The Tax Court’s recent decision in Walquist v. Commissioner, 152 T.C. No. 3, further clarified the application of the supervisor approval requirement under section 6751(b)(1), which has been a key issue since Chai v. Commissioner, 851 F.3d 190 (2d Cir. 2017). In Walquist, the Tax Court held that accuracy-related penalties determined by
General Tax Controversy News & Updates
Tenth Circuit: No Fifth Amendment Defense to the Application of Section 280E
I have written before about the battles being fought by cannabis businesses facing IRS examinations. IRS audits raise many issues for state legal cannabis businesses operating in violation of the Controlled Substances Act. In some situations, taxpayers have struggled to resolve IRS examinations while addressing concerns that incriminating evidence provided to the IRS could fall…

Conservation Easements: A Year End Review
The IRS has been cracking down on conservation easement transactions for over ten years. Nevertheless, taxpayers have continued to claim charitable contribution deductions attributable to the donation of conservation easements and promoters have continued to assemble investments utilizing conservation easement charitable deductions. The IRS began focusing on syndicated conservation easement transactions when it issued Notice…
Only 2 Days Away – Fox Rothschild’s Second Annual Federal Tax Controversy Summit
Please join us for Fox Rothschild’s Second Annual Federal Tax Controversy Summit on December 12 in Philadelphia. We’ll be covering the latest developments in federal tax controversy and civil and criminal tax enforcement. CPE and CLE (PA) credits pending. Please click here to register.
Schedule:
8:00 a.m. – registration and breakfast
8:30 a.m. to 11:30 …
Fox Rothschild’s Second Annual Federal Tax Controversy Summit
Please join us for Fox Rothschild’s Second Annual Federal Tax Controversy Summit on December 12 in Philadelphia. We’ll be covering the latest developments in federal tax controversy and civil and criminal tax enforcement. CPE and CLE (PA) credits pending. Please click here to register.
Schedule:
8:00 a.m. – registration and breakfast
8:30 a.m. to 11:30
…

Section 280E Litigation Update: Harsh Results for Resellers
In the latest Tax Court opinion addressing the application of Section 280E to cannabis businesses there is no good news. However, there is some new guidance. In Patients Mutual Assistance Collective Corp. v. Comm’r, 151 T.C. No. 11, the taxpayer made a litany of arguments to convince the court that their business, or…
IRS Provides Clarification for Business Taxpayers That Make Payments To State or Local Tax Credit Programs
We recently wrote on the new proposed regulations addressing the availability of charitable deductions when taxpayers receive or expect to receive corresponding state or local tax credits for contributions. The proposed regulations require a taxpayer who makes a contribution to a charitable organization to reduce his charitable deduction by any state or local tax credit…
U.S. Supreme Court Removes Tax Advantage for Online Retailers
In its 5-4 decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, the U.S. Supreme Court gave states the authority to require online retailers to collect state sales taxes even if the retailer has no physical presence in a state. The decision overturned pre-internet era rulings that had prohibited states from forcing online retailers to collect sales…
An Update on Litigation of Cannabis Business Tax Issues
The High Tax Compliance Burden For Cannabis Businesses
Yesterday, the Tax Court issued its opinion in Alterman v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo 2018-83. This case involved the operation of a medical marijuana dispensary which was reported on Schedule C. The opinion includes a long recitation of intricate accounting details that I will address on a summary basis so as to not lose readers…