Department of Treasury February 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

An open meeting of the Area 2 Taxpayer Advocacy Panel will be conducted (via teleconference). 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 an existing final regulation, PS-92-90 (TD 8395), Special Valuation Rules (Sections 25.2701-2, 25.2701-4, and 301.6501(c)-1).

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 8906, Distilled Spirits Credit.

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 8725, Excise Tax on Greenmail.

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 4461, Application for Approval of Master or Prototype Defined Contribution Plan; Form 4461-A, Application for Approval of Master or Prototye Defined Benefit Plan; Form 4461-B, Application for Approval of Master or Prototype Plan, Mass Submitter Adopting Sponsor.

In the Rules and Regulations section of this issue of the Federal Register, the IRS is issuing temporary regulations regarding administrative review procedures for certain government agencies and other authorized recipients of tax returns or return information (authorized recipients) whose receipt of returns and return information may be suspended or terminated because they do not maintain proper safeguards. The temporary regulations provide guidance to responsible IRS personnel and authorized recipients as to these administrative procedures. The text of the temporary regulations published in the Rules and Regulation section of this issue of the Federal Register serves as the text of the proposed regulations.

On December 29, 2005, the OCC, Board, FDIC, OTS, and NCUA (the Agencies) published for public comment proposed Interagency Guidance on Nontraditional Mortgage Products (Guidance). The Agencies are extending the comment period on the proposed guidance for 30 days.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board), and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) (collectively, the Agencies) are issuing a final rule that amends their market risk rules to revise the risk-based capital treatment for cash collateral that is posted in connection with securities borrowing transactions. This final rule will make permanent, and expand the scope of, an interim final rule issued in 2000 (the interim rule) that reduced the capital requirement for certain cash-collateralized securities borrowing transactions of banks and bank holding companies (banking organizations) that have adopted the market risk rule. This action more appropriately aligns the capital requirements for these transactions with the risk involved and provides a capital treatment for U.S. banking organizations that is more in line with the capital treatment to which their domestic and foreign competitors are subject.

This document contains final regulations that incorporate and clarify the phrase ``return information reflected on returns'' in conformance with the terms of section 6103(j)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code (Code), which provides for limited disclosures of returns and return information in connection with the census of agriculture. These final regulations also remove certain items of return information that the Department of Agriculture no longer needs for conducting the census of agriculture.

This document contains final regulations that address the interaction of section 304 and section 367. These regulations provide that section 367(a) and (b) do not apply to a deemed section 351 exchange resulting from a section 304(a)(1) transaction. These regulations may apply to taxpayers transferring stock to related foreign corporations.

Pursuant to section 552a(e)(12) of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Guidelines on the Conduct of Matching Programs, notice is hereby given of the conduct of the Internal Revenue Service Disclosure of Information to Federal, State and Local Agencies (DIFSLA) Computer Matching Program.

In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), the OCC, the Board, and the FDIC (the ``Agencies'') 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. On August 23, 2005, the Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), of which the Agencies are members, requested public comment for 60 days on proposed revisions to the Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income (Call Report), which are currently approved collections of information. After considering the comments, the FFIEC has modified some of the proposed changes and will stagger the effective dates of the revisions from March 31, 2006, through March 31, 2008. The burden-reducing revisions included in the proposal will be implemented March 31, 2006, as proposed.

An open meeting of the Area 5 Taxpayer Advocacy Panel will be conducted. The Taxpayer Advocacy Panel is soliciting public comment, ideas, and suggestions on improving customer service at the Internal Revenue Service.

This Treasury decision establishes the Rattlesnake Hills viticultural area in Yakima County in south-central Washington State. The 68,500-acre area is entirely within the established Yakima Valley and Columbia Valley viticultural areas. We designate viticultural areas to allow vintners to better describe the origin of their wines and to allow consumers to better identify wines they may purchase.

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. Currently, the OCC is soliciting comment concerning its collection titled ``Securities Offering Disclosure Rules12 CFR Part 16''.

The Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) is proposing to change its regulations concerning corporate governance to add a preapproved bylaw that federally chartered savings associations and mutual holding companies (collectively, federal savings associations) may adopt. The bylaw would preclude persons who, among other things, are under indictment for or have been convicted of certain crimes involving dishonesty or breach of trust, or have been subject to certain cease and desist orders entered by any of the banking agencies, from being members of the federal savings association's Board of Directors. The proposal would also permit federal savings associations to adopt bylaws that bar such persons from nominating individuals for membership on the federal savings association's Board of Directors. The proposal is intended to permit federal savings associations to protect their businesses from the adverse effects that are likely to result when the reputation of their board members is not conducive to maintaining the public's 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 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 Bureau of the Public Debt within the Department of the Treasury is soliciting comments concerning the Order For Series EE and Series I U.S. Savings Bonds, and Order For Series EE and Series I U.S. Savings Bonds To Be Registered In Name Of Fiduciary.

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 Bureau of the Public Debt within the Department of the Treasury is soliciting comments concerning the Supporting Statement of Ownership for Overdue United States Bearer Securities.

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 Bureau of the Public Debt within the Department of the Treasury is soliciting comments concerning the Request By Fiduciary For Reissue of United States Savings Bonds/Notes.

An open meeting of the Wage & Investment Reducing Taxpayer Burden (Notices) Issue Committee of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel will be conducted (via teleconference). The Taxpayer Advocacy Panel is soliciting public comments, ideas and suggestions on improving customer service at the Internal Revenue Service.

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

An open meeting of the Joint Committee of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel will be conducted via teleconference. The Taxpayer Advocacy Panel is soliciting public comment, 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 comment on proposed and continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3507. The Office of Thrift Supervision within the Department of the Treasury will submit the proposed information collection requirement described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. Today, OTS is soliciting public comments on its proposal to extend this information collection.

This is Supplement No. 8 to the Treasury Department Circular 570, 2005 Revision, published July 1, 2005, at 70 FR 38502.