Department of Treasury January 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) 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 September 30, 2010, the agencies, under the auspices of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), requested public comment for 60 days on a proposal to extend, with revision, the Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income (Call Report), which are currently approved collections of information. After considering the comments received on the proposal, the FFIEC and the agencies will proceed with most, but not all, of the reporting changes that had been proposed and they will also revise two other Call Report items in response to commenters' recommendations. For some of the reporting changes that the agencies plan to implement, limited modifications have been made to the original proposals in response to the comments.

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-K, Merchant Card and Third Party Payments.

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 continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This notice requests comments on all forms used by individual taxpayers: Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, and Schedules A, B, C, C-EZ, D, D-1, E, EIC, F, H, J, R, and SE; Form 1040A; Form 1040EZ; Form 1040NR; Form 1040NR-EZ; Form 1040X; and all attachments to these forms (see the Appendix to this notice).

This document contains a correction to final regulations (TD 9512) that were published in the Federal Register on Thursday, December 23, 2010 (75 FR 80697) relating to deductions for contributions to trusts maintained for decommissioning nuclear power plants.

Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is issuing a temporary rule to implement certain changes made to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 by the Uruguay Round Agreement Act of 1994 and by the 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. The temporary rule updates and reissues regulations pertaining to the semimonthly payments of excise tax on distilled spirits, wine, beer, tobacco products, and cigarette papers and tubes, and also reissues temporary regulations regarding quarterly payment of excise tax for small alcohol excise taxpayers. The text of the regulations in the temporary rule published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register serves as the text of the proposed regulations.

In this Treasury decision, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau amends the regulations concerning the establishment of American viticultural areas (AVAs). The changes provide clearer regulatory standards for the establishment of AVAs and clarify the rules for preparing, submitting, and processing viticultural area petitions.

This document contains a proposed regulation relating to the payment of rewards under section 7623(a) of the Internal Revenue Code and awards under section 7623(b). The guidance is necessary to clarify the definition of proceeds of amounts collected and collected proceeds under section 7623. This regulation provides needed guidance to the general public as well as officers and employees of the IRS who review claims under section 7623.

This document cancels a public hearing on proposed rulemaking that amends the regulations relating to the imposition of user fees for enrolled agents and enrolled retirement plan agents.

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 January 19, 2011. Date: January 19, 2011. Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Location: 8th Floor Board Room, United States Mint, 801 9th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20220. Subject: Full CCAC review and consideration of the draft report: ``A Blueprint for Advancing Artistic Creativity and Excellence in United States Coins and Medals,'' and discussion about preparing the CCAC 2010 Annual Report. Interested persons should call 202-354-7502 for the latest update on meeting time and room location. In accordance with 31 U.S.C. 5135, the CCAC: 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. 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. Makes recommendations with respect to the mintage level for any commemorative coin recommended.

An open meeting of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel Notice Improvement 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.

An open meeting of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel Taxpayer Assistance Center Committee will be conducted. 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 Small Business/ Self Employed Correspondence Exam Toll Free will be conducted. 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 Small Business/ Self Employed Correspondence Exam Practitioner Engagement will be conducted. 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 Area 6 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.

An open meeting of the Area 5 Taxpayer Advocacy Panel will be conducted. 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 Area 1 Taxpayer Advocacy Panel will be conducted. 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 Tax Forms and Publications 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 Notice 2010-83, Funding Relief for Multiemployer Defined Benefit Plans under PRA 2010 and Notice 2011-3, Special Rules Relating to Funding Relief for Single-Employer Pension Plans under PRA 2010.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board), and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) are requesting comment on a proposal to revise their market risk capital rules to modify their scope to better capture positions for which the market risk capital rules are appropriate; reduce procyclicality in market risk capital requirements; enhance the rules' sensitivity to risks that are not adequately captured under the current regulatory measurement methodologies; and increase transparency through enhanced disclosures. The proposal does not include the methodologies adopted by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision for calculating the specific risk capital requirements for debt and securitization positions due to their reliance on credit ratings, which is impermissible under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The proposal, therefore, retains the current specific risk treatment for these positions until the agencies develop alternative standards of creditworthiness as required by the Act. The proposed rules are substantively the same across the agencies.

This document contains final regulations relating to the modification of debt instruments. The regulations clarify the extent to which the deterioration in the financial condition of the issuer is taken into account to determine whether a modified debt instrument will be recharacterized as an instrument or property right that is not debt. The regulations provide needed guidance to issuers and holders of debt instruments.

This document contains proposed regulations that provide guidance on the reporting requirements for interest on deposits maintained at U.S. offices of certain financial institutions and paid to nonresident alien individuals. These proposed regulations affect persons making payments of interest with respect to such deposits. This document also provides a notice of public hearing on these proposed regulations and withdraws the notice of proposed rulemaking published on August 2, 2002 (67 FR 50386).

This document contains corrections to final and temporary regulations (TD 9507) that were published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, December 7, 2010 (75 FR 75897) providing guidance relating to Federal tax deposits (FTDs) by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). The temporary and final regulations provide rules under which depositors must use EFT for all FTDs and eliminate the rules regarding FTD coupons.

This document amends the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (``CBP'') regulations on an interim basis to implement the preferential tariff treatment and other customs-related provisions of the United StatesOman Free Trade Agreement entered into by the United States and the Sultanate of Oman.

Effective December 31, 2010, The Department of the Treasury, Financial Management Service, is increasing the fees it imposes on and collects from surety companies and reinsuring companies.