Department of the Treasury October 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is publishing the names of one or more persons that have been placed on OFAC's Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List based on OFAC's determination that one or more applicable legal criteria were satisfied. All property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction of these persons are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.

This notice announces the appointment of members of the Legal Division PRB. The purpose of this Board is to review and make recommendations concerning proposed performance appraisals, ratings, bonuses, and other appropriate personnel actions for incumbents of SES positions in the Legal Division.

This document amends the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations to remove the provision relating to the prohibition on the importation of jadeite or rubies mined or extracted from Burma, and articles of jewelry containing jadeite or rubies mined or extracted from Burma. This reflects the termination of all Burmese sanctions by Executive Order 13742, of October 7, 2016.

The Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council (IRSAC) will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, November 15, 2017.

The Internal Revenue Service, 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. The IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 1041-N, U.S. Income Tax Return for Electing Alaska Native Settlement Trusts.

The Secretary of the Treasury is responsible for computing and publishing the percentage rate that is used in assessing interest charges for outstanding debts owed to the Government. This rate is also used by agencies as a comparison point in evaluating the cost- effectiveness of a cash discount. In addition, this rate is used in determining when agencies should pay purchase card invoices when the card issuer offers a rebate. Notice is hereby given that the applicable rate for calendar year 2018 is 1.00 percent.

In March 2017, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (collectively, the agencies) submitted a report to Congress pursuant to the Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act of 1996, in which they committed to meaningfully reduce regulatory burden, especially on community banking organizations. Consistent with that commitment, the agencies are inviting public comment on a notice of proposed rulemaking that would simplify compliance with certain aspects of the capital rule. A majority of the proposed simplifications would apply solely to banking organizations that are not subject to the advanced approaches capital rule (non-advanced approaches banking organizations). Specifically, the agencies are proposing that non-advanced approaches banking organizations apply a simpler regulatory capital treatment for: Mortgage servicing assets; certain deferred tax assets arising from temporary differences; investments in the capital of unconsolidated financial institutions; and capital issued by a consolidated subsidiary of a banking organization and held by third parties (minority interest). More generally, the proposal also includes revisions to the treatment of certain acquisition, development, or construction exposures that are designed to address comments regarding the current definition of high volatility commercial real estate exposure under the capital rule's standardized approach. Under the standardized approach, the proposed revisions to the treatment of acquisition, development, or construction exposures would not apply to existing exposures that are outstanding or committed prior to any final rule's effective date. In addition to the proposed simplifications, the agencies also are proposing various additional clarifications and technical amendments to the agencies' capital rule, which would apply to both non-advanced approaches banking organizations and advanced approaches banking organizations.

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has removed from the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List) the names of persons whose property and interests in property had been blocked pursuant to Sudan sanctions authorities.

This document corrects a correction to a notice of proposed rulemaking (REG-134247-16) that was published in the Federal Register on Friday, September 15, 2017. The notice of proposed rulemaking, published on January 6, 2017, under section 1441 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (Code), relates to withholding of tax on certain U.S. source income paid to foreign persons and requirements for certain claims for refund or credit of income tax made by foreign persons.

The Department of the Treasury will submit the following information collection requests to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. The public is invited to submit comments on these requests.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), 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 continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 1094-B, Transmittal of Health Coverage Information Returns and Form 1095-B, Health Coverage.

The Internal Revenue Service, 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 continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The IRS is soliciting comments concerning the declaration for federal employment.

In the Federal Register notice that was originally published on October 5, 2017, (Volume 82, Number 192, Page 46611), the meeting date is now changed. The new date for the meeting is, Tuesday, November 14, 2017.

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 (PRA). In accordance with the requirements of the PRA, 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 ``Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements Associated with Liquidity Coverage Ratio: Liquidity Risk Measurement, Standards, and Monitoring.'' The OCC also is giving notice that it has sent the collection to OMB for review.

The Internal Revenue Service, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the 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. Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning the requirements relating to completing Form 12854, Government Service Information.

The Internal Revenue Service, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the 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. Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning the requirements relating to Split-Dollar Life Insurance Arrangements.

This document withdraws proposed regulations concerning the estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax treatment of lapses of liquidation rights in family-controlled entities, as well as the valuation of interests in family-controlled corporations and partnerships for estate, gift, and GST tax purposes. Specifically, the proposed regulations would have treated certain lapses of liquidation rights as transfers occurring at death. The proposed regulations also addressed the treatment of restrictions on liquidation and withdrawal in determining the value of transferred interests in family-controlled entities. This withdrawal affects certain transferors of interests in corporations and partnerships.

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 an information collection revision, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a 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 a revision to its information collection titled, ``Comptroller's Licensing Manual.'' The OCC also is giving notice that it has sent the collection to OMB for review.

This document contains final regulations under section 597 of the Internal Revenue Code (Code). These final regulations amend existing regulations that address the federal income tax treatment of transactions in which federal financial assistance (FFA) is provided to banks and domestic building and loan associations, and they clarify the federal income tax consequences of those transactions to banks, domestic building and loan associations, and related parties. These regulations affect banks, domestic building and loan associations, and related parties.

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. Currently the Bureau of the Fiscal Service within the Department of the Treasury is soliciting comments concerning the Disclaimer and Consent With Respect to United States Savings Bonds/Notes.

The Internal Revenue Service, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the 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. Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning the application process for determination of employee stock ownership plans.

The Internal Revenue Service, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the 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. Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning the methods to determine taxable income in connection with a cost sharing arrangement, IRC section 482.

The Internal Revenue Service, 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 continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

On April 21, 2017, the President issued Executive Order 13789 (82 FR 19317), a directive designed to reduce tax regulatory burdens. The order directed the Secretary of the Treasury to identify significant tax regulations issued on or after January 1, 2016, that impose an undue financial burden on U.S. taxpayers, add undue complexity to the Federal tax laws, or exceed the statutory authority of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In an interim Report to the President dated June 22, 2017, Treasury identified eight such regulations. Executive Order 13789 further directs the Secretary to submit to the President and publish in the Federal Register a report recommending specific actions to mitigate the burden imposed by regulations identified in the interim report. This Second Report sets forth the Secretary's recommendations.