(Part I of III) This article about excess compensation is comprised of three-parts. Part one summarizes the facts regarding Clary Hood, Inc. v. Commissioner and the U.S. Tax Court’s holding. Part two of this series describes the Tax Court’s analysis and conclusions regarding the reasonableness of compensation issues. Part three describes the Tax Court’s analysis and conclusions regarding Section 6662 penalt ...

The Court Opens to Tax-Affecting In Estate of Jones, the court addressed the tax affecting issue along with several other issues discussed in the valuation world today, including the proper approach for valuing an operating timber business (income vs. asset-based), the reliability of management projections, and the appropriate discount for lack of marketability. For the first time in 20 years, a valuation e ...

Revenge Porn, Ugg, VirnetX, and Apple This case law highlights a number of patent, copyright, and business valuation cases litigated in the first quarter of 2018. The revenge porn case highlights a distressing but potential opportunity for litigation support professionals. The VirnetX v. Apple and Deckers Outdoor Corporation v. Romeo & Juliette, Inc. cases highlight the perils of patent litigation and f ...

Notable 4th Quarter 2015 Cases, Part II of II Part II of this article highlights the remaining notable 4th Quarter 2015 U.S. Tax Court Cases that will be of interest to valuation practitioners and business advisors.  Estate of Purdue reminded us that taxpayers need to address 2036(a) concerns and establish a non-tax reason.  In addition, the case reminds us that gifting an equity or LLC interest may not qua ...

Notable 4th Quarter 2015 Cases, Part I of II Part I of this article highlights notable 4th Quarter 2015 U.S. Tax Court Cases that will be of interest to valuation practitioners and business advisors. Estate of Purdue reminds us that taxpayers need to address 2036(a) concerns and establish a non-tax reason. In addition, the case reminds us that gifting an equity or LLC interest may not qualify as a present i ...

T.C. Memo. 2015-249: A Checklist to Address 2036 Concerns The issue raised in Estate of Purdue v. Commissioner was whether the “decedent’s desire to have the marketable securities and the building interest held and managed as a family asset constituted a legitimate non-tax motive for the transfer of property to PFLLC.” ...

Tax Controversy Insights In matters argued before the U.S. Tax Court, valuation professionals are frequently asked to provide opinions related to the value of closely held businesses and of fractional ownership interests in closely held businesses. This discussion relates to a recent appeal of a U.S. Tax Court decision involving such valuation issues. The case in question is Natale B. Giustina v. Commission ...

Guidance on How to Calculate the Built-in Capital Gains Tax?! Estate of Richmond is well known among experienced valuation professionals for at least two reasons. First, the U.S. Tax Court was critical of the experts’ lack of credentials and the fact that the estate submitted an unsigned, marked-up report with the 706. Second, the U.S. Tax Court did not allow a 100 percent BICG tax reduction. Rather, the Co ...

Fifth Circuit Reverses the U.S. Tax Court and Upholds the Fractional-Ownership Discount The Fifth Circuit reversed the U.S. Tax Court recognizing the fractional-ownership discount advanced by the Estate of Elkins and awarding the Elkins family a $14.4 million estate tax refund. Joseph Brophy explores the recent ruling. ...

Wandry v. Commissioner In certain cases, formula-driven, gift-giving plans have proved to be successful. In other cases, they have not. What characteristics differentiate a formula gift-giving plan that can withstand the Internal Revenue Service (the “service”) scrutiny and be upheld in Tax Court from a plan that gets defeated?  The Wandry decision1 provides insight into these questions and highlights issue ...

A review of BVR’s Guide to Discounts for Lack of Marketability. If you are looking for a comprehensive source of information about the DLOM and the cases that business appraisers consider for confirmation of a method, look no further than BVR's Guide to Discounts for Lack of Marketability, Fifth Edition by John Stockdale, Sr. ...

The Tax Court Speaks Loudly and Firmly on the Responsibilities of Business Appraisers Hempstead & Co. has published "Estate of Gallagher is a Valuation Tutorial."  The article emphasizes the importance of providing the court with a clear and convincing explanation of the assumptions and arguments you have employed in carrying out a business appraisal. It discusses the recent Tax Court Memorandum opinion ...