Department of Treasury March 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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, REG-209485-86 (TD 8812), Continuation Coverage Requirements Application to Group Health Plans (Sec. Sec. 54.4980B-6, 54.4980B-7, and 54.4980B-8).

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau proposes to establish the 868-square mile ``Haw River Valley'' viticultural area in Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Guilford, Orange, and Rockingham Counties, North Carolina. 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. We invite comments on this proposed addition to our regulations.

The United States Mint is announcing the prices of the 2008 American Eagle Gold Uncirculated Coin Program. Pursuant to the authority that 31 U.S.C. 5111(a) and 5112(a)(7-10) grant the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue gold coins, and to prepare and distribute numismatic items, the United States Mint mints and issues 2008 American Eagle Gold Proof and Uncirculated Coins with the following weights: One-ounce, one-half ounce, one-quarter ounce, one-tenth ounce. The United States Mint also produces an American Eagle four-coin set that contains one coin of each denomination. Because of increases in the cost of gold, the United States Mint will begin accepting orders for 2008 American Eagle Gold Uncirculated Coins at the prices indicated below, effective April 1, 2008:

This document provides notice of public hearing on a notice of proposed rulemaking under sections 401(k), 401(m), 402(c), 411(a), 414(w), and 4979(f) of the Internal Revenue Code relating to automatic contribution arrangements. These proposed regulations will affect administrators of, employers maintaining, participants in, and beneficiaries of eligible plans that include an automatic contribution arrangement under section 401(k)(13), 401(m)(12), or 414(w).

This document cancels a public hearing on proposed regulations that provide guidance relating to the reduction of the number of separate foreign tax credit limitation categories under section 904(d) of the Internal Revenue Code. Changes to the applicable law were made by the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 reducing the number of section 904(d) separate categories from eight to two, effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2006.

This document contains temporary regulations relating to the disclosure of return information, pursuant to section 6103(n) of the Internal Revenue Code (Code), by an officer or employee of the Treasury Department, to a whistleblower and, if applicable, the legal representative of the whistleblower, to the extent necessary in connection with a written contract among the IRS, the whistleblower and, if applicable, the legal representative of the whistleblower, for services relating to the detection of violations of the internal revenue laws or related statutes. The temporary regulations will affect officers and employees of the Treasury Department who disclose return information to whistleblowers, or their legal representatives, in connection with written contracts among the IRS, whistleblowers and, if applicable, their legal representatives, for services relating to the detection of violations of the internal revenue laws or related statutes. The temporary regulations will also affect any whistleblower, or legal representative of a whistleblower, who receives return information in connection with a written contract among the IRS, the whistleblower and, if applicable, the legal representative of the whistleblower, for services relating to the detection of violations of the internal revenue laws or related statutes. The text of the temporary regulations also serves as the text of the proposed regulations set forth in the notice of proposed rulemaking on this subject in the Proposed Rules section in this issue of the Federal Register.

This document contains a correction to final regulations (TD 9386) that were published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 (73 FR 13124) concerning the availability and character of a loss deduction under section 165 of the Internal Revenue Code for losses sustained from abandoned stock or other securities. These regulations clarify the tax treatment of losses from abandoned securities, and affect any taxpayer claiming a deduction for a loss from abandoned 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 Executive Office for Asset Forfeiture within the Department of the Treasury is soliciting comments concerning the Request for Transfer of Property Seized/Forfeited by a Treasury Agency, TD F 92-22.46.

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, LR-1214 (TD 7430), Discharge of Liens (Sec. 301.7425-3(b)(2)).

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 Procedure 2002-15, Automatic Relief for Late Initial Entity Classification ElectionsCheck the Box.

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 8823, Low-Income Housing Credit Agencies Report of Noncompliance or Building Disposition.

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, CO-49-88 (TD 8546), Limitations on Corporate Net Operating Loss (Sec. 1.382-6).

The OCC, Board, FDIC, OTS, FCA, and NCUA (collectively, the Agencies) are soliciting comment on proposed revisions to the Interagency Questions and Answers Regarding Flood Insurance (Interagency Questions and Answers). To help financial institutions meet their responsibilities under Federal flood insurance legislation and to increase public understanding of their flood insurance regulations, the staffs of the Agencies have prepared proposed new and revised guidance addressing the most frequently asked questions and answers about flood insurance. The proposed revised Interagency Questions and Answers contain staff guidance for agency personnel, financial institutions, and the public.

In the Rules and Regulations section of this issue of the Federal Register, the IRS and the Treasury Department are issuing temporary and final regulations relating to certain business entities included on the list of foreign business entities that are always classified as corporations for Federal tax purposes. The regulations are needed to make the Federal tax classification of Bulgarian public limited liability companies consistent with the Federal tax classification of public limited liability companies organized in other countries of the European Economic Area. They will affect persons owning an interest in a Bulgarian aktsionerno druzhestvo on or after January 1, 2007. The text of the temporary regulations also serves as the text of these proposed regulations.

This document contains corrections to final and temporary regulations (TD 9368) that were published in the Federal Register on Friday, December 21, 2007 (72 FR 72582) regarding the reduction of the number of separate foreign tax credit limitation categories under section 904(d) of the Internal Revenue Code. These regulations affect taxpayers claiming foreign tax credits and provide guidance needed to comply with the statutory changes made by the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (AJCA).

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 13929, Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC)Paper Check Request, Form 13562, Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC)General Registration Information Form, and Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC)Administrative Change Form.

This document contains proposed regulations that would provide guidance relating to the application of section 4980F of the Internal Revenue Code to a plan amendment that is permitted to reduce benefits accrued before the plan amendment's applicable amendment date. These regulations would also reflect certain amendments made to section 4980F by the Pension Protection Act of 2006, Public Law 109-280 (120 Stat. 780). These proposed regulations would affect sponsors, administrators, participants, and beneficiaries of pension plans. This document also provides a notice of a public hearing on these proposed regulations.

The Department of the Treasury (``Treasury'' or ``We'') is issuing in final form amendments to the Uniform Offering Circular for the Sale and Issue of Marketable Book-Entry Treasury Bills, Notes, and Bonds. The first change lowers the minimum and multiple par amounts of Treasury marketable notes, bonds, and Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS) that may be stripped from $1,000 to $100. The second change eliminates the provisions allowing depository institutions and dealers to submit customer bids in Treasury marketable securities auctions for securities that will be held in Legacy Treasury Direct. The third change eliminates the requirement that submitters that submit bids by computer provide a written certification that they are in compliance with the auction rules. Finally, this final rule adds technical clarification to the calculation of accrued interest for Treasury bonds and notes.

This document contains final regulations that provide guidance on the normalization requirements applicable to public utilities that benefit (or have benefited) from accelerated depreciation methods or from the investment tax credit permitted under pre-1991 law. These regulations permit a utility whose assets cease, whether by disposition, deregulation, or otherwise, to be public utility property with respect to the utility (deregulated public utility property) to return to its ratepayers the normalization reserve for excess deferred income taxes (EDFIT) with respect to those assets and, in certain circumstances, also permit the return of part or all of the reserve for accumulated deferred investment tax credits (ADITC) with respect to those assets.

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (``OFAC'') is publishing the name of one newly-designated entity whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to Executive Order 13382 of June 28, 2005, ``Blocking Property of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators and Their Supporters.''

The Department of the Treasury is announcing a change in the fee schedule for the Legacy Treasury Direct investor account maintenance fee. Legacy Treasury Direct investor account maintenance fees are assessed annually for each investor account with security holdings in excess of $100,000 in par value, pursuant to the Regulations Governing Book-Entry Treasury Bonds, Notes and Bills Held in Legacy Treasury Direct.

This document contains corrections to a notice of proposed rulemaking (REG-127391-07) that was published in the Federal Register on Friday, March 7, 2008 (73 FR 12313) providing guidance under Internal Revenue Code section 664 on the tax effect of unrelated business taxable income (UBTI) on charitable remainder trusts.

This document contains a correction to final regulations (TD 9377) that were published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 (73 FR 3868), that apply to a section 197 intangible resulting from an assumption reinsurance transaction, and under section 338 that apply to reserve increases after a deemed asset sale.

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 1099-R, Distributions From Pensions, Annuities, Retirement or Profit-Sharing Plans, IRAs, Insurance Contracts, etc.