

Wilson Tax Law Group, APLC (www.wilsontaxlaw.com) is a boutique Orange County tax controversy law firm that specializes in representation of individuals and businesses before federal and state tax authorities with audits, appeals, FBAR, offshore compliance, litigation and criminal defense.  Firm founder, Joseph P. Wilson, is a former Federal tax prosecutor and trial attorney for the IRS and California Franchise Tax Board.  Wilson Tax Law Group is exclusively comprised of former IRS litigators and Assistant US Attorneys from the US Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, Tax Division and Criminal Division.

For further information or to arrange a consultation, please contact Wilson Tax Law Group, APLC at either of our office locations in Newport Beach and Yorba Linda, California.

Tel: (949) 397-2292 (Newport Beach Office)

Tel: (714) 463-4430 (Yorba Linda Office)

 

Tax Alert- California Excludes PPP Loan from Income but Disallows Necessary and Ordinary Business Expenses

California "will not tax" forgiven Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan amounts. For tax years beginning on and after January 1, 2020, California conforms to federal law excluding from income any covered loan amount forgiven pursuant to:

• Section 1106 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L. 116-136);


• the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (P.L. 116-139); or


• the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-142).

For California purposes, "covered loan" has the same meaning as in the CARES Act.

The BAD - No Credit or Deduction for Expenses Paid Using Forgiven PPP Funds

California will not allow a credit or deduction for any expenses paid for using forgiven PPP funds. Taxpayers must reduce any credit or deduction otherwise allowed for those expenses by the amount of the forgiven loan excluded from income.  So effectively

A.B. 1577, Laws 2020, operative as noted

Wilson Tax Law Group, APLC (www.wilsontaxlaw.com) is a boutique Orange County tax controversy law firm that specializes in representation of individuals and businesses before federal and state tax authorities with audits, appeals, FBAR, offshore compliance, litigation and criminal defense.  Firm founder, Joseph P. Wilson, is a former Federal tax prosecutor and trial attorney for the IRS and California Franchise Tax Board.  Wilson Tax Law Group is exclusively comprised of former IRS litigators and Assistant US Attorneys from the US Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, Tax Division and Criminal Division.

For further information, or to arrange a consultation please contact: Wilson Tax Law Group, APLC

Newport Beach and Yorba Linda, California

Tel: (949) 397-2292 (Newport Beach Office)

Tel: (714) 463-4430 (Yorba Linda Office)

IRS Warns of Higher Penalties on Tax Returns Filed After September 14

The IRS warns taxpayers who have not yet filed their tax returns, that higher penalties will be imposed if they file after September 14. Further, taxpayers who submitted an extension have until October 15 to file and would not face the failure to file penalty if they file their taxes by that deadline. However, an extension to file is not an extension to pay so any taxes the taxpayers owe after the July 15 deadline are subject to the failure to pay penalty and interest.

If a tax return is more than 60 days late, a minimum penalty applies. If no return has been filed after 60 days, the minimum penalty that can be charged is USD 435 or 100-percent of the unpaid tax, whichever is less. This year, that important 60-day date occurs after September 14. In addition to penalties, interest will also be charged on any tax not paid by the July 15 due date. The IRS has reminded taxpayers that Free File is available through October 15 to prepare and e-file a 2019 individual return. In addition, taxpayers who have not been assessed any penalties for the past three years may qualify to have penalties abated. A taxpayer who does not qualify for the first-time penalty relief may still qualify for penalty relief if their failure to file or pay on time was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect. However, interest cannot be abated.

Moreover, qualified taxpayers can choose to pay any taxes over time through an installment agreement. Further, more information for taxpayers who owe taxes, but cannot afford to pay the full amount is available on the IRS website. Taxpayers can use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator to do a paycheck checkup to have the right amount of tax withheld during the year. The IRS has reminded taxpayers to visit the "Are Payments I Receive for Being Unemployed Taxable?" tax tool to determine if their unemployment is taxable.

Wilson Tax Law Group, APLC (www.wilsontaxlaw.com) is a boutique Orange County tax controversy law firm that specializes in representation of individuals and businesses before federal and state tax authorities with audits, appeals, FBAR, offshore compliance, litigation and criminal defense.  Firm founder, Joseph P. Wilson, is a former Federal tax prosecutor and trial attorney for the IRS and California Franchise Tax Board.  Wilson Tax Law Group is exclusively comprised of former IRS litigators and Assistant US Attorneys from the US Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, Tax Division and Criminal Division.

For further information, or to arrange a consultation please contact: Wilson Tax Law Group, APLC

Newport Beach and Yorba Linda, California

Tel: (949) 397-2292 (Newport Beach Office)

Tel: (714) 463-4430 (Yorba Linda Office)

 

California Victims of Wildfires Granted Tax Relief

The IRS has granted tax relief to the victims of wildfires that took place in parts of California on August 14, 2020. The affected taxpayers will now have until December 15, 2020, to file various individual and business tax returns and make tax payments. The disaster area in California includes the counties of:

• Lake,


• Monterey


• Napa,


• San Mateo,


• Santa Cruz,


• Solano,


• Sonoma and


• Yolo

Taxpayers who live or have a business in the disaster area may qualify for tax relief.

 Filing and Payment Deadlines Extended

 The IRS has postponed various tax filing and payment deadlines that occurred starting on August 14. As a result, the affected taxpayers will now have until December 15, 2020, to file returns and pay any taxes that were originally due during this period. This means individuals who had a valid extension to file their 2019 return due to run out on October 15, 2020, will now have until December 15, 2020, to file. The IRS noted, however, that because tax payments related to 2019 returns were due on July 15, 2020, those payments are not eligible for this relief. The December 15 deadline also applies to quarterly estimated income tax payments due on September 15, and the quarterly payroll and excise tax returns normally due on October 31. Further, the deadline also applies to tax-exempt organizations, operating on a calendar-year basis, that had a valid extension due to run out on November 15. Businesses with extensions also have the additional time including, among others, calendar-year corporations whose 2019 extensions run out on October 15. In addition, penalties on payroll and excise tax deposits due after August 14 and before August 31, will be abated as long as the deposits are made by August 31.

The affected taxpayers do not need to contact the IRS to get this relief. In addition, the IRS will work with taxpayers, including workers affiliated with a recognized government or philanthropic organization, who live outside the disaster area but whose records necessary to meet a deadline occurring during the postponement period are located in the affected area. Taxpayers qualifying for relief who live outside the disaster area need to contact the IRS at 866-562-5227.

Casualty Losses

Individuals and businesses in a federally declared disaster area who suffered uninsured or unreimbursed disaster-related losses can choose to claim them on either the return for the year the loss occurred (in this instance, the 2020 return normally filed next year), or the return for the prior year (2019).

Taxpayers claiming a disaster loss on their tax return should write the appropriate FEMA declaration number (4558 for California) on any return claiming a loss. Finally, the IRS has requested taxpayers to see Publication 547 for information on disaster recovery.

Wilson Tax Law Group, APLC (www.wilsontaxlaw.com) is a boutique Orange County tax controversy law firm that specializes in representation of individuals and businesses before federal and state tax authorities with audits, appeals, FBAR, offshore compliance, litigation and criminal defense.  Firm founder, Joseph P. Wilson, is a former Federal tax prosecutor and trial attorney for the IRS and California Franchise Tax Board.  Wilson Tax Law Group is exclusively comprised of former IRS litigators and Assistant US Attorneys from the US Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, Tax Division and Criminal Division.

For further information, or to arrange a consultation please contact: Wilson Tax Law Group, APLC

Newport Beach and Yorba Linda, California

 

Tel: (949) 397-2292 (Newport Beach Office)

 

Tel: (714) 463-4430 (Yorba Linda Office)

U.S. and Switzerland Enter into Competent Authority Arrangement

The competent authorities of Switzerland and the U.S. have entered into the following Competent Authority Arrangement regarding the implementation of the arbitration process provided for in paragraphs 6 and 7 of Article 25 of the Convention between the Swiss Federation and the United States of America for the Avoidance of Double Taxation with Respect to Taxes on Income, signed at Washington on October 2, 1996, as Amended by the Protocols signed on October 2, 1996, and September 23, 2009 (the "Convention") and the exchange of notes accompanying the 2009 Protocol which form an integral part of the Convention.

Arbitration Process

The arbitration process is applicable to cases that the competent authorities of Switzerland and the U.S. have determined are suitable for assistance under the mutual agreement procedure of Article 25 of the Convention in accordance with published guidance. Further, the arbitration process is subject to certain exceptions described in paragraph 4. The published guidance in the case of Switzerland, is the "Factsheet on the mutual agreement procedure" of May 2018 or any amendment or successor provisions thereof, and in the case of the United States is the, Rev. Proc. 2015- 40, IRB 2015-35, 236, or any amendment or successor provisions thereof. This arrangement has been adopted in accordance with paragraphs 6 and 7 of Article 25 of the Convention and subparagraphs a) and q) of paragraph 1 of the Treaty Annexure A. The competent authorities of both contracting states, the presenter of the case and the arbitrators are required to follow the procedures in this arrangement in good faith.

Wilson Tax Law Group, APLC (www.wilsontaxlaw.com) is a boutique Orange County tax controversy law firm that specializes in representation of individuals and businesses before federal and state tax authorities with audits, appeals, FBAR, offshore compliance, litigation and criminal defense.  Firm founder, Joseph P. Wilson, is a former Federal tax prosecutor and trial attorney for the IRS and California Franchise Tax Board.  Wilson Tax Law Group is exclusively comprised of former IRS litigators and Assistant US Attorneys from the US Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, Tax Division and Criminal Division.

For further information, or to arrange a consultation please contact: Wilson Tax Law Group, APLC

Newport Beach and Yorba Linda, California

Tel: (949) 397-2292 (Newport Beach Office)

Tel: (714) 463-4430 (Yorba Linda Office)

Tax Flash: California Taxpayer Entitled to Abatement of Demand Penalty

A California personal income taxpayer was entitled to an abatement of a demand penalty because the penalty was not properly imposed. Generally, the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) may impose a penalty when a taxpayer does not timely respond to a Demand for Tax Return. Further, the FTB is only allowed to impose a demand penalty if the taxpayer also failed to timely respond to a Request or a Demand for Tax Return for a prior year, and that failure resulted in FTB issuing a Notice of Proposed Assessment (NPA) at any time during the four taxable years preceding the year for which the current Demand is being issued. In this matter, the demand penalty at issue was for the 2014 tax year. However, it was noted that the FTB did not issue an NPA to the taxpayer during 2010, 2011, 2012, or 2013 tax years. Therefore, the requirements under the applicable regulation were not met. Accordingly, the demand penalty was not properly imposed.

Giordano, California Office of Tax Appeals, No. 18053180, June 3, 2020, released August 2020

Wilson Tax Law Group, APLC (www.wilsontaxlaw.com) is a boutique Orange County tax controversy law firm that specializes in representation of individuals and businesses before federal and state tax authorities with audits, appeals, FBAR, offshore compliance, litigation and criminal defense.  Firm founder, Joseph P. Wilson, is a former Federal tax prosecutor and trial attorney for the IRS and California Franchise Tax Board.  Wilson Tax Law Group is exclusively comprised of former IRS litigators and Assistant US Attorneys from the US Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, Tax Division and Criminal Division.

For further information, or to arrange a consultation please contact Wilson Tax Law Group, APLC at 949.397-2292.

Newport Beach and Yorba Linda, California

Tel: (949) 397-2292 (Newport Beach Office)

Tel: (714) 463-4430 (Yorba Linda Office)