Internal Revenue Service December 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In the Rules and Regulations section of this issue of the Federal Register, the IRS and the Treasury Department are issuing temporary regulations under section 304 of the Internal Revenue Code (Code). The temporary regulations apply to certain transactions that are subject to section 304 but that are entered into with a principal purpose of avoiding the application of section 304 to a corporation controlled by the issuing corporation in the transaction, or to a corporation that controls the acquiring corporation in the transaction. The temporary regulations affect shareholders treated as receiving distributions in redemption of stock by reason of section 304. The text of temporary regulations published in this issue of the Federal Register serves as the text of these proposed regulations.

This document contains final regulations that provide guidance to corporations that are component members of a controlled group of corporations and to consolidated groups filing life-nonlife Federal income tax returns. They provide guidance to component members regarding the apportionment of tax benefit items and the amount and type of information they are required to submit with their returns.

This document contains a correction to final regulations (TD 9472) that were published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, November 24, 2009 (74 FR 61270) providing guidance relating to the application of the section 204(h) notice requirements to a pension plan amendment that is permitted to reduce benefits accrued before the plan amendment's applicable amendment date.

This document contains corrections to final regulations (TD 9470) that were published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 (74 FR 59087) relating to the return and information statement requirements under section 6039 of the Internal Revenue Code.

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

This document contains corrections to final regulations (TD 9443) that were published in the Federal Register on Thursday, January 15, 2009 (74 FR 2370) relating to postponement of certain tax-related deadlines either due to service in a combat zone or due to a Federally declared disaster. The regulations reflect changes in the law made by the Victims of Terrorism Tax Relief Act of 2001, the Tax Extenders and Alternative Minimum Tax Relief Act of 2008 (TEAMTRA), and current IRS practice.

This document contains proposed regulations relating to reporting sales of securities by brokers and determining the basis of securities. The proposed regulations reflect changes in the law made by the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 that require brokers when reporting the sale of securities to the IRS to include the customer's adjusted basis in the sold securities and to classify any gain or loss as long-term or short-term. This document also contains proposed regulations reflecting changes in the law that alter how taxpayers compute basis when averaging the basis of shares acquired at different prices and that expand the ability of taxpayers to compute basis by averaging. The document also proposes regulations that provide brokers and others until February 15 to furnish certain information statements to customers. This document also contains proposed regulations that implement new reporting requirements imposed upon persons that transfer custody of stock and upon issuers of stock regarding organizational actions that affect the basis of the issued stock. This document also contains proposed regulations reflecting changes in the law that alter how brokers report short sales of securities. Finally, this document provides for a notice of a public hearing on these proposed regulations.

This document contains final regulations relating to the reduction in taxable income under section 302 of the Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act of 2005. The final regulations also reflect legislation under section 702 of the Heartland Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2008. The final regulations affect taxpayers who provide housing in their principal residences to individuals displaced by certain major disasters.