Department of the Treasury March 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Taxpayer Advocacy Panel Taxpayer Assistance Center Improvements Project Committee will conduct an open meeting and will solicit public comments, ideas, and suggestions on improving customer service at the Internal Revenue Service.

Notice is hereby given of a change in the meeting time and the addition of an agenda item for the public meeting of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) on March 15, 2016, which was published in the Federal Register on March 9, 2016.

An open meeting of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel Notices and Correspondence Project Committee will be conducted. The Taxpayer Advocacy Panel is soliciting public comments, ideas, and suggestions on improving customer service at the Internal Revenue Service.

The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Revenue Ruling 2000-35, Automatic Enrollment in Section 403(b) Plans.

An open meeting of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel Toll-Free Phone Line Project Committee will be conducted. The Taxpayer Advocacy Panel is soliciting public comments, ideas, and suggestions on improving customer service at the Internal Revenue Service.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is publishing the names of an individual and entity whose property and interests in property have been blocked pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act) (21 U.S.C. 1901-1908, 8 U.S.C. 1182).

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is publishing the names of 59 individuals, 385 entities, 76 aircraft, and 227 vessels that were removed from the List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List), the Foreign Sanctions Evaders (FSE) List, and/or the Non-SDN Iran Sanctions Act (NS-ISA) List on January 16, 2016Implementation Day of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action of July 14, 2015 (JCPOA). In addition, OFAC is publishing amended SDN List entries for 14 persons previously blocked pursuant to one more of the following authorities: Executive Order (E.O.) 13224 of September 29, 2001, ``Blocking Property and Prohibiting Transactions With Persons Who Commit, Threaten To Commit, Or Support Terrorism,'' E.O. 13382 of June 28, 2005, ``Blocking Property of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators and Their Supporters,'' E.O. 13438 of July 17, 2007, ``Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq,'' and/or the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Pub L. 106-120, 21 U.S.C. 1901-1908). Finally, OFAC is publishing the names of individuals, entities, and vessels it added to a list of persons previously identified as meeting the definition of the term Government of Iran or the term Iranian financial institution and whose property and interests in property are blocked solely pursuant to E.O. 13599 and Section 560.211 of the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 560.

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is publishing the names of one individual and one entity whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13667 and whose names have been added to OFAC's list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List).

The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on an extension of an existing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announces a meeting of the Minority Depository Institutions Advisory Committee (MDIAC).

The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 14157, Complaint: Tax Return Preparer and Form 14157-A, Tax Return Preparer Fraud or Misconduct Affidavit.

FinCEN, a bureau of the Department of the Treasury (``Treasury''), is proposing to revise the regulations implementing the Bank Secrecy Act (``BSA'') regarding Reports of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (``FBAR''). The proposed rule would expand and clarify the exemptions for certain U.S. persons with signature or other authority over foreign financial accounts. In addition, the proposed rule would remove the special rules permitting limited account information to be reported when a U.S. person has financial interest in or signature authority over 25 or more foreign financial accounts. The proposed rule would also make several other changes, including a change to the filing date for FBAR reports due in 2017 and a revision to reflect electronic filing of FBARs.

Pursuant to United States Code, Title 31, section 5135(b)(8)(C), the United States Mint announces the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) public meeting scheduled for March 15, 2016. Date: March 15, 2016. Time: 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Location: Conference Room A, United States Mint, 801 9th Street NW., Washington, DC 20220. Subject: Review and discussion of candidate designs for the 2017 Boys Town Centennial Commemorative Coin Program; review of a proposed design for the 2017 American Eagle Platinum Proof Coin (20th Anniversary); and a discussion of themes for a proposed series of bronze national medals to accompany the 2017 World War I Commemorative Coin Program. Interested persons should call the CCAC HOTLINE at (202) 354-7502 for the latest update on meeting time and room location. In accordance with 31 U.S.C. 5135, the CCAC: [ssquf] Advises the Secretary of the Treasury on any theme or design proposals relating to circulating coinage, bullion coinage, Congressional Gold Medals, and national and other medals. [ssquf] Advises the Secretary of the Treasury with regard to the events, persons, or places to be commemorated by the issuance of commemorative coins in each of the five calendar years succeeding the year in which a commemorative coin designation is made. [ssquf] Makes recommendations with respect to the mintage level for any commemorative coin recommended.

The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on a proposed and/or continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A). Currently the Bureau of the Fiscal Service within the Department of the Treasury is soliciting comments concerning the Request to Reissue U.S. Savings Bonds to a Personal Trust.

The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on a proposed and/or continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A). Currently the Bureau of the Fiscal Service within the Department of the Treasury is soliciting comments concerning the Application for Recognition as Natural Guardian of a Minor Not Under Legal Guardianship and for Disposition of Minor's Interest in Registered Securities.

Section 111 of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2015 (Reauthorization Act) requires the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) to submit a report to the Congress addressing the overall effectiveness of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program (Program) and trends the Secretary has observed within the Program. In order to assist the Secretary with the required report, Treasury requests that insurers submit certain insurance data and information regarding their participation in the Program.

This document withdraws FinCEN's notice of proposed rulemaking seeking to impose the fifth special measure regarding Banca Privada d'Andorra (``BPA''), pursuant to Section 311 of the USA PATRIOT Act (``Section 311''), codified at 31 U.S.C. 5318A. Because of material subsequent developments that have mitigated the money laundering risks associated with BPA, FinCEN has determined that BPA is no longer a primary money laundering concern that warrants the implementation of a special measure under Section 311. Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, FinCEN is publishing a withdrawal of the related finding regarding BPA.

This document contains proposed regulations that provide guidance regarding the requirement that a recipient's basis in certain property acquired from a decedent be consistent with the value of the property as finally determined for Federal estate tax purposes. In addition, these proposed regulations provide guidance on the reporting requirements for executors or other persons required to file Federal estate tax returns. Temporary regulations in the Rules and Regulations section of this issue of the Federal Register provide transition relief to executors and other persons required to file or furnish certain statements. The text of those temporary regulations (TD 9757) published in the Rules and Regulations section of this issue of the Federal Register also serves as the text of the proposed regulations regarding the transition relief. These proposed regulations as well as TD 9757 published elsewhere in the Rules and Regulations section of this issue of this Federal Register affect executors or other persons who file estate tax returns after July 31, 2015. The proposed regulations also affect beneficiaries who acquire certain property from these estates, and subsequent transferees to whom beneficiaries transfer the property in transactions that do not result in the recognition of gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes.

The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning TD 9451, Guidance Necessary to Facilitate Business Election Filing.

This document contains a Notice that the IRS is accepting applications from qualified organizations for a part-year Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) matching grant to provide representation to low income taxpayers and education about taxpayer rights and responsibilities to individuals who speak English as a second language in certain identified geographic areas. The grant will cover the last six months of the 2016 grant year, from July 1, 2016, through December 31, 2016. The supplemental application period shall run from March 1, 2016, to April x1, 2016. Despite the IRS's efforts to foster parity in availability and accessibility in the selection of organizations receiving LITC matching grants and the continued increase in clinic services nationwide, there remain communities that are underrepresented by clinics. For the supplemental application period, the IRS will focus on geographic areas where there is limited or no clinic representation. The IRS will award up to $1.28 million in funding to qualifying organizations, subject to the limitations of Internal Revenue Code section 7526. A qualifying organization may receive a matching grant of up to $100,000 per year. Organizations currently receiving a grant are not eligible to apply during this supplemental application period. Grant funds may be awarded for start-up expenditures incurred during the grant year. The selection process for these part-year grants may not be complete before the beginning of the application period for the 2017 grant year; thus, applicants for a part-year grant will be expected to submit a separate application for full-year funding for the 2017 grant year during the 2017 grant application period, when announced later this year. Below is a list that contains the identified underserved geographic areas:

This document contains proposed regulations that amend the utility allowance regulations concerning the low-income housing credit. The proposed regulations relate to the circumstances in which utility costs paid by a tenant based on actual consumption in a submetered rent-restricted unit are treated as paid by the tenant directly to the utility company. The proposed regulations extend those rules to situations in which a building owner sells to tenants energy that is produced from a renewable source and that is not delivered by a local utility company. The proposed regulations affect owners of low-income housing projects that claim the credit, the tenants in those low-income housing projects, and the State and local housing credit agencies that administer the credit. In the Rules and Regulations section of this issue of the Federal Register, the IRS is issuing temporary regulations concerning utility allowance regulations when the utility is generated from renewable sources and is not delivered by the local utility company. The text of those regulations also serves as the text of these proposed regulations. This document also contains a notice of a public hearing on these proposed regulations.

This document contains final regulations relating to awards of administrative costs and attorneys' fees. The final regulations conform the regulations to the amendments made in the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 and the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998. The regulations affect taxpayers seeking attorneys' fees and costs.

The OCC, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on a continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (the PRA), Federal Agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information and to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), the OCC may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OCC is soliciting comment concerning the renewal of its information collection titled, ''Municipal Securities Dealers and Government Securities Brokers and DealersRegistration and Withdrawal.''