Tax-Free Spinoffs Could Be Much Tougher Under Proposed New Rules

business-tax-[Converted]

 

Many U.S. companies take advantage of lower foreign taxes by creating tax-free spinoffs of their parent companies. It’s a great and legal way to lower their corporate tax bills. However, some lawmakers have long pressed for changes to these rules and it appears that changes could be coming.

The U.S. Treasury Department recently proposed some new rules that would make it more difficult for companies to create certain kinds for spinoffs. In order to avoid capital gains taxes on the transaction 5 percent of the amount of a spin-off must be an active trade or business.

The new proposed rules also aim to clear up the factors that determine when a spinoff cannot be used for distributing profits and earnings to shareholders. If the new rules pass, the transaction would be deemed a device if there was a large enough gap between the amount of the company that is made up of nonbusiness assets while the other company had a lot less.

At this point the new rules have only been proposed and they will not take effect unless the Treasury Department makes them official. Even at that time they still wouldn’t affect any transactions that were already planned before approval even if the transaction was finalized after.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-treasury-rules-would-make-it-harder-to-complete-tax-free-spinoffs-1468500481

Posted in
Venture Capital Alternative for Technology Entrepreneurs

Venture Capital Alternative for Technology Entrepreneurs

If you are an entrepreneur with a small technology based company looking to take it to the next level, this article suggests an alternative that may be of particular interest to you. Your natural inclination may be to seek venture capital or private equity to fund your growth. According to Jim Casparie, founder and CEO…

startup fundraising

Startup Fundraising – Do You Know Who You Are Talking To?

Startup Fundraising – Do You Know Who You Are Talking To? Venture capital, private equity, mezzanine debt, venture debt, angel money, investment bank? What’s the difference and who are the players? Many people start looking for funding and become involved with investment bankers or business brokers without really understanding what they are looking for or…

Republican Lawmaker Pushing Real Tax Reform

Republican Lawmaker Pushing Real Tax Reform

Republican Lawmaker Pushing Real Tax Reform By Kent Livingston Will our country ever see true tax reform? While politicians continue to battle over who should pay what and who is getting away with highway robbery, none of them seem to be able to come up with a better plan to actually fix our country’s broken…

Six Facts About the American Opportunity Tax Credit

Six Facts About the American Opportunity Tax Credit Many parents and college students will be able to offset the cost of college over the next two years under the new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This tax credit is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Here are six important facts the IRS…