The IRS update presents guidance in the application of the IRC 6707A penalty, including identification of reportable transactions, the basis for asserting the penalty, and the statute of limitations for assessment.
IRC 6707A provides a monetary penalty for the failure to include on any return or statement any information required to be disclosed under IRC 6011 with respect to a reportable transaction. This penalty was enacted October 22, 2004 under the American Jobs Creation Act (AJCA). Under Treas. Reg. 1.6011-4, Requirement of Statement Disclosing Participation in Certain Transactions by Taxpayers, taxpayers are required to disclose their participation in several categories of reportable transactions. The IRC 6707A penalty is imposed in addition to any other penalty that may be imposed against a taxpayer. The penalty applies without regard to whether the underlying transaction is ultimately determined to result in an understatement of tax.Subject to the maximum and minimum limits, the amount of the penalty is "75 percent of the decrease in tax shown on the return" as a result of the reportable transaction (or which would have resulted from such transaction if such transaction were respected for federal tax purposes).
The maximum penalty in the case of a listed transaction is $100,000 for a natural person and $200,000 for all other taxpayers. In the case of a non-listed reportable transaction, the maximum penalty is $10,000 for a natural person and $50,000 for all other taxpayers.The minimum penalty for both listed transactions and non-listed reportable transactions is $5,000 for a natural person and $10,000 for all other taxpayers. IRC 6707A(e) further provides that taxpayers that have U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing requirements under Sections 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (for example, publicly traded companies) are required to disclose their liability for certain penalties under IRC 6707A, IRC 6662A(c) and IRC 6662(h) in public reports filed with the SEC. See Rev. Proc. 2005-51, 2005-2 C.B. 296, as well as Rev. Proc. 2007-25, 2007-1 C.B 761, for additional information.There is no reasonable cause exception to the IRC 6707A penalty.
The Commissioner of Internal Revenue (or the commissioner's delegate), however, may rescind the penalty in whole or in part if doing so would promote compliance with the tax code and effective tax administration. This authority applies only to reportable transactions that are not listed transactions.If a penalty is rescinded, the commissioner (or the commissioner's delegate) must keep on file a record of the determination, including the facts and circumstances relating to the violation, the reasons for the decision to rescind the penalty, and the amount of the penalty rescinded. See IRM 1.15.22.1, Description and Authorities, for appropriate retention standards and authorities.
While a taxpayer may challenge an examiner's determination as to its participation in a reportable transaction or as to the adequacy or timeliness of its disclosure of any transaction in Appeals and in court, a taxpayer may not seek review (in Appeals or in court) of the commissioner's denial of a request to rescind the penalty.
The IRS is required to submit an annual report to Congress that includes information regarding the application of the IRC 6707A penalty and the rescission provision, as well as information about the application of certain other penalties.
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The penalty under IRC 6707A applies to returns that are due after October 22, 2004, the date of enactment of the American Jobs Creation Act (AJCA) and that were not filed before that date.
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Treas. Reg. 301-6707A-1, published
on September 7, 2011, advises that the Service may assess a penalty
under IRC 6707A with
respect to each failure to timely
and adequately disclose a reportable transaction as required by IRC 6011
and the associated
regulations.
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A taxpayer that fails to attach a
reportable transaction disclosure statement to a return, including an
amended return, and
also fails to provide a copy of a
required disclosure statement to the Office of Tax Shelter Analysis
(OTSA), will only be
subject to a single penalty under
IRC 6707A. The penalty is also applicable if the taxpayer complies with
only one of these
two requirements. See Treas. Reg.
301.6707A-1(c)(1) and IRM 4.32.4.2, IRC 6011 - Overview of Disclosure Requirements, for a discussion of when the Form 8886, Reportable Transaction Disclosure Statement, must be sent to OTSA.
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The following two examples from Treas. Reg.301.6707A-1(c) illustrate the application of the IRC 6707A penalty for failure
to comply with the requirement to file a reportable transaction disclosure statement:
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Example 1 - Taxpayer T is
required to attach a Form 8886 to its return for the 2008 taxable year
and to send a copy of the
Form 8886 to OTSA at the
time the return is filed. Taxpayer T fails to attach the Form 8886 to
its return and fails to send
a copy of the Form 8886 to
OTSA. Taxpayer T is subject to a single penalty under IRC 6707A for
failure to disclose because
Taxpayer T failed to comply
with the disclosure requirements of IRC 6011 as described in Treas.
Reg. 1.6011-4(d) and 1.6011-4(e)
of that chapter. A penalty
under IRC 6707A also would apply if Taxpayer T had failed to comply with
only one of the two requirements
as stated in (3) above.
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Example 2 - Same as Example
1, except that Taxpayer T also subsequently files an amended return for
2008 that reflects Taxpayer
T's participation in the
reportable transaction described in Example 1. Taxpayer T fails to
attach a Form 8886 to the amended
return as required by
Treas. Reg. 1.6011-4(e)(1) of this chapter. Taxpayer T is subject to an
additional penalty under IRC
6707A for failing to
disclose a reportable transaction on the amended return for 2008.
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Example 1 - Taxpayer T is
required to attach a Form 8886 to its return for the 2008 taxable year
and to send a copy of the
Form 8886 to OTSA at the
time the return is filed. Taxpayer T fails to attach the Form 8886 to
its return and fails to send
a copy of the Form 8886 to
OTSA. Taxpayer T is subject to a single penalty under IRC 6707A for
failure to disclose because
Taxpayer T failed to comply
with the disclosure requirements of IRC 6011 as described in Treas.
Reg. 1.6011-4(d) and 1.6011-4(e)
of that chapter. A penalty
under IRC 6707A also would apply if Taxpayer T had failed to comply with
only one of the two requirements
as stated in (3) above.
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Filing an amended return with a disclosure will not cure the failure to file a disclosure with the original return unless
the amended return is filed before the due date of the original return
(including extensions). However, the regulations
provide that filing a
disclosure statement with an amended return will weigh in favor of
rescission, provided specific procedures
are followed.
Example:
Taxpayer's extended due date is August 15. On June 1, he files a return but fails to include the required disclosure. On September 1 (in other words, after the due date of the return), he files an amended return with the disclosure. He is still liable for the penalty. It does not matter that he attempted to cure the problem or whether he attempted to do so before or after the IRS discovered his participation. If, however, Taxpayer filed the amended return before August 15, the amended return would be considered a "superseding return" that is treated as the original return. Because this superseding return was filed with the required disclosure before the due date (as extended), taxpayer is not liable for the IRC 6707A penalty.
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In making penalty determinations
involving flow-through entities, examiners should note that the IRC
6707A penalty can apply
at both the entity level and the
individual level. Each entity must be separately analyzed to determine
if it is required
to disclose its participation in a
reportable transaction, and failed to file Form 8886 with its return,
and if necessary,
with OTSA. See IRM 4.32.4.2, IRC 6011 - Overview of Disclosure Requirements, for a discussion of when the Form 8886 must be sent to OTSA.
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In instances when the disclosure
statement is due with a return, the IRC 6707A penalty will not be
imposed until the taxpayer
files a return. In other words,
where a disclosure is due with the return, an IRC 6707A penalty will not
be imposed where
a taxpayer has not yet filed a
return, even if the due date for the return has already passed or where
the taxpayer files
a late return that includes the
required disclosure statement (and the required copy to OTSA, if
required). In instances where
the disclosure statement is not due
with a return, such as when a transaction is listed after the taxpayer
files a return
reflecting participation and is
required to provide a disclosure statement to OTSA within 90 days of
publication of the listing
notice, the penalty is applicable
after expiration of the 90-day period.
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IRC 6707A penalties must be approved by management. See IRM 4.32.4.4, IRC 6707A Penalty Approval Process.
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In general, the 30-day letter for
the penalty case should be issued with at least nine months remaining on
the period of limitations
on assessment. This will allow
sufficient time for the taxpayer to respond to the 30-day letter;
potentially request a 30-day
extension of time to prepare a
protest; and for the examiner to send the case to Appeals while still
ensuring that Appeals
receives the case file with six
months remaining on the period of limitations on assessment. This also
allows time for Appeals
to consider and assess the penalty
as appropriate.
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If the 30-day letter cannot be issued with at least nine months remaining on the period of limitations, the examiner should
request an extension of the time to make the assessment from the taxpayer on Form 872, Consent to Extend the Time to Assess Tax. See IRM 4.32.4.1.4.4, Form 872.
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Examiners should also consult IRM 25.6.22.2.1, Assessment, which requires that a manager approve the examiner soliciting a consent and IRM 25.6.22.3, Notification of Taxpayer's Rights, which requires that the examiner advise the taxpayer of their right not to extend the statute.
Note:
IRM 25.6.22.2.1, Assessment, provides that consent should be solicited at the 180-day time frame. For IRC 6707A penalties, Appeals has requested that examiners solicit consent at the 9-month time frame to ensure that Appeals has additional time due to the complexity of the IRC 6707A cases,
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If the taxpayer refuses to extend
the statute and all relevant facts to support the penalty are
established, proceed to assessment
(as described in IRM 4.32.4.7.2) and offer the taxpayer post-assessment Appeals consideration. See IRM 4.32.4.6.3, Sending the Case to Appeals-Post Assessment Consideration, for additional information.
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As a conservative measure, the period of limitations in the context of the IRC 6707A penalty should be determined by reference
to IRC 6501, Limitations on Assessment and Collection,
if disclosure is required with a return. As such, a period of
limitations on assessment for the IRC 6707A penalty should
be treated as applying when
disclosure is required with a return and begins to run from the date the
disclosure is required.
Under the IRC 6011 regulations,
disclosure of a reportable transaction on Form 8886, Reportable Transaction Disclosure Statement, is not always made with the taxpayer's return. If a disclosure is not required with a return, then no limitations period
applies to assessment of the IRC 6707A penalty. See IRM 4.32.4.1.4.1, Statute of Limitations When Disclosure Is Required With a Return and IRM 4.32.4.1.4.2, Statute of Limitations When Disclosure Is Required Without a Return for further information.
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Because the IRC 6707A penalty can be
assessed at the entity level (distinct from the shareholder or partner
level), the limitations
period for assessing the penalty
against an S corporation or partnership depends on when the entity was
required to disclose
its participation and is not
controlled by the associated shareholder's or partner's statute.
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If the penalty is developed along
with the determination of a deficiency with respect to the reportable
transaction and a
statutory notice of deficiency is
issued, the statutory notice of deficiency suspends the time to assess a
deficiency (during
the 90-day period to file a petition
with the Tax Court, while the case is before the Tax Court, and an
additional 60 days
after the court's decision is final)
but does not suspend the time to assess the IRC 6707A penalty.
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General period of limitations:
When the Form 8886 is required to be filed with a return, the assessment
of the IRC 6707A penalty
for a failure to timely and/or
properly disclose a reportable transaction generally must, as a
conservative measure, be made
within three years of the date of
filing the underlying return pursuant to IRC 6501, Limitations on Assessment and Collection.
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Disclosure is required with a
return when a transaction is listed or otherwise reportable at the time
the return is filed
and the period of limitations on
assessment of the IRC 6707A penalty begins on the date that the return
to which the disclosure
should be attached is deemed
filed.
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Disclosure is also required with a return in certain situations where the transaction was not listed at the time that the
taxpayer filed a return reflecting participation but becomes listed later.
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An earlier version of
Treas. Reg. 1.6011-4, applicable to transactions entered into from June
14, 2002 to August 2, 2007,
provides that when a
return is filed reflecting a transaction that is not listed but becomes
listed at a later time, a taxpayer
must attach a disclosure
form with respect to "open years"
to the "return next
filed after the date the transaction is listed"
(Treasury Decision
(T.D.) 9000, 2002-2 Cumulative Bulletin (C.B.) 87).
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Accordingly, in this
situation, the period of limitations begins when the "return next filed
after the date the transaction
is listed"
is deemed filed
regardless of the tax year or years to which the disclosure relates.
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Taxpayers who entered into the transaction when this earlier version of Treas. Reg. 1.6011-4 was in effect are subject to
this version of the regulations for as long as they are in the transaction. See IRM 4.32.4.1.4.2, Statute of Limitations When Disclosure Is Required Without a Return, which discusses Treas. Reg. 1.6011-4 as it applies to situations where a transaction becomes listed after a return reflecting
participation is filed.
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The foregoing rules are conservative measures that do not consider the potential applicability of IRC 6501(c)(10) that may
extend the period limitations.
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An earlier version of
Treas. Reg. 1.6011-4, applicable to transactions entered into from June
14, 2002 to August 2, 2007,
provides that when a
return is filed reflecting a transaction that is not listed but becomes
listed at a later time, a taxpayer
must attach a disclosure
form with respect to "open years"
to the "return next
filed after the date the transaction is listed"
(Treasury Decision
(T.D.) 9000, 2002-2 Cumulative Bulletin (C.B.) 87).
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There is an exception for listed
transactions. For listed transactions only, IRC 6501(c)(10) provides
additional time to make
an assessment of the penalty if
the disclosure is not made with the return. IRC 6501(c)(10) provides
that the period to assess
tax with respect to a listed
transaction the taxpayer failed to disclose in accordance with IRC 6011
shall not expire before
one year after the earlier of:
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The date the taxpayer provides the information required under IRC 6011, or
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The date that a material advisor meets the requirements of IRC 6112.
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The date the taxpayer provides the information required under IRC 6011, or
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After first following instructions in IRM 4.32.4.1.4.3, General Procedures Applicable to All Reportable Transactions,
see Rev. Proc. 2005-26, 2007-17 C.B. 965, for further guidance on IRC
6501(c)(10) and consult Counsel to determine the applicability
of this provision.
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Treas. Reg. 1.6011-4(e)(2)(i)
requires taxpayers to file a disclosure with OTSA within 90 calendar
days of the date that a
transaction is listed or
identified as a transaction of interest (TOI) by the Service, if the
taxpayer participated in the
transaction and reported tax
benefits from it on a previously filed return for which the period for
assessing tax remains
open.
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Because the return on which the
taxpayer took the tax benefits of the transaction was already filed and
at the time of filing
there was no requirement to make
the disclosure, the three-year period for assessing tax on a return is
not the appropriate
limit of the period within which
to assess the penalty for failing to file a stand-alone statement. In
this situation, no
limitations period to assess the
IRC 6707A penalty should apply.
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A determination regarding the
application of the IRC 6707A penalty should be made within the
three-year period (if disclosure
is required with the return), if
possible, to avoid questions about whether the limitations period is
open.
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Where it is not possible to complete an appropriate investigation within the three-year period, an examiner should try to
obtain the taxpayer's consent to extend the period of limitations. See IRM 4.32.4.1.4.4, Form 872.
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Examiners should also consult IRM 25.6.22.2.1, Assessment, which requires that a manager approve the examiner soliciting a consent and IRM 25.6.22.3, Notification of Taxpayer's Rights, which requires that the examiner advise the taxpayer of their right not to extend the statute.
Note:
IRM 25.6.22.2.1, Assessment, provides that consent should be solicited at the 180-day time frame. For IRC 6707A penalties, Appeals has requested that examiners solicit consent at the 9-month time frame to ensure that Appeals has additional time due to the complexity of the IRC 6707A cases,
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If a taxpayer refuses to extend the period of limitations on assessment and the case is sufficiently developed to assess the
IRC 6707A penalty, assess the penalty.
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If the taxpayer refuses to extend
the period of limitations on assessment for a case involving a listed
transaction, and the
case is not sufficiently
developed to assess the penalty, the examiner should consult with
Counsel to determine whether the
period in which to assess the tax
(and the penalty) is extended under IRC 6501(c)(10).
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If the taxpayer refuses to extend
the period of limitations on assessment, the examiner may also consult
with Counsel, as
necessary, to determine whether
any other exceptions to the normal period of limitations apply.
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The Form 872 for the underlying income tax does not extend the period of limitations for assessment of the IRC 6707A penalty
unless the form includes specific language addressing the penalty.
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The following language is approved for use on the Form 872:
Example:
"Without otherwise limiting the applicability of this agreement, this agreement also extends to the expiration date identified in paragraph (1) above the period of limitations for assessing any penalty pursuant to IRC 6707A, Penalty for Failure to Include Reportable Transaction Information with the Return, with respect to the taxpayers, kind of tax, and tax periods identified above."
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To extend the period of
limitations for the IRC 6707A penalty without also extending the period
of limitations for the income
tax on the return associated with
the IRC 6707A penalty, the language of paragraph (1) of the Form 872
must be revised. See
Exhibit 4.32.4-1, Sample Form 872 IRC 6707A Penalty Only for a sample of the penalty only Form 872. See Exhibit 4.32.4-2, Sample Form 872 IRC 6707A Penalty and Income Tax, for a sample of Form 872 to use with both a penalty and income tax. Counsel approved sample Forms 872 for both situations
(penalty only or income tax and penalty) can also be found on the 6707A webpage.
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The IRC 6707A penalty is not assessed as a joint and several liability; it can be individually applied to each spouse who
jointly files a Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return,
provided each meets the legal criteria for the penalty. For these
cases, the examiner should request that each spouse sign
a separate Form 872 that has the
explicit language from number (2) above. The examiner does not need a
separate Form 872 from
a spouse for whom the examiner is
not considering an IRC 6707A penalty.
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To extend the period of
limitations for a partnership potentially subject to an IRC 6707A
penalty, the Form 872 should be
signed by the general partner and
not the tax matters partner. As there is no line on the Form 872 for a
general partner to
sign, the examiner should strike
through the words "Corporate Name,"
write in "Partnership Name"
, strike through "Corporate
Officer,"
and substitute "General
Partner."
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If the taxpayer extends the
statute of limitations with respect to the IRC 6707A penalty, ERCS
should be updated to reflect
the new statute date. The
examiner will need to validate that the statute has been updated in the
ERCS system. The examiner
should secure a printout of the
ERCS penalty case record to verify the updated statute.
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The application of IRC 6011 reportable
transaction disclosure regulations requires that the taxpayer meet the
definition of
participation in a reportable
transaction as those terms are defined in the relevant versions of the
regulations, as well
as other requirements of the applicable
regulations described below.
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Whether a taxpayer was required to disclose under the IRC 6011 regulations depends on what version of those regulations was
in effect when the taxpayer entered into the transaction.
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The version of the regulations that
applies to a transaction at the time the transaction was entered into by
the taxpayer
will remain applicable to the taxpayer,
even if the regulations subsequently were modified. When the IRC 6011
regulations
do not impose a disclosure requirement,
the IRC 6707A penalty cannot apply. Therefore, as explained more fully
below, even
if a taxpayer files a tax return after
October 22, 2004, reflecting participation in a listed or non-listed
reportable transaction
and fails to file a Form 8886, he or
she may not be subject to the IRC 6707A penalty; further analysis is
required before
imposing the IRC 6707A penalty.
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Returns filed on or before February 28, 2000: The disclosure regulations do not apply to any tax returns filed on or before February 28, 2000. See T.D.
8877, 2000-11, C.B. 747 for more details.
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Returns filed after February 28, 2000 and transactions entered into before
January 1, 2001: The disclosure regulations initially applied to
federal corporate income tax returns filed after February
28, 2000. A listed transaction
is not treated as a reportable transaction if it has affected the
taxpayer's federal income
tax liability as reported on
any tax return filed on or before February 28, 2000. A transaction may
be an "other reportable
transaction"
only if it is entered into
after February 28, 2000. If a taxpayer entered into the transaction
before 2001, it could be
subject to the disclosure
regulations if it: (1) was a corporation and (2) the taxpayer reasonably
estimated that the transaction
would reduce the taxpayer's
federal income tax liability by more than $1 million in any single
taxable year or by a total
of more than $2 million for
any combination of taxable years (the projected tax effect test - Treas.
Reg. 1.6011-4T(b)(4)).
See T.D. 8877, 2000-11, C.B.
747; T.D. 8896, 2000-36, C.B. 249 and T.D. 8961, 2001-2 C.B. 194. for
more details.
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Transactions entered into on or after January 1, 2001 and before
January 1, 2003: If the taxpayer entered into the transaction on or
after January 1, 2001, and filed its tax return reporting
the transaction (i.e.
reflecting the tax impact of that transaction) on or before June 14,
2002, the taxpayer was subject
to the old rule. In other
words, the taxpayer was subject to the disclosure rules only if it was a
corporation and the transaction
reduced the taxpayer's federal
income tax liability by the threshold amounts listed under the old rule
above. See T.D. 9000,
2002-2 C.B. 87, T.D. 8877,
2000-11, C.B. 747, T.D. 8896, 2000-36, C.B. 249, and T.D. 8961, 2001-2,
C.B. 194 for more details.
If the taxpayer entered into
the transaction on or after January 1,
2001 and did not file its tax return reporting the transaction (i.e.,
reflecting the tax impact of that transaction)
on or before June 14, 2002,
the taxpayer was subject to the disclosures if it was a corporation,
individual, trust, partnership,
or S corporation. However,
taxpayers other than corporations were only subject to the disclosure
rules with respect to listed
transactions. Listed
transactions no longer had to meet the projected tax effect test. See
T.D. 9000, 2002-2 C.B. 87 for more
details.
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Transactions entered into on or after
January 1, 2003: All taxpayers who are required to file a tax return
are subject to the disclosure rules with respect to
all reportable transactions,
including listed transactions. See T.D. 9017, 2002-2 C.B. 815, T.D.
9046, 2003-1 C,B 614, T.D.
9108, 2004-1 C.B. 429, T.D.
9295, 2006-2 C.B. 1030, and T.D. 9350, 2007-38 I.R.B. 607 for more
details.
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Returns filed on or before February 28, 2000: The disclosure regulations do not apply to any tax returns filed on or before February 28, 2000. See T.D.
8877, 2000-11, C.B. 747 for more details.
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Since March 2003, the Form 8886, Reportable Transaction Disclosure Statement,
has been available to taxpayers for use as the disclosure statement
required under IRC 6011 and the regulations. For transactions
governed by the regulations issued
prior to T.D. 9017, 2002-2 C.B. 815, (i.e., generally transactions
entered into before
January 1, 2003), taxpayers did not
have to use the Form 8886, but they had to disclose the information
required under the
regulations on a statement attached to
their return.
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Under Treas. Reg. 1.6011-4(e), the Form 8886 must be attached to the taxpayer's tax return (or amended return) for each taxable
year for which a taxpayer participates in a reportable transaction.
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A taxpayer filing a Form 8886 with a return for the first time is required to file a duplicate copy of Form 8886 with OTSA
at the same time the disclosure statement is first filed by the taxpayer.
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The requirement to file Form 8886
arises with respect to a return for the taxable year in which
participation in a reportable
transaction commences. The requirement
to file a duplicate disclosure statement with OTSA applies only with
respect to the
initial year the Form 8886 is filed.
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When a taxpayer fails to file a
required Form 8886 in the year the participation in a reportable
transaction commences, the
requirement to file a duplicate copy
with OTSA arises with the earliest filing of a tax return that
incorporates the requisite
Form 8886. This requirement exists
regardless of the duration of the taxpayer's participation in a
reportable transaction
prior to filing of the Form 8886 with a
tax return.
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A failure by a taxpayer to submit the
disclosure with its return or, when required, the duplicate of the
disclosure with OTSA,
is a failure to satisfy the disclosure
requirement of IRC 6011, which may result in a liability for an IRC
6707A penalty.
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There are special rules relating to the
filing of a disclosure statement for transactions that become listed
transactions
or transactions of interest after the
taxpayer has filed a return reflecting the taxpayer's participation in
the transaction.
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In these situations, taxpayers generally have to disclose to OTSA within 90 days after the date the transaction became a listed
transaction or transaction of interest.
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When a taxpayer participates in more
than one reportable transaction, a separate Form 8886 must be filed with
respect to each
reportable transaction unless the
reportable transactions are substantially similar, in which case one
Form 8886 may be filed.
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Treas. Reg. 1.6011-4(b) currently lists five types of reportable transactions:
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Listed transactions
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Confidential transactions
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Transactions with contractual protection
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Loss transactions
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Transactions of interest
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Listed transactions
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The definition of reportable
transaction varies greatly depending on which version of the regulations
applies to the transaction,
so it is imperative to look to the
actual language of the regulations.
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Generally, a transaction will not be considered a reportable transaction if the commissioner makes a determination by published
guidance that the transaction is not subject to the reporting requirements.
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Additionally, exceptions to the disclosure requirements under IRC 6011 have been created (for example, Notice 2006-16) and
additional exceptions may be created in the future.
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In determining the applicability of
the IRC 6707A penalty, examiners must evaluate a taxpayer's
participation in a reportable
transaction within the meaning of
Treas. Reg. 1.6011-4(c)(3)(i)(A) through (3)(i)(G). This determination
will vary based upon
which version of the regulations is
in effect for the transaction, so the actual language of the regulations
must be consulted.
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For various categories of transactions, regulations may provide distinct definitions of participation.
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Examiners should consult the
regulations and Counsel if the examiner believes that a disclosure
requirement may apply to the
transaction he or she is reviewing.
Examiners can consult SB/SE, TE/GE, and LB&I technical specialists
for the issue (if applicable).
LB&I examiners can also consult
the LB&I Domestic Penalties Advisor or the SB/SE Attorney-Advisor to
the Director, Abusive
Transactions and Technical Issues.
LB&I examiners should also refer to IRM 4.51.6, Issue Management Process Guide, for further guidance if an Issue Management Team (IMT) regarding a tiered issue exists. SB/SE examiners should also refer
to IRM 4.32.1.5, Activities of an Issue Management Team, for further guidance where an IMT exists for an issue.
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When evaluating Forms 8886 filed by a
taxpayer, examiners should also consider whether a request for the
taxpayer's tax accrual
workpapers is appropriate. Checking
the box for a listed transaction is one of the requirements on Form
8886, and claiming
tax benefits from a listed
transaction on a return (or amended return) may also indicate a
requirement for the examiner to
request certain tax accrual
workpapers. However, checking the box on Form 8886 for a transaction of
interest, a confidential
transaction, a loss transaction, or a
contractual protection transaction should not necessarily lead the
examiner to consider
requesting any tax accrual
workpapers. The examiner should also be cautious in evaluating a
taxpayer's "protective disclosure,"
that a transaction is actually
listed or substantially similar to a listed one, before consulting
Counsel on whether a
request for tax accrual workpapers
is appropriate.
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For guidance in making this
determination, examiners should refer to Announcement 2002-63, which
sets forth the Service's
revised policy regarding when it
will request, and, if necessary, summon tax accrual workpapers and other
financial audit
workpapers.
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Examiners also should review IRM 4.10.20, Requesting Audit, Tax Accrual or Tax Reconciliation Workpapers, and consult Counsel.
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This section describes the procedures examiners must follow to assert the IRC 6707A penalty.
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The IRC 6707A penalty may be imposed
even if an income tax examination results in no change in tax liability
or if no income
tax examination is opened, as long
as sufficient evidence is obtained to support the conclusion that the
taxpayer participated
in a reportable transaction, had a
duty to disclose that participation, and failed to properly disclose.
There must also be
sufficient factual information to
support the calculation of the penalty amount.
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When an IRC 6707A penalty is
developed in conjunction with an income tax examination, the examiner
does not need to conclude
the income tax examination before
issuing the 30-day letter for the IRC 6707A penalty, provided all
relevant facts to support
the penalty are established.
Likewise, an examiner also does not need to conclude the IRC 6707A
penalty investigation before
issuing the 30-day letter for the
income tax examination. In other words, the examiner should not
arbitrarily hold one case
to allow the other case to "catch
up."
If the timing is appropriate for
the income tax and IRC 6707A penalty cases, the 30-day letters for both
can be issued
at the same time.
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Penalty cases involving a
potential IRC 6707A penalty are established as penalty investigations on
the Examination Returns
Control System (ERCS) and include
the appropriate project and tracking codes. See IRM 4.32.2.5.5. SB/SE Tracking Codes,
or examiners may refer to the ATTI website on My SB/SE Examination or
the LB&I Office of Tax Shelter Analysis (OTSA) website.
-
Complete Form 5345-D, Examination Request-ERCS Users (for each spouse under the respective TIN, if applicable), to put the investigation on ERCS; check the box "Control penalty
investigation,"
use Source Code 99, and use penalty MFT P5.
-
An examiner's time will be charged to Activity Code 505.
-
This case is created and tracked on ERCS. It will not be on the AIMS database.
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If SB/SE or LB&I is involved
in a concurrent examination with TE/GE, then the penalty case file will
be assigned to the SB/SE
or LB&I examiner. For
example, a TE/GE examiner would analyze and write-up whether a
transaction is substantially similar
to a listed transaction and the
SB/SE or LB&I examiner would analyze whether the taxpayer had a duty
to disclose the transaction
under Treas. Reg. 1.6011-4,
whether the taxpayer had complied with the applicable disclosure
requirement, and whether IRC
6707A was effective for the
year(s) at issue.
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The Report Generating System
(RGS) can be used to calculate the tax benefit attributable to the
reportable transaction. The
examiner can use the tax benefit
to manually compute the penalty for cases involving individuals and C
corporations only.
This method can be used if an
income tax examination is ongoing to substantiate the tax benefit for
IRC 6707A purposes only.
Indicate this in the remarks
area. RGS cannot generate the actual penalty report. A manual Form
4549-A, Income Tax Discrepancy Adjustments,
will need to be completed using a supportive workpaper justifying the
penalty amount. Because flow-through entities have
no tax shown on the return, they
are subject to the minimum penalty, which is $10,000 for non-individual
taxpayers. This flat
penalty applicable to
flow-through entities does not need to be calculated on RGS.
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Although not required, examiners
can use RGS to store and backup documents and workpapers associated with
the IRC 6707A penalty
case file. RGS uses the generic
workcenter for miscellaneous civil penalty cases. See the RGS
instructions posted to the IRC
6707A link on the SB/SE website
for additional information.
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The examiner must develop a case
file that contains all relevant documents and other evidence that
demonstrate that the transaction
was a reportable transaction.
Minimum required documents are listed in IRM 4.32.4.3.2.3, Penalty Case File - Documents Required for All Listed and Non-Listed Reportable Transactions
below, but other documents may be required depending on the case (for
example, transactional documents, e-mails, other correspondence,
opinions about whether the
transaction is a reportable transaction, or promotional material). In
addition, where applicable,
include any evidence about why a
disclosure is deficient, including the Form 8886 and any other evidence
about the time or
manner of filing the Form 8886.
Finally, ensure that the case file contains copies of all documents
demonstrating that the
required procedures have been
followed.
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The statute provides no reasonable
cause or other good faith exception to the penalty. An examiner must
fully develop the
relevant facts and must process the
penalty as described in these procedures whenever an IRC 6707A penalty
investigation indicates
that the penalty legally applies.
Reasonable cause may be a factor considered in requests for rescission
of non-listed reportable
transactions but the presence of
reasonable cause and good faith will not necessarily be determinative of
whether the commissioner
or his delegate grants rescission.
-
Examiners handling an IRC 6707A penalty investigation related to a non-listed reportable transaction should attempt to document
facts related to any potential rescission request as explained in IRM 4.32.4.3, Processing Procedures - IRC 6707A Penalty, and IRM 4.32.4.10, Factors Weighing in Favor of Rescission.
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There is no difference between a
TEFRA partnership and a non-TEFRA partnership for purposes of imposing
the penalty for failure
to disclose a reportable transaction
because the IRC 6707A penalty is not a partnership item. Specifically,
this penalty is
not subject to the TEFRA procedures
because the TEFRA procedures apply only to partnership items (items
under subtitle A of
the Code), and penalties that
"relate to an adjustment"
of such partnership items. See
IRC 6221, Tax Treatment Determined at Partnership Level, for additional information.
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When starting examination
activities related to an IRC 6707A penalty, all examiners should contact
OTSA to determine whether
a Form 8886 was filed with OTSA
and the date and tax year of such filing. The examiner should be
prepared to provide OTSA
the taxpayer's name, TIN, year or
years of interest, type of transaction, and whether the disclosure was
incomplete or not
attached to the return. Contacts
at OTSA are listed at the OTSA website. LB&I examiners, when placing
a tax return under examination
that has a Form 8886 attached,
must contact OTSA under certain conditions. Refer to IRM 4.32.2.3.3.1.2
(5), Taxpayer Disclosures, for further information.
-
The examiner must order the
original return if the original return is the only method available to
confirm whether the Form
8886 disclosure was filed with
the return. Request the original paper filed income tax return using
Form 5345-D and Source
Code 45. Use alpha Statute Code
"FF"
if the statute date has
expired or is due to expire within 180 days. When received, make a copy
of the original return
for the case file and attach the
Form 5345-D to the return. The group secretary will transfer the return
on ERCS to Centralized
Case Processing (CCP) in Status
Code 51 with Disposal Code 45 and ship it to CCP for closure. If the
return was electronically
filed, a graphic image of the
return can be requested by the group secretary with command code TRPRT.
If the return was filed
through Modernized E-File a PDF
file of the return can be requested through your AIMS/ERCS staff.
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If no Form 8886 was filed by the
taxpayer and there is sufficient basis to demonstrate that the taxpayer
participated in a
reportable transaction under
Treas. Reg. 1.6011-4, then the required disclosure obligation has not
been met.
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Once an examiner determines that a
taxpayer either has failed to properly disclose a reportable
transaction (whether listed
or non-listed) on Form 8886 or
has not timely filed the Form 8886 with the return or with OTSA (if
required), the examiner
prepares a separate case file for
the penalty investigation. Examiners handling an IRC 6707A penalty
investigation related
to a non-listed reportable
transaction should attempt to document facts related to any potential
rescission request as explained
in IRM 4.32.4.10, Factors Weighing in Favor of Rescission.
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If an IRC 6707A penalty is being
considered without an associated income tax examination, an opening
letter should be sent
by the examiner. If the IRC 6707A
penalty is being considered as part of an income tax examination, a
separate opening letter
for the IRC 6707A penalty is not
required. See Exhibit 4.32.4-3, Opening Letter for IRC 6707A Investigation, for a sample letter to be used to open a penalty only investigation. The sample is also posted at the IRC 6707A penalty
link on the SB/SE website.
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Power of Attorney.
In general, when a taxpayer authorizes an individual to represent the
taxpayer with respect to a particular form, the representation
also covers any penalties related
to the form. Thus, the IRC 6707A penalty is covered when the taxpayer
authorizes the individual
to represent the taxpayer in
connection with the Form 8886. Similarly, if the Form 8886 is included
or should have been included
with a Form 1040, Form 1120, U.S. Corporate Income Tax Return, or any other tax return, an authorization with respect to that tax return will also authorize the representative for the
IRC 6707A penalty. Examiners need to obtain a Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative, that refers to "civil penalties,"
"IRC 6707A penalty,"
or similar language only
when the Form 8886 was or should have been filed without being attached
to a return (i.e., when a transaction has been listed
after the taxpayer filed the
return and the Form 8886 is required to be filed with OTSA separate from
the tax return).
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When married spouses file a joint Form 1040, the examiner should obtain a valid, separate Form 2848 for each spouse.
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The Small Business Jobs Act of 2010
amended the IRC 6707A penalty and is retroactive to penalties assessed
after December 31, 2006. Because the Service assessed
no IRC 6707A penalties on or
before December 31, 2006, the amount of the penalty will always be
calculated using this amended
formula. The application of the
IRC 6707A penalty remains unchanged; only the calculation of the penalty
amount has been amended.
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Subject to the maximum and
minimum limits, the penalty is "75 percent of the decrease in tax shown
on the return"
as a result of the reportable
transaction (or which would have resulted from such transaction if such
transaction were
respected for federal tax
purposes).
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The maximum penalty in
the case of a listed transaction is $100,000 for a natural person and
$200,000 for all other taxpayers.
In the case of a
non-listed reportable transaction, the maximum penalty is $10,000 for a
natural person and $50,000 for all
other taxpayers.
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The minimum penalty for both listed transactions and non-listed reportable transactions is $5,000 for a natural person and
$10,000 for all other taxpayers.
-
The maximum penalty in
the case of a listed transaction is $100,000 for a natural person and
$200,000 for all other taxpayers.
In the case of a
non-listed reportable transaction, the maximum penalty is $10,000 for a
natural person and $50,000 for all
other taxpayers.
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To determine how the IRC 6707A penalty applies to a married couple filing a joint return, refer to the August 4, 2010 Memorandum
from the Director, Examination, SB/SE, which is available on the SB/SE website.
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If only one spouse has
participated in a reportable transaction (i.e., only one spouse is
subject to the IRC 6707A penalty),
the examiner should propose the
penalty against the participant-spouse. The examiner should:
-
Determine the decrease
in tax shown on the return as a result of such transaction (or which
would have resulted from such
transaction if such
transaction were respected for federal tax purposes) and determine the
penalty amount under IRC 6707A(b)(1).
-
Apply the minimum and maximum provisions of IRC 6707A(b)(2) and (3).
-
Determine the decrease
in tax shown on the return as a result of such transaction (or which
would have resulted from such
transaction if such
transaction were respected for federal tax purposes) and determine the
penalty amount under IRC 6707A(b)(1).
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If both spouses participated in a reportable transaction (i.e., both spouses are subject to the IRC 6707A penalty), the examiner
must undertake the following additional analysis:
-
The examiner should analyze each spouse's potential liability for the IRC 6707A penalty as if he or she filed a separate return.
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If one spouse would not
meet the legal definition of "participation,"
as provided in
Treas. Reg. 1.6011-4, had he or she filed a separate return, then the
examiner should not impose the IRC
6707A penalty against
that spouse. In other words, a penalty will not apply against a spouse
who has not engaged in a reportable
transaction and has
"participated"
solely by virtue of
filing a joint return. The examiner will only impose the penalty against
the spouse who would remain
a "participant"
even if he or she
had filed a separate return.
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The examiner should analyze each spouse's potential liability for the IRC 6707A penalty as if he or she filed a separate return.
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If, however, each spouse would
meet the legal definition of "participation"
even if he or she filed a
separate return, then the examiner must determine whether the spouses
were independently involved
in a reportable transaction:
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If each spouse was independently involved in a reportable transaction, the examiner should propose a penalty against each
spouse (i.e., two penalties).
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If one spouse was not
independently involved in a reportable transaction, only one penalty
will be imposed with respect to
the return and the
penalty will be on the spouse who was independently involved.
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If neither spouse was
independently involved in a reportable transaction only one penalty
should be imposed with respect to
the Form 1040. The
examiner should assess the penalty against the spouse who is more
directly involved in the transaction.
However, if the spouses
are equally involved in the transaction, the examiner should assess the
penalty against the spouse
with the primary SSN.
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If each spouse was independently involved in a reportable transaction, the examiner should propose a penalty against each
spouse (i.e., two penalties).
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If, following this analysis, the examiner imposes a separate penalty on each spouse, then:
-
The decrease in tax attributable to each spouse will be proportional to his or her participation in the transaction, and the
penalty imposed on each will be 75% of that amount.
-
The minimum and maximum provisions of IRC 6707A(b)(2) and (3) apply to each spouse separately.
-
The decrease in tax attributable to each spouse will be proportional to his or her participation in the transaction, and the
penalty imposed on each will be 75% of that amount.
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If, following this analysis, the
examiner imposes only one penalty on either spouse, then the entire
decrease in tax will
be attributed to the penalized
spouse, and the penalty imposed will be 75% of that amount.
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Documents describing the
transaction(s) for which disclosure is required and an explanation of
the category of reportable
transaction (such as listed
transaction, confidential transaction, transaction with contractual
protection, loss transaction,
or transaction of interest).
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Statement of facts and explanation of the examiner's rationale for concluding that the taxpayer participated in a reportable
transaction.
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Statement of whether the taxpayer filed a Form 8886.
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If a Form 8886 was filed,
statement of facts and explanation of the examiner's rationale for
concluding that the form was
deficient. If the Form 8886 was
not timely filed, include a statement of facts and explanation as to why
the examiner determined
the filing was not timely.
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A printout of the ERCS penalty case record.
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A copy of the opening letter, if one was required.
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Form 2848.
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Form 872.
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The IRC 6707A 30-day letter or post-assessment letter.
-
Signed Form 895, Notice of Statute Expiration, attached to the front of the IRC 6707A penalty case file.
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Information on associated flow-through entities (for example, Schedule K-1 ).
-
Other information necessary to identify related cases.
-
Copy of the associated income tax return that gave rise to the disclosure obligation, if applicable (i.e., where disclosure
was required with the tax return).
-
Penalty calculation, including detailed computation schedules.
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IRC 6707A Case Overview and Record of Approval. See Exhibit 4.32.4-4, Case Overview and Record of Approval of IRC 6707A Penalty. This form is also posted at the IRC 6707Apenalty link on the SB/SE website.
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Completed Form 8278, Assessment and Abatement of Miscellaneous Civil Penalties.
Please ensure that you are using the most current Form 8278. The
appropriate penalty reference number (PRN) to use on Form
8278 for the IRC 6707A penalty is
648. On page 1, complete column (c) and (d). Also complete page 8
listing the underlying
income tax return reference. The
examiner and manager must sign the Form 8278.
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Include any information relevant to the presence or absence of the rescission factors from Treas. Reg. 301.6707A-1(d)(3),
which are listed in the following section.
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Although the absence of any one factor will not necessarily be determinative with respect to rescission, the absence of facts
establishing the factors in favor of rescission weighs against granting rescission. Examiners should, therefore, document negative findings. Consult Treas. Reg. 301.6707A-1(d)(4) for further details.
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The penalty is generally approved at
the Territory Manager level unless the Territory Manager or SB/SE Area
Director (AD)
or LB&I Director of Field
Operations (DFO), as applicable, requests AD or DFO approval. The
examiner submits the file to his
or her immediate supervisor for written
approval of the imposition of the penalty. See Exhibit 4.32.4-4, Case Overview and Record of Approval of IRC 6707A Penalty, for a sample of the approval form. The form is also posted at the IRC 6707A penalty link on the SB/SE website.
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If approved, the immediate supervisor records and dates his or her approval on the Case Overview and Record of Approval of IRC 6707A Penalty
form and forwards the file to the SB/SE or LB&I Territory Manager.
In the case of a penalty, the amount of which is determined
under IRC 6707A(b)(2) (i.e., the
proposed penalty is the maximum penalty allowable under IRC 6707A,) the
immediate supervisor
should forward the file to the SB/SE
Area Director or the LB&I Director of Field Operations for approval.
The Area Director
or Director of Field Operations, in
considering an examiner's request for approval, will review the fully
developed case file
and consider any recommendations from
Counsel (if applicable). If the penalty is not approved, the immediate
supervisor will
return the case to the examiner for
further development or other action. For TE/GE approval procedures,
please see the TE/GE
webpage under ATAT Portal, Procedures
& Guidance.
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If the Territory Manager (Area Director
or Director of Field Operations, as appropriate) approves the penalty,
the file, including
the record of approval, will be
returned to the examiner. Thereafter, the examiner will issue only one
report with Letter
4143, 30-Day Letter for Section 6707A Penalty, allowing 30 days for the taxpayer to agree or protest.
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The report to assert the IRC 6707A
penalty cannot be prepared on RGS. (As noted previously, an examiner
should use RGS to
calculate the deficiency attributable
to the reportable transaction and then compute the penalty amount for
individuals and
C corporations and may use RGS to store
workpapers, but RGS is not able to produce the report.)
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After the Territory Manager (Area
Director or Director of Field Operations, as appropriate) approves
assertion of the IRC
6707A penalty, the examiner prepares
and sends to the taxpayer the 30-day letter, Letter-4143, and encloses:
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Form 4549-A, Income Tax Discrepancy Adjustments (examiners must manually prepare, listing type of tax as Form 8278 with IRC 6707A penalty and amount listed on page 2)
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Form 870, Waiver of Restrictions on Assessment & Collection of Deficiency in Tax & Acceptance of Overassessment
-
Form 886-A, Explanation of Items
-
Computation workpaper
-
Pub 1, Your Rights as a Taxpayer
-
Pub 5, Your Appeal Rights and How to Prepare a Protest if You Don't Agree
-
Pub 594, The IRS Collection Process
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Form 4549-A, Income Tax Discrepancy Adjustments (examiners must manually prepare, listing type of tax as Form 8278 with IRC 6707A penalty and amount listed on page 2)
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An example of the 30-day letter is posted at the IRC 6707A penalty link on the SB/SE website.
-
The 30-day letter, Letter-4143, used for the IRC 6707A penalty informs taxpayers of their appeal rights, and specifies that
the taxpayer must request review by Appeals within 30 days of the date of the letter.
-
In addition, this 30-day letter has been modified to explain that certain information contained in Pub 1 and Pub 5 is not
applicable to the IRC 6707A penalty.
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If the taxpayer agrees with the proposed assessment, the examiner should request the taxpayer's signature on a Form 870, Waiver of Restrictions on Assessment & Collection of Deficiency in Tax & Acceptance of Overassessment. If the taxpayer makes a payment regarding the penalty, see IRM 4.32.4.7 (2), 30-Day Letter Issued and Taxpayer Does Not Appeal, for processing instructions.
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For agreed IRC 6707A penalty cases, examiners should request a taxpayer's signature on Form 870.
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See closing instructions in IRM 4.32.4.12, IRC 6707A Penalty Case File Closures.
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If, after opening an IRC 6707A investigation and contacting the taxpayer, it is determined that no IRC 6707A penalty applies,
the examiner will issue a no-change letter specifically addressing this penalty. See Exhibit 4.32.4-5, IRC 6707A No Change Letter. The IRC 6707A no-change letter is also posted at the IRC 6707A penalty link on the SB/SE website.
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See the closing instructions in IRM 4.32.4.12, IRC 6707A Penalty Case File Closures.
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If possible, taxpayers are offered pre-assessment Appeals consideration of any proposed IRC 6707A penalty. See IRM 4.32.4.6.2, Sending the Case to Appeals - Pre-Assessment Consideration, for more information.
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A taxpayer is offered post-assessment
Appeals consideration where the IRC 6707A penalty must be assessed
before the Government
can offer the taxpayer an opportunity
to seek pre-assessment Appeals consideration (i.e., because the period
of limitations
is about to expire and the Government
cannot obtain a consent to extend the period of limitations). A taxpayer
is not offered
post-assessment Appeals consideration
merely because he or she failed to timely request pre-assessment Appeals
consideration.
See IRM 4.32.4.6.3, Sending the Case to Appeals - Post-Assessment Consideration, below for more information.
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To obtain Appeals consideration, the
taxpayer must submit a timely written request (regardless of the total
amount of the
proposed assessment) in response to
the 30-day letter or the post-assessment notice, and follow the standard
protest procedures.
-
If the taxpayer's protest is incomplete, the group manager should return it to the taxpayer and grant additional time to perfect
the document.
-
If the protest contains information
warranting further consideration, the group manager should return the
case to the examiner
for further development. Cases
returned for additional development should be considered priority work
and be given expedited
consideration.
-
The group manager should attempt to
discuss the disputed issues with the taxpayer (or the taxpayer's
representative) in an
attempt to resolve the issues,
obtain agreement and limit taxpayer burden. If agreement cannot be
reached, the case will be
forwarded to Appeals as outlined in
the steps below.
-
Upon receipt of a protest, the examiner will:
-
Consider the information contained therein and, if appropriate, reconsider the assertion of the penalty.
-
Make written comments in response to the protest. See IRM 4.23.10.17.4, Review of Protests. If the examiner prepares a rebuttal to the taxpayer's protest, the examiner must send a copy of the rebuttal to the taxpayer.
-
Examiners should consult Rev. Proc. 2012-18, 2012-10 I.R.B. 455, Ex Parte communications between Appeals and other Internal Revenue Service employees before contacting Appeals' employees or sending case information to Appeals' employees.
-
Consider the information contained therein and, if appropriate, reconsider the assertion of the penalty.
-
To ensure sufficient time to allow a
taxpayer to file a protest and for Appeals to receive the case file
with at least six
months remaining on the statute, the
examiner should issue the 30-day letter with at least nine months
remaining on the statute.
-
Once an examiner sends the taxpayer a 30-day letter and the taxpayer timely requests Appeals consideration in response to
the letter, the examiner should follow the steps listed below.
-
Prepare Form 3210, Document Transmittal. The Form 3210 is used to track the transfer of the case to the Appeals office as the IRC 6707A penalty is not controlled
on the Automated Information Management System (AIMS).
-
Prepare a Form 3198, Special Handling Notice for Examination Case Processing, listing Status Code 41 (PSP) and Disposal Code 07 (Appeals). The secretary or examiner will retain a copy of this Form 3198
until the case is closed to files.
Caution:
These status updates will not be performed by the group, and statuses will not be confirmed as transferred to Appeals until the signed confirmation receipt of the Form 3210 comes back from Appeals; see more below.
-
Ensure that the penalty case file contains all the documentation described in IRM 4.32.4.3.2.3, Penalty Case File - Documents Required for All Listed and Non-Listed Reportable Transactions and IRM 4.32.4.3.2.4, Penalty Case File - Additional Documents Required for Non-Listed Reportable Transactions Only, as well as a rebuttal to the taxpayer's protest, a copy of which must have been provided to the taxpayer and the taxpayer's
representative, if any.
-
Attach a copy of Form 895, Notice of Statute Expiration, to the front of the IRC 6707A penalty case file. Ensure that the correct information and signatures of the examiner and
group manager are present.
-
Send the complete penalty file to
the local Appeals Processing Services (APS) location based on the
taxpayer's address (not
the examiner's post of duty). Attach
a Form 3210. For additional information about where to send the file,
please refer to
the Appeals website. Do not send any
RGS files.
-
Update the ERCS record to suspense type 203, "6707A Penalty Case In-Transit to Appeals"
. The ERCS record will remain in Status Code 12.
-
Once the examiner or group secretary receives a signed Form 3210 from Appeals, the group secretary should:
-
Update the ERCS to Status Code 41, Disposal Code 07 and enter the penalty amount.
-
Send a copy of the signed
Form 3210 received from Appeals to the local AIMS/ERCS analyst to close
the case to Status Code
90 on ERCS. The local area
AIMS/ERCS analyst may require additional documentation in order to close
the record. Appeals then
has jurisdiction over the
case and is responsible for the statute, assessing the penalty, etc.
-
Update the ERCS to Status Code 41, Disposal Code 07 and enter the penalty amount.
-
If the IRC 6707A penalty case is on the RGS generic folder system and is live in the inventory, the examiner will move it
to the server and the group manager will send the case to archives.
-
Upon completion of Appeals
consideration, the Appeals Officer will send the case file to APS to
assess the penalty as appropriate
and close the case, ensuring the
file includes the Appeals case memorandum, closing letter, and agreement
form, if any.
-
When there is less than nine months
remaining on the statute and the examiner cannot secure a consent to
extend the period
of limitation, the examiner should
request a quick assessment of the IRC 6707A penalty under the procedures
described in IRM 4.32.4.7.2, Less Than Nine Months Remain on Statute and Examiner Cannot Obtain Consent to Extend the Statute of Limitations. See IRM 4.32.4.1.4 (3) for additional discussion of taxpayer rights.
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At the time the examiner submits the
assessment documents, he or she must also send a letter notifying the
taxpayer of the
assessment and the ability to seek
post-assessment Appeals consideration. The examiner should include a
copy of the report
and a computation of the penalty,
and should allow 30 days for response. See Exhibit 4.32.4-6, IRC 6707A Notification of Assessment and Post Assessment Appeals Rights for a sample letter. A copy of the Notice of Assessment and of Post-Assessment Appeal Rights letter is also posted on the SB/SE website. The examiner should ensure that a copy of this letter is included in the case
file.
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If the taxpayer submits a timely appeals request in response to the notification of assessment, the examiner should prepare
a Form 3210.
-
Form 3210 is used to track the
transfer of the case to the Appeals Office, as the IRC 6707A penalty is
not controlled on the
Automated Information Management
System (AIMS). Prepare a Form 3198 listing Status Code 41 (PSP) and
Disposal Code 07 (Appeals).
The secretary or examiner will
retain a copy of this Form 3198.
Note:
These status updates will not be performed by the group, and statuses will not be confirmed as transferred to Appeals until the confirmation receipt of the Form 3210 comes back from Appeals; see more below.
-
Ensure the penalty case file contains all the documentation described in IRM 4.32.4.3.2.3, Penalty Case File-Documents Required for All Listed and Non-Listed Reportable Transactions and IRM 4.32.4.3.2.4, Penalty Case File-Additional Documents Required for Non-Listed Reportable Transactions Only.
The case file should also include a rebuttal to the taxpayer's protest.
The examiner must provide the taxpayer and representative
with a copy of any rebuttal.
-
Use Form 3210 to send the complete penalty file to the appropriate APS location via mail. Do not forward any RGS files. For
additional information about where to send the file, please refer to the Appeals website.
-
Update the ERCS record to suspense type 203, "6707A Penalty Case In-Transit to Appeals"
. The ERCS record will remain in Status Code 12.
-
Once the examiner or group secretary receives a signed Form 3210 from Appeals, the group secretary should:
-
Update ERCS to Status Code 41, Disposal Code 07 and enter the penalty amount.
-
Send a copy of the signed
Form 3210 received from Appeals to the local AIMS/ERCS analyst to close
the case to Status Code
90 on ERCS. The local area
may require additional documentation be sent to the AIMS/ERCS analyst
when requesting the record
be closed. Appeals then has
jurisdiction over the case, and is responsible for the statute,
assessing the penalty, etc.
-
Update ERCS to Status Code 41, Disposal Code 07 and enter the penalty amount.
-
If the IRC 6707A penalty case is on the RGS generic folder system, the examiner will move it to the server and the manager
will send it to archives.
-
At the same time that the case is
being sent forward to Appeals, the examiner will provide the taxpayer's
name and TIN to
the appropriate 6707A point of
contact at http://mysbse.web.irs.gov/exam/tip/ajca/contacts/15242.aspx,
who will work directly
with Collection to ensure that
collection efforts are suspended appropriately during Appeals
consideration.
-
If the penalty case file is missing relevant information, the Appeals Officer will prepare Form 10467, Appeals Division Feedback Report and Transmittal Memorandum,
and return the penalty case file as a premature referral to the
examination group using Form 3210. Appeals will update Appeals
case management systems to return
responsibility for the case file to the field. Appeals should not send
the case to Technical
Services.
-
If Exam receives a premature
referral back from Appeals, the group secretary will forward a copy of
the Form 3210 received
from Appeals to the AIMS/ERCS
analyst to reopen the case (reverse the Status Code 90 back to active
exam group Status Code
12) and will give the case to the
manager for re-assignment to an examiner.
-
The examiner will complete the development of the case and then re-close to Appeals using the procedures listed in IRM 4.32.4.6.2, Sending the Case to Appeals - Pre-Assessment Consideration, and IRM 4.32.4.6.3, Sending the Case to Appeals - Post-Assessment Consideration, above.
-
No agreement signed: For cases where the taxpayer does not timely request Appeals consideration, the examiner will request
assessment of the IRC 6707A penalty be done by CCP.
-
The examiner will complete Form 3198 and Form 8278 for the case file.
-
The group secretary will transfer the case on ERCS to CCP with Status Code 51, Disposal Code 12 and the penalty amount.
-
Special instructions on Form 3198 should instruct CCP to use the Form 8278 to process the assessment.
-
CCP will input the assessment, close to Status Code 90 and ship to files.
-
The examiner will complete Form 3198 and Form 8278 for the case file.
-
If the taxpayer makes a payment, the examiner will immediately process the payment using Form 3244-A, Payment Posting Voucher-Examination, identifying the proper MFT as 13 or 55 and the penalty year, using Transaction Code 640, advance payment.
Note:
No penalty module exists until assessment is made. After agreed closure, once CCP makes the assessment, the payment will associate with the module when it is created.
Note:
Interest charges will accrue only after the penalty has been assessed and the taxpayer has failed to remit payment in response to the notice and demand for payment.
-
If the taxpayer has agreed by signing Form 870, the examiner will:
-
Complete Form 3198 (Special instructions on Form 3198 should instruct CCP to use the Form 8278 to process the assessment.
CCP will input the assessment, close to Status Code 90 and ship to files.)
-
Complete Form 8278 (with signatures).
-
Close the case with normal agreed closure procedures using Disposal Code 03 to CCP.
-
Update case to Status Code 51.
-
Complete Form 3198 (Special instructions on Form 3198 should instruct CCP to use the Form 8278 to process the assessment.
CCP will input the assessment, close to Status Code 90 and ship to files.)
-
For cases where a taxpayer timely requests Appeals consideration, Appeals will request assessment through its Appeals Processing
Services. See IRM 4.32.4.6.2 (11), Sending the Case to Appeals - Pre-Assessment Consideration.
-
For instructions on the transmittal of the pre-assessment case from Exam to Appeals, see IRM 4.32.4.6.2, Sending the Case to Appeals - Pre-Assessment Consideration.
-
For cases where less than nine months remain on the statute of limitations and no extension can be secured, the examiner should
request a quick assessment from CCP.
-
The examiner should request via fax a quick assessment from CCP. The assigned CCP Field Office Resource Team (FORT) will work
quick assessments within five business days of receipt in the FORT.
-
The examiner must fax to CCP a copy of the Form 8278, along with a Form 3210.
-
The examiner will receive an
assessment (23C) document locator number (DLN) back in two weeks. The
assessment DLN will be
associated in IDRS under the MFT 55
(individual) or MFT 13 (entity) modules and the Transaction Code (TC)
240 penalty reference
number (PRN) 648 will post to master
file in approximately four to six weeks.
-
Once CCP has made the assessment,
the expiration of the statute of limitations on assessment is no longer
an issue; however,
the ERCS system will not reflect the
fact that the statute has been protected (i.e., that the penalty has
been assessed).
The group must monitor the receipt
of the Form 8278 and Form 3210 from the CCP after the quick assessment.
-
Once the 23C DLN is received, the group can use that number on the Form 3198 to close the case and ship to files.
-
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR ASSESSMENTS: If you are assessing a fiscal year penalty, include this instruction on
the Form 3198, Special Handling Notice for Examination Case Processing: "Please use ADJ54 NOT Form 2859 to process this penalty"
. Fiscal year assessments take
longer to process, so the examiner should expect to receive a copy of
Form 3210 with the
assessment (23C) DLN approximately
three weeks after the date that the examiner faxed the Form 8278
requesting assessment
to the CCP. The examiner must
monitor Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS) for posting of the
assessment, which should
be reflected after 5 to 6 weeks.
-
To request a quick assessment, the examiner should alert the appropriate FORT manager and fax the documents listed below,
including the Form 8278 signed by the manager and the Form 3198:
SB/SE: FORT Manager (Memphis, TN)
Phone: 901-786-7019
Fax: 901-786-7106 or 901-786-7105
LB&I: FORT Manager (Ogden, UT)
Phone: 801-620-2102
Fax: 801-620-2103
-
The examiner sends the signed Form
8278 and Form 3198 to the FORT Manager with a cover sheet that requests
that CCP confirm
the assessment via fax by returning
the Form 8278 along with a copy of the Form 3210 with the assessment
(23C) DLN associated
with the assessment.
-
Upon completion of the quick assessment, the CCP will:
-
Notate Form 8278"Request Completed."
-
Fax a copy of Form 8278 and
the Form 3210 with the assessment (23C) DLN back to the examiner for
association with the original
case file to show that the
assessment was completed. Once assessed, the expiration of the statute
of limitations on assessment
is no longer an issue.
-
Notate Form 8278"Request Completed."
-
When there is a quick assessment,
the CP 15/215 computer generated notice and demand letter (bill and
explanation of the assessment)
to the taxpayer is not generated.
The quick assessment process uses Form 3552, Prompt Assessment Billing Assembly, as the notice and demand to the taxpayer (bill and explanation of the assessment). See IRM 3.17.244.7, General Information Mailing Form 3552, for additional information.
-
) If the penalty relates to a non-listed reportable transaction, the examiner also completes the IRC 6707A Penalty Rescission Checklist and forwards the copy of the penalty file and Appeals case file to Large Business and International, Pre-Filing Technical
Guidance, Joint Committee (LB&I:PFTG:JC) for potential rescission request:
Internal Revenue Service LB&I:PFTG:JC,
5338 Montgomery Blvd. NE,
MS4212:ALB:BH,
Albuquerque, NM 87109
-
If the penalty relates to a
non-listed reportable transaction and the taxpayer waives his/her rights
to go to Appeals, has
agreed in writing to the assessment
of the penalty, and has agreed not to file or pursue a claim for refund
or credit of the
penalty, administratively or through
litigation, other than by requesting rescission, then the examiner also
completes the
IRC 6707A Penalty Rescission Checklist and forwards the copy of the penalty file to LB&I:PFTG:JC. Attach information and documents that support responses.
-
In order to properly complete the IRC 6707A Penalty Rescission Checklist,
all questions should be answered by the examiner and LB&I:PFTG:JC.
Attach information and documents that support responses.
-
Example 1 - In response to
Question 5, an IDRS 10-year history showing whether the taxpayer was in
compliance with other tax
laws, copies of other Forms
8886 filed and verification from OTSA of Forms 8886 filed should be
attached.
-
Example 2 - Provide any
information that would rebut any factors in favor of rescission. If the
taxpayer did not cooperate
during the examination or
impeded the examination, the examiner should provide details in response
to Question 6.
-
Example 3 - Provide
information/documents that support any factors in favor of rescission.
If the examiner has information/documents
that show that the
taxpayer's failure to file Form 8886 arose from events beyond the
taxpayer's control, the examiner should
provide the
information/documents in response to Question 7.
-
If there are workpapers in the case file that support the responses, then the examiner may provide workpaper page references
instead of the supporting information/documents.
-
Example 1 - In response to
Question 5, an IDRS 10-year history showing whether the taxpayer was in
compliance with other tax
laws, copies of other Forms
8886 filed and verification from OTSA of Forms 8886 filed should be
attached.
-
If the penalty relates to a listed transaction and the taxpayer is a publicly traded company:
-
The examiner also sends Form 8278 and attachments to OTSA. Contacts can be found at the OTSA website.
-
OTSA will review to ensure compliance with IRC 6707A(e) (i.e., disclosures to the SEC where a taxpayer has an SEC reporting
requirement and participated in a listed transaction).
-
The examiner also sends Form 8278 and attachments to OTSA. Contacts can be found at the OTSA website.
-
Taxpayers who were not offered an
opportunity to seek pre-assessment Appeals consideration (i.e.,
taxpayers for whom the examiner
requested quick assessment) will be
offered post-assessment Appeals consideration.
-
When the examiner faxes to
CCP the request for a quick assessment, he or she will also mail to the
taxpayer a "Notice of Assessment
and of Post-Assessment
Appeal Rights"
letter with a copy of
the penalty report, calculations and other items listed on the letter as
attachments.
-
If the taxpayer timely requests post-assessment Appeals consideration, the examiner will transmit the case to Appeals using
the procedures in IRM 4.32.4.6.3, Sending the Case to Appeals - Post-Assessment Consideration above.
-
If the taxpayer does not timely request post-assessment Appeals consideration and CCP has confirmed the assessment DLN, the
case can be closed according to the procedures in IRM 4.32.4.12, IRC 6707A Penalty Case File Closures below.
-
When the examiner faxes to
CCP the request for a quick assessment, he or she will also mail to the
taxpayer a "Notice of Assessment
and of Post-Assessment
Appeal Rights"
letter with a copy of
the penalty report, calculations and other items listed on the letter as
attachments.
-
Exam can abate a penalty only if the penalty does not legally apply and was assessed in error.
-
If the examiner determines that an assessment must be abated in full or in part, the examiner must:
-
Obtain approval from his or
her manager and ensure that the record of approval is associated with
the case file(s). Examiners
may use the standard penalty
approval form available within the RGS work center to record approval of
the abatement by the
group manager.
-
Use Form 5345-D, Examination Request - ERCS, to establish the penalty on ERCS.
-
Complete a Form 8278. In
column E (amount abated), enter total dollar amount of penalties to be
abated in parenthesis. Please
ensure that the amount abated
does not exceed the amount originally assessed. In column F, enter the
penalty reason code.
See IRM Exhibit 20.1.1-2, Penalty Reason Code Chart.for a list of appropriate penalty reason codes and explanations. Always use the most current version of the form.
-
Ensure that all documents related to the abatement are associated with the case files.
-
Prepare the case for closure
from the group. Agreed (abated in full or in part and full paid) cases
are closed to the Memphis
Campus using Disposal Code 03
Status Code 51. Send the case to CCP following local procedures.
-
Prepare Form 3198, Special Handling Notice for Examination Case Processing, and attach to the outside of the penalty case file. In addition to the regular entries on the form, check the "Other"
box and write-in "6707A Penalty Claim Case - Send to CCP."
-
If Form 2363, Master File Entity Change,
was sent to CCP to update the person's address, notate the Form 3198
and include a copy of the form in the case file. Note
on the workpaper copy the date
the form was faxed or sent to CCP. If appropriate, also note that Form
3177, Notice of Action for Entry on Master File, was sent to CCP in the same box.
-
In the "Special Features"
section, check the Civil Penalties (Form 8278) box.
-
At the bottom of the first page of Form 3198, check the "Forward to CCP"
box.
-
Complete the case information section, paying particular attention to the adjustment amount.
-
On the second page of Form 3198, in the letter instructions for CCP area, check the "No letter required to be sent by CCP"
box.
-
Obtain approval from his or
her manager and ensure that the record of approval is associated with
the case file(s). Examiners
may use the standard penalty
approval form available within the RGS work center to record approval of
the abatement by the
group manager.
-
Non-listed reportable transactions are eligible for rescission (i.e., the penalty can be abated in whole or in part). Listed
transactions are not eligible for rescission consideration.
-
Currently, in order to request
rescission, a taxpayer must have exhausted the administrative remedies
available within the
Office of Appeals regarding the
proposed assessment of the penalty, unless the person has agreed in
writing to the assessment
of the penalty and has agreed not to
file or prosecute a claim for refund or credit of the penalty,
administratively or through
litigation, other than by requesting
rescission.
-
The Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement has been delegated the responsibility to determine for the commissioner
whether to rescind the penalty in part or in full.
-
The taxpayer must seek rescission within 30 days of notice and demand or full payment of the penalty, whichever is earlier.
-
The taxpayer must send the rescission request to LB&I:PFTG:JC for review.
-
After receiving the rescission request,
LB&I:PFTG:JC may make a written request seeking additional
information and documents
relating to the transaction, such as
marketing materials and tax opinions, from the person requesting
rescission. Requested
information must be submitted to
LB&I:PFTG:JC within 30 days of the date of mailing of the request
for additional information
by LB&I:PFTG:JC.
-
LB&I:PFTG:JC may grant an extension
of time for good cause to persons who request additional time within
the 30-day period.
A person's failure to provide the
requested information within the applicable time period may weigh
against rescission. Meritless
claims of privilege may weigh against
rescission.
-
Further, the examiner and other Service employees involved with the examination may be asked to review and comment on the
rescission request.
-
LB&I:PFTG:JC will coordinate with Examination and Appeals.
-
LB&I:PFTG:JC will compile the rescission request package and forward a recommendation to the Servicewide Compliance Strategy
Executive Steering Committee (SCS ESC) for review.
-
The rescission package will include:
-
Letters prepared for the Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement to sign and send to the taxpayer.
-
Executive summary sheet that
includes a short summary of the amount of the penalty, the basis for
asserting the penalty (i.e.,
what type of transaction), the
basis for the taxpayer's rescission request and recommendation.
-
Completed IRC 6707A Penalty Rescission Checklist and all attachments.
-
Copy of examiner's case file.
-
Copy of Appeals Officer's case file, if applicable.
-
Letters prepared for the Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement to sign and send to the taxpayer.
-
Personnel designated by the SCS ESC (SCS ESC reviewers) will review the rescission request package.
-
SCS ESC reviewers may request additional information from the taxpayer. See Rev. Proc. 2007-21, 2007-9 I.R.B. 613.
-
SCS ESC reviewers will present their rescission recommendation to the SCS ESC.
-
The SCS ESC will review the
recommendation and, if it agrees, will forward it to the office of the
Deputy Commissioner for
Services and Enforcement to the
attention of the Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Services and
Enforcement.
-
If the Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement agrees with the recommendation, he will sign the letter to the taxpayer
that was prepared by LB&I:PFTG:JC.
-
The Deputy Commissioner's office will retain a copy of the signed letter and executive summary sheet, and send the original
letter to the taxpayer.
-
The Deputy Commissioner's office will return the rescission package to LB&I:PFTG:JC and include a copy of the signed letter.
-
If the Deputy Commissioner's office
does not agree with the recommendation or needs more information, it
will contact LB&I:PFTG:JC.
-
LB&I:PFTG:JC will notify any
function in the IRS that still has the taxpayer's return under
consideration (e.g., Exam, Appeals,
or Counsel) of the rescission request
determination.
-
The rescission determination is not reviewable by Appeals or by any court.
-
Please note: Rev. Proc. 2007-21, 2007-9
I.R.B. 613, provides detailed information about how a taxpayer seeks
rescission. See
Treas. Reg. 301-6707A-1(d) for the
current list of factors that weigh for and against granting a rescission
request.
-
The following non-exclusive list of factors, from Rev. Proc. 2007-21, Examination of Returns and Claims for Refund, Credit, or Abatement; Determination of Correct Tax Liability,
weighing in favor of granting rescission are relevant to the
determination that rescission would promote compliance with
the requirements of the Code and
effective tax administration. No one factor is determinative of whether
to grant rescission.
The commissioner, or his delegate, must
weigh all relevant factors, regardless of whether the factor is
included in the list.
-
Upon becoming aware of its failure to disclose a reportable transaction properly, a taxpayer filed a complete and proper,
albeit untimely, Form 8886 or Form 8264, Application for Registration of a Tax Shelter, (or any successor form), as applicable. This factor will weigh strongly in favor of rescission, provided:
-
The taxpayer files the Form
8886 prior to the date the Service first contacts the taxpayer
(including contacts by the Service
with any partnership in which
the taxpayer is a partner, any S corporation in which the taxpayer is a
shareholder, or any
trust in which the taxpayer is
a beneficiary) concerning a tax examination for the tax period in which
the taxpayer participated
in the reportable transaction
and
-
Other circumstances suggest
that the taxpayer did not delay filing an untimely but properly
completed Form 8886 until after
the Service had taken steps to
identify the taxpayer's participation in the reportable transaction in
question.
-
The taxpayer files the Form
8886 prior to the date the Service first contacts the taxpayer
(including contacts by the Service
with any partnership in which
the taxpayer is a partner, any S corporation in which the taxpayer is a
shareholder, or any
trust in which the taxpayer is
a beneficiary) concerning a tax examination for the tax period in which
the taxpayer participated
in the reportable transaction
and
-
The taxpayer's failure to properly disclose was due to an unintentional mistake of fact that existed despite the taxpayer's
reasonable attempts to ascertain the correct facts with respect to the transaction.
-
The taxpayer has an established history of properly disclosing other reportable transactions and complying with other tax
laws.
-
The taxpayer demonstrates that the failure to include on any return or statement any information required to be disclosed
under IRC 6011 arose from events beyond taxpayer's control.
-
The taxpayer cooperates with the
Service by providing timely information with respect to the transaction
at issue that the
commissioner (or the commissioner's
delegate) may request in consideration of the rescission request.
-
Assessment of the penalty would weigh
against equity and good conscience, including whether the taxpayer
demonstrates that
there was reasonable cause for, and the
taxpayer acted in good faith with respect to, the failure to timely
file or to include
on any return any information required
to be disclosed under IRC 6011. For a penalty assessed under IRC 6707A,
an important
factor in determining reasonable cause
and good faith is the extent of the taxpayer's efforts to ensure that
persons who prepared
the taxpayer's return were informed of
the taxpayer's participation in the reportable transactions.
Note:
This factor will be disregarded if the persons who prepared the taxpayer's return were material advisors with respect to the reportable transaction.
-
See Treas Reg. 301.6707A-1(d)(3) for
additional details. Note that the list of factors weighing in favor of
rescission that
is set forth in Rev. Proc. 2007-21 is
very similar to, but not identical to, the list of factors weighing in
favor of rescission
that is set forth in Treas. Reg.
301.6707A-1(d). To the extent that these lists are inconsistent, the
list in the regulations
controls.
-
The absence of facts establishing
the factors in favor of rescission, described above, weighs against
granting rescission;
however, the absence of any one of
these factors will not necessarily be determinative with respect to
rescission.
-
In determining whether to grant
rescission, the commissioner (or delegate) will not consider doubt as to
liability for the
penalty, except to the extent that
doubt as to liability is a factor in determining reasonable cause and
good faith. Additionally,
in determining whether to grant
rescission, the commissioner (or delegate) will not consider doubt as to
collectibility of
the penalties.
-
A taxpayer need not pay the assessed penalties to receive rescission consideration; however, the Service will not suspend
collection efforts solely because the taxpayer has made a request for rescission.
-
See Rev. Proc. 2007-21 for
procedures by which a taxpayer requests rescission. Note that the list
of factors weighing in favor
of rescission that is set forth in
Rev. Proc. 2007-21 is very similar to, but not identical to, the list of
factors weighing
in favor of rescission that is set
forth in Treas. Reg. 301.6707A-1(d). To the extent that these lists are
inconsistent, the
list in the regulations controls.
-
In general, the income tax examination
should not be delayed pending consideration of a rescission request.
There are situations,
however, where the determination of
whether the IRC 6707A penalty applies can affect the determination of
whether the IRC
6662A penalty applies.
-
IRC 6662A, Imposition of Accuracy-Related Penalty on Understatements With Respect to Reportable Transactions, was added by section 812 of the American Jobs Creation Act (AJCA)
and imposes a 20-percent penalty on an understatement resulting from a
reportable transaction that is properly disclosed
and a 30-percent penalty on an
understatement resulting from a reportable transaction that is not
properly disclosed. The
IRC 6662A penalty will not be imposed
if the taxpayer adequately disclosed the reportable transaction, and
meets other criteria
to establish reasonable cause and good
faith.
-
If Appeals rejects the proposed
assessment of an IRC 6707A penalty based on its determination that the
transaction in question
was not a reportable transaction, then
the IRC 6662A penalty will not apply. If Appeals rejects the proposed
IRC 6707A assessment
based on its determination that the
transaction was reportable but was properly disclosed, the IRC 6662A
penalty will be reduced
from 30 to 20-percent. For more
information regarding the application of the IRC 6662A penalty, see
MySB/SE, Issues and Procedures,
AJCA Penalties, IRC 6662A Guidance.
-
In addition, for purposes of IRC 6662A,
a taxpayer is deemed to have properly disclosed the reportable
transaction if the
Commissioner has rescinded the IRC
6707A penalty with respect to the transaction. If the Commissioner
rescinds the IRC 6707A
penalty, the IRC 6662A penalty might
not apply depending on whether the taxpayer meets the other criteria for
relief under
the reasonable cause and good faith
provisions of IRC 6664. Therefore, the income tax case should not be
closed until the
rescission determination is made if:
-
The examiner proposes an IRC 6662A penalty with respect to the reportable transaction,
-
The taxpayer meets the substantial authority standard in IRC 6664(d)(3)(B), and
-
The taxpayer meets the reasonable belief standard in IRC 6664(d)(3)(C).
-
The examiner proposes an IRC 6662A penalty with respect to the reportable transaction,
-
In contrast, if the results of the
examination will not be affected by the commissioner's rescission
determination (i.e.,
there is no proposed IRC 6662A penalty
or the taxpayer would be liable for the penalty even if it had
adequately disclosed
because it failed to meet the other
criteria to establish reasonable cause and good faith), the case should
proceed and can
be closed from the group without
waiting for the conclusion of the rescission determination.
-
Whether or not an examiner has pursued
an IRC 6707A penalty in connection with an income tax examination, the
penalty case
file will need to be closed in a
particular fashion. Using these case closing procedures should ensure
the closed case file
can be secured from files using the DLN
of the TC 240 PRN 648.
-
If the case has not been assessed
(i.e., there was no request for a quick assessment) and the taxpayer has
not requested Appeals
consideration, follow normal closing
to CCP for assessment to be made using Form 8278. CCP will make the
assessment, close
to Status Code 90 and ship the case
to files. (See IRM 4.32.4.7 above that contains the Form 3198 instructions and group closing codes, i.e., Status Code 51 with disposal code 03 for agreed
cases and disposal code 12 for unagreed cases that are not appealed).
-
Obtain a transcript after final
posting of the taxpayer's account and identify the document locator
number (DLN) that is associated
with Transaction Code (TC) 240 and
penalty reference number (PRN) 648. (If necessary, the examiner can use
the assessment
(23C) DLN provided on the Form 3210
when CCP confirmed the assessment.)
-
Place a Form 3198 on the case file. In the "Special Features"
section, check the box for "Other Instructions"
and include the language: IRC 6707A Penalty Case File - Associate with Penalty Assessment under DLN (and input the DLN identified from the transcript or 23C DLN in item 1). Use Status Code 41 (PSP) and disposal code 12 on
Form 3198.
-
Attach a signed Form 895, Notice of Statute Expiration, on the front of the case file.
-
Ensure that the penalty case file includes the items identified in IRM 4.32.4.3.2.3, Penalty Case File - Documents Required for All Listed and Non-Listed Reportable Transactions, and IRM 4.32.4.3.2.4, Penalty Case File - Additional Documents Required for Non-Listed Reportable Transactions Only above.
-
Send case to manager for review.
-
The group secretary will transfer
the record in ERCS to Status Code 41, Disposal Code 12, and enter the
penalty amount. (Please
ensure the penalty amount is entered
under the penalty amount and not erroneously entered into the
deficiency amount.)
-
The group secretary will send an
e-mail to the AIMS/ERCS analyst requesting the penalty record be closed
to Status Code 90
on ERCS. The AIMS/ERCS analyst will
update the Status Code to 42 and verify the assessment has been made
prior to closing
the ERCS record to Status Code 90.
-
If the IRC 6707A penalty case has been worked using the RGS generic folder system and is live in inventory, the examiner will
move it to the file server and the manager will send the case to archives.
-
The group secretary will ship the
case to files. The closed case must be associated with the DLN of the
quick assessment with
the TC 240 and PRN 648. The mailing
of the closed case file must include a confirmation of receipt Form 3210
that the group
retains for three years. SB/SE
closed case file is sent to:
Internal Revenue Service Cincinnati Service Center
201 W Rivercenter Blvd. Stop 2800-F
Covington, KY 41011
LB&I closed cases are sent to:
Internal Revenue Service
1973 North Rulon White Blvd. Stop 6727
Ogden, UT 84404
-
If no IRC 6707A penalty was proposed, but the case was established on ERCS:
-
Form 8278 - Penalty
Assessment (Page 1) - Complete Columns (c) and (d) for the applicable
penalty amount of zero. The three
digit reference code is
648. Complete page eight referring to the income tax return. The
examiner and the group manager must
sign Form 8278.
-
Attach Form 3198 indicating
MFT 13 for an entity or MFT 55 for an individual; reflect the penalty
amount as "$0,"
report the time on the
case to the penalty administrative file. Mark Status Code 51 (CCP) and
Disposal Code 02. Under
instructions, insert
directions for CCP to post a $0 assessment, and for all workpapers to be
kept with the closed case administrative
file and filed with the
Form 8278 DLN that will be assigned for TC 240 PRN 648.
-
Ensure that the case is flagged to note that a penalty was considered but not assessed.
-
The group secretary will transfer the ERCS record to Status Code 51 (CCP), Disposal Code 02 and ship to CCP.
-
Follow normal closing
procedures to Memphis CCP for SB/SE or Ogden CCP for LB&I. CCP
establishes a TC 240 PRN 648 (noting
that no penalty was
assessed) and a DLN for the file. The file is stored like an audit file
and can be retrieved if needed
in the future using the
DLN. CCP will close the case to Status Code 90.
-
If the taxpayer was
contacted, the examiner should prepare the undated 6707A no-change
letter, indicating the examiner as
the contact and the manager
as signor, and place the letter in the case file. The letter will then
be signed, dated and mailed
by the manager as the case
is closed to CCP for the zero posting. The manager will place a dated
copy of the no-change letter
in the case file and note
on the back of the Form 3198 that no letter should be sent by CCP.
-
Form 8278 - Penalty
Assessment (Page 1) - Complete Columns (c) and (d) for the applicable
penalty amount of zero. The three
digit reference code is
648. Complete page eight referring to the income tax return. The
examiner and the group manager must
sign Form 8278.
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Internal Revenue Service Department of the Treasury | |||
Date: | Taxpayer Identification Number: | ||
Form: | |||
Tax Period(s) Ended: | |||
Person to Contact: | |||
Employee ID#: | |||
Contact Telephone Number: | |||
Contact Fax Number: | |||
Last Day to Respond to this Letter: | |||
Dear | |||
We are commencing an investigation to determine whether you complied with the requirements of Internal Revenue Code (IRC) § 6011 and the associated regulations. | |||
IRC § 6707A imposes a monetary penalty for failure to disclose a reportable transaction as required by IRC § 6011 and associated regulations and/or for failing to disclose in a periodic report required under section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 a previously assessed penalty under IRC § 6707A (e)(2) that a taxpayer was required to pay. | |||
Please provide the items listed on the attached Form 4564, Information Document Request (IDR), within 30 days of receipt of this letter. | |||
Someone May Represent You | |||
You may have someone represent you during any part of this investigation. If you want someone to represent you, please provide me with a complete Form, 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative that refers to “income taxes and civil penalties.” (Emphasis added.) In addition, please ensure that information regarding the applicable years is complete, e.g., “Dec. 31, 2004” or “12/31/2004,” and not merely “2004” or “04.” | |||
You may mail or fax the form to me. You can get this form from our office or from our web site at www.irs.gov, or by calling 1-800-829-3676. If you decide that you wish to get representation after the investigation has started, we will delay further investigation activity until you can secure representation. | |||
Enclosures We have enclosed the following publications: Publication 1, Your Rights as a Taxpayer; Publication 5, Your Appeal Rights and How to Prepare a Protest if You Don't Agree; and Publication 594, What You Should Know About the IRS Collection Process. Please note that, as explained below, certain information contained in Publication 1 and Publication 5 is not applicable to the IRC § 6707A penalty. |
|||
Publication 1, Section VIII states that the IRS will waive penalties when allowed by law if you can show you acted reasonably and in good faith. However, under law the IRS cannot waive the IRC § 6707A penalty. Instead, the IRC § 6707A penalty for a non-listed reportable transaction can be rescinded by the Commissioner (or the Commissioner's delegate) only if it would promote tax compliance and effective tax administration. An IRC § 6707A penalty for a listed transaction cannot be rescinded. | |||
Publication 5 states in the Section entitled "If You Do Not Agree" that if you decide to do nothing and your case involves certain penalties; you will receive a formal Notice of Deficiency. However, please note that you are not entitled to receive a formal Notice of Deficiency for the IRC § 6707A penalty. This means that the Tax Court cannot consider your case. Instead, if you do nothing, the IRS will send you a bill for the penalty. If you do nothing, please disregard the information about seeking Tax Court review of this penalty. | |||
Under the section entitled "Protests," Publication 5 states that you may file a formal written protest or a small case request. Publication 5 further states that a small case request is available where the total amount for any tax period is not more than $25,000. Please disregard the Publication 5 information about filing a small case request. Please note that you may not file a small case request for an IRC § 6707A penalty even if the penalty is less than $25,000. You must file a formal written protest if you wish to dispute the penalty. | |||
If you have any questions, please contact me. | |||
Sincerely, Internal Revenue Agent |
|||
Enclosures: | |||
IDR | |||
Publication 1 | |||
Publication 5 | |||
Publication 594 | |||
Privacy Act Notice | |||
The Privacy Act of 1974 and Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 require that when we ask you for information we must first tell you our legal right to ask for the information, why we are asking for it, and how it will be used. We must also tell you what could happen if we do not receive it and whether your response is voluntary, required to obtain a benefit or mandatory under the law. | |||
Our legal right to ask for information is contained in Internal Revenue Code sections 6011 and 6707A and their regulations. We ask for the information to carry out the Internal Revenue laws of the United States. Your response is mandatory and we need the information to ensure you are complying with these laws and to ascertain whether you are subject to any penalties or injunctive action. Failure to provide the information requested, or providing false or fraudulent information, may subject you to further penalties or criminal prosecution. | |||
Routine uses of the information may include providing it to the Department of Justice to enforce the tax laws, both civil and criminal, and to cities, states, the District of Columbia, U.S. commonwealths or possessions, and certain foreign governments to carry out their tax laws. We may disclose your tax information to the Department of Treasury and contractors for tax administration purposes, and to other persons as necessary to obtain information which we cannot get in any other way in order to determine the amount of or to collect the tax or penalties you owe. We may disclose your tax information to the Comptroller General of the Untied States to permit the Comptroller General to review the Internal Revenue Service. We may disclose your tax information to committees of Congress; federal, state, and local child support agencies; and to other federal agencies for the purposes of determining entitlement for benefits or the eligibility for and the repayment of loans. We may also disclose this information to other countries under a tax treaty, to federal and state agencies to enforce federal non-tax criminal laws, or to federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to combat terrorism. |
Page 1- Case Overview and Penalty Approval Record
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Page 2- Case Overview and Penalty Approval Record
Action | Yes/No (If yes, provide date) |
Comments (If Any) |
---|---|---|
30-day letter issued | ||
Appeals consideration timely requested | ||
Appeals Resolution | ||
Assessment Requested | ||
Penalty Assessed | ||
Rescission Requested | ||
Rescission Determination | ||
Case closed |
Page 3- Case Overview and Penalty Approval Record
6707A Case Overview Attachment
INSERT APPLICABLE PARAGRAPH(S) ON SUMMARY SHEET |
---|
I am proposing the assessment of a penalty under IRC § 6707A for failing to disclose one or more reportable transactions described as follows: (INSERT RELEVANT PARAGRAPHS). For more details, please see the Revenue Agent Report included in this penalty case file. |
Listed transactions: A listed transaction is a transaction that is the same as or substantially similar to one of the types of transactions that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has determined to be a tax avoidance transaction and identified by notice, regulation, or other form of published guidance as a listed transaction. |
Confidential transactions: A confidential transaction is a transaction that is offered to a taxpayer under conditions of confidentiality and for which the taxpayer has paid an advisor a minimum fee. |
Transactions with contractual protection: A transaction with contractual protection is a transaction for which the taxpayer or a related party has the right to a full or partial refund of fees if all or part of the intended tax consequences from the transaction are not sustained. A transaction with contractual protection also is a transaction for which fees are contingent on the taxpayer's realization of tax benefits from the transaction. |
Loss transaction: A loss transaction is a transaction resulting in the taxpayer claiming certain minimum single year or cumulative year losses under IRC § 165. |
Transactions with significant book-tax differences: A transaction with a significant book-tax difference is a transaction where the amount for tax purposes of any item or items of income, gain, expense, or loss from the transaction differs by more than $10 million on a gross basis from the amount of the item or items for book purposes in any taxable year. |
Transactions involving brief asset holding periods: A transaction involving a brief asset holding period is any transaction resulting in the taxpayer claiming a tax credit exceeding $250,000 (including a foreign tax credit) if the underlying asset giving rise to the credit is held by the taxpayer for 45 days or less. |
OR |
I am proposing the assessment of a penalty under IRC § 6707A(e) for failing to disclose in a periodic report required under section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 any penalty described in IRC § 6707A(e)(2) that taxpayer was required to pay. Specifically, taxpayer was assessed a penalty under IRC § 6707A(e)(2) on INSERT DATE and has failed to disclose that assessment in a periodic report required under section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. For more details, please see the Revenue Agent Report that is included in this penalty file. |
Internal Revenue Service | Department of the Treasury |
Date: | Taxpayer Identification Number: |
Tax Year: | |
Form Number: | |
Person to Contact: | |
Employee Identification Number: | |
Contact Telephone Number: | |
Dear | |
We have completed our consideration of the applicability of penalties provided under Internal Revenue Code (I.R.C.) § 6707A
for not adequately disclosing the reportable transaction described below: |
|
which affected the tax return(s) filed for the period(s) shown above. The I.R.C. § 6707A penalty will not be imposed with respect to this matter. | |
If you have any questions, please call or write us at the telephone number or address shown above. If you write, please include your telephone number, the best time for us to call you in case we need to contact you, and a copy of this letter. | |
You may want to keep a copy of this letter for your records. Thank you for your cooperation. | |
Sincerely, |
Insert applicable paragraphs in the sample letter below.
Internal Revenue Service | Department of the Treasury |
Date: | Taxpayer Identification Number: |
Form: | |
Tax Period(s) Ended and Amount(s): | |
Person to Contact: | |
Employee Identification Number: | |
Contact Telephone Number: | |
Last Day to Respond to this Letter: | |
Dear | |
Why We Are Sending You This Letter | |
This letter notifies you that because we have been unable to obtain an agreement to extend the period of limitations, we have assessed a penalty or penalties under IRC § 6707A. This penalty is being assessed for your failure to disclose a reportable transaction as required by IRC 6011 and associated regulations. The paragraph below describes the possible grounds for proposing this penalty. Please review this proposed assessment and let us know whether or not you agree by following the directions provided in this letter. | |
Proposed Adjustment [Selectable paragraph for Proposed Adjustment] [Selectable paragraph for Reportable Transaction, if applicable] | |
What to Do If You Agree | |
If you agree to the assessment and collection of the proposed penalty or penalties, please sign, date, and return one copy of the enclosed Form 870, Waiver of Restrictions on Assessment and Collection of Deficiency in Tax and Acceptance of Overassessment, in the envelope provided. Make your check or money order payable to the United States Treasury for the amount indicated on the agreement form. If you agree but cannot pay in full, pay what you can within 30 days from receipt of this notice and we will send you a bill for the remaining amount with information on your payment options. | |
What to Do If You Disagree | |
If you do not agree to the assessment and collection of the proposed penalty or penalties, you can request a conference with our Appeals Office. To do so, forward a written protest in duplicate before the designated response date, which is shown at the top of the first page of this letter, and mail it to the revenue agent indicated above. Include the following: | |
1. A request for a conference; | |
2. Your name, address, and daytime telephone number; | |
3. Your social security number or employer identification number; | |
4. The date and number of this letter; | |
5. The taxable years involved; | |
6. The penalties that you contest; | |
7. An explanation of why you contest those penalties; | |
8. All information pertinent to your position; | |
9. A statement of law or other authority that you relied on, and how that law or other authority applies in your case; and | |
10. The following signed statement: "Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined the facts presented in this statement and any accompanying information and, to the best of my knowledge and belief they are true, correct and complete." A representative who submits a protest should substitute for this declaration a statement that he or she prepared the protest and accompanying documents, and knows personally that the statement of facts contained in the protest and the documents are true, correct and complete. | |
The Commissioner may rescind the penalty under IRC section 6707A for transactions other than listed transactions, if rescission would promote tax compliance and effective tax administration. If you would like to preserve your ability to submit a rescission request for a penalty related to a non-listed reportable transaction, you must first seek Appeals consideration of your case (as set forth in the 10 steps above) or waive in writing such consideration by signing and submitting the enclosed Form 870. Additional information about submitting a rescission request is contained in Rev. Proc. 2007-21. | |
You may seek review in a United States District Court or the United States Court of Federal Claims of your liability for the section 6707A penalty with respect to the determination that you participated in a reportable transaction, and that you failed to properly disclose that participation. (You cannot seek review of the Commissioner's determination to deny a rescission request.) To seek court review of your liability for the section 6707A penalty, you must first fully pay the liability and file a claim for refund. | |
What Will Happen If You Do Nothing | |
If you do not take any action by the response date noted above, we will begin collection procedures. If you fail to seek Appeals consideration of your case or fail to waive in writing such consideration or allow the 30-day response time to lapse without contact, the Commissioner will not consider a request to rescind the penalty. | |
Enclosures | |
We have enclosed the following publications: Publication 1, Your Rights as a Taxpayer; Publication 5, Your Appeal Rights and How to Prepare a Protest if You Don't Agree; and Publication 594, What You Should Know About the IRS Collection Process. Please note that, as explained below, certain information contained in Publication 1 and Publication 5 is not applicable to the IRC section 6707A penalty. | |
Publication 1, Section VIII states that the IRS will waive penalties when allowed by law if you can show you acted reasonably and in good faith. However, under law the IRS cannot waive the IRC section 6707A penalty. Instead, the IRC section 6707A penalty for a non-listed reportable transaction can be rescinded by the Commissioner (or the Commissioner's delegate) only if it would promote tax compliance and effective tax administration. The IRC section 6707A penalty for a listed transaction cannot be rescinded. | |
Publication 5 states (under the Section entitled "If You Do Not Agree") that if you decide to do nothing and your case involves certain penalties, you will receive a formal Notice of Deficiency. However, please note that you are not entitled to receive a formal Notice of Deficiency for the IRC section 6707A penalty and the information about seeking Tax Court review of this penalty should be disregarded. The Tax Court cannot consider your case under the procedures explained in Publication 5. | |
Under the section entitled "Protests," Publication 5 states that you may file a formal written protest or a small case request. Publication 5 further states that a small case request is available where the total amount for any tax period is not more than $25,000. Please disregard the Publication 5 information about filing a small case request. Please note that you may not file a small case request for an IRC section 6707A penalty even if the penalty is less than $25,000. You must file a formal written protest if you wish to dispute the penalty. | |
If you have any questions, please contact the person identified at the top of the first page of this letter. Thank you for your cooperation. | |
Sincerely yours, |
|
Internal Revenue Agent | |
Enclosures: | |
Form 4549-A | |
Form 886A | |
Form 870 | |
Publication 1 | |
Publication 5 | |
Publication 594 | |
Envelope 3 |
Do Not Mail This Page
Selectable Paragraphs for Proposed Adjustment
Item | Paragraph |
---|---|
1. | We are assessing a penalty under IRC section 6707A (a) for failing to disclose the reportable transaction listed below. |
2. | We are assessing a penalty under IRC section 6707A(e) for failing to disclose in a periodic report required under section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 any penalty described in IRC section 6707A(e)(2) that you were required to pay. The penalty is 75 percent of the decrease in tax shown on your tax return as a result of such transaction (or which would have resulted from such transaction if such transaction were respected for Federal tax purposes) for each penalty that should have been disclosed, but was not. The maximum penalty shall not exceed $200,000 in the case of a listed transaction and $50,000 in the case of any other reportable transaction; and the minimum penalty shall not be less than $10,000. |
Selectable Paragraphs for Reportable Transactions
Item | Paragraph |
---|---|
a. | Listed transactions: A listed transaction is a transaction that is the same as or substantially similar to one of the types of transactions that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has determined to be a tax avoidance transaction and identified by notice, regulation, or other form of published guidance as a listed transaction. Subject to maximum and minimum limitations, for each failure to disclose a transaction, the penalty is 75 percent of the decrease in tax shown on your tax return as a result of such transaction (or which would have resulted from such transaction if such transaction were respected for Federal tax purposes). The maximum penalty shall not exceed $100,000 for an individual and $200,000 for all others. The minimum penalty shall not be less that $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for all others. |
b. | Confidential transactions: A confidential transaction is a transaction that is offered to a taxpayer under conditions of confidentiality and for which the taxpayer has paid an advisor a minimum fee. Subject to maximum and minimum limitations, for each failure to disclose a transaction, the penalty is 75 percent of the decrease in tax shown on your tax return as a result of such transaction (or which would have resulted from such transaction if such transaction were respected for Federal tax purposes). The maximum penalty shall not exceed $10,000 for an individual and $50,000 for all others. The minimum penalty shall not be less that $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for all others. |
c. | Transactions with contractual protection: A transaction with contractual protection is a transaction for which the taxpayer or a related party has the right to a full or partial refund of fees if all or part of the intended tax consequences from the transaction are not sustained. A transaction with contractual protection also is a transaction for which fees are contingent on the taxpayer's realization of tax benefits from the transaction. Subject to maximum and minimum limitations, for each failure to disclose a transaction, the penalty is 75 percent of the decrease in tax shown on your tax return as a result of such transaction (or which would have resulted from such transaction if such transaction were respected for Federal tax purposes). The maximum penalty shall not exceed $10,000 for an individual and $50,000 for all others. The minimum penalty shall not be less that $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for all others. |
d. | Loss transactions: A loss transaction is a transaction resulting in the taxpayer claiming certain minimum single year or cumulative year losses under IRC section 165. Subject to maximum and minimum limitations, for each failure to disclose a transaction, the penalty is 75 percent of the decrease in tax shown on your tax return as a result of such transaction (or which would have resulted from such transaction if such transaction were respected for Federal tax purposes). The maximum penalty shall not exceed $10,000 for an individual and $50,000 for all others. The minimum penalty shall not be less that $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for all others. |
e. | Transactions with significant book-tax differences: A transaction with a significant book-tax difference is a transaction where the amount for tax purposes of any item or items of income, gain, expense, or loss from the transaction differs by more than $10 million on a gross basis from the amount of the item or items for book purposes in any taxable year. Subject to maximum and minimum limitations, for each failure to disclose a transaction, the penalty is 75 percent of the decrease in tax shown on your tax return as a result of such transaction (or which would have resulted from such transaction if such transaction were respected for Federal tax purposes). The maximum penalty shall not exceed $10,000 for an individual and $50,000 for all others. The minimum penalty shall not be less that $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for all others. |
f. | Transactions involving brief asset holding periods: A transaction involving a brief asset holding period is any transaction resulting in the taxpayer claiming a tax credit exceeding $250,000 (including a foreign tax credit) if the underlying asset giving rise to the credit is held by the taxpayer for 45 days or less. Subject to maximum and minimum limitations, for each failure to disclose a transaction, the penalty is 75 percent of the decrease in tax shown on your tax return as a result of such transaction (or which would have resulted from such transaction if such transaction were respected for Federal tax purposes). The maximum penalty shall not exceed $10,000 for an individual and $50,000 for all others. The minimum penalty shall not be less that $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for all others. |
g. | Transactions of Interest: A transaction of interest is a transaction that is the same as or substantially similar to one of the types of transactions that the IRS has identified by notice, regulation or other form of published guidance as a transaction of interest. Subject to maximum and minimum limitations, for each failure to disclose a transaction, the penalty is 75 percent of the decrease in tax shown on your tax return as a result of such transaction (or which would have resulted from such transaction if such transaction were respected for Federal tax purposes). The maximum penalty shall not exceed $100,000 for an individual and $200,000 for all others. The minimum penalty shall not be less that $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for all others. |
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