Talking Tax

The Treasury Department and IRS were given big opportunities—and big responsibilities—with the enactment of last year's Inflation Reduction Act. The tasks ahead include issuing guidance on various clean-energy provisions in the tax-and-climate law. The Biden administration and congressional Democrats say the provisions will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create more domestic jobs, but Republicans have raised concerns that the provisions are expensive and mostly benefiting large businesses. On this episode of Talking Tax, Bloomberg Tax reporter Naomi Jagoda talks to Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo, a key player in implementing the law, about the status of guidance on the energy provisions and Republicans' criticism of the tax breaks. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

After working in Big Four accounting firms, Carmela Walrond decided to work for herself, motivated by a desire to help small business taxpayers. "There's no better feeling than helping someone save lots of money in taxes," says Walrond. Walrond is a partner at JLD Tax Resolution Group and an entrepreneur based in New Jersey. After working in accounting and immigration law, Walrond established her own tax practice in 2019 helping individuals resolve back tax issues. She then merged with JLD Tax to launch a combined practice in 2020. The small business helps clients settle cases with the IRS, including assisting on preparation for audits, entity formation, and other tax services. Walrond reached out to Talking Tax after listening to an episode from February. For this episode, Walrond chats with legal reporter Jeff Leon to share her experiences as a woman of color advising small businesses and what's on her radar for 2023. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

The focus of the House Ways and Means tax subcommittee will be oversight, according to the panel’s new head Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) Kelly took over the subcommittee that oversees tax policy after Republicans gained control of the House this year. Kelly has introduced legislation that would impose new reporting requirements on the IRS’s use of the $80 billion in funding it received from the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as other bills that similarly target the IRS. On this episode of Talking Tax, Kelly speaks with Bloomberg Tax reporter Samantha Handler about his subcommittee’s agenda, including how he’ll work in lockstep with Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), the head of the oversight subcommittee, and what tax policy he’d like to see move this Congress. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

The SEC’s Paul Munter set a blistering pace for accounting guidance during his two years as acting chief accountant—issuing blockbuster guidance on digital assets, SPACs, and more. Now the job of chief accountant is his, as of January, and he joined Bloomberg Tax reporter Amanda Iacone to discuss his goal to ensure investors get reliable and actionable financial reports from corporate America. He expects, for example, companies to disclose risks that could threaten their ability to operate and auditors to fully vet threats facing their clients, like rapidly rising interest rates. Munter also weighed in on the question of whether bank accounting for long-term investments should change, the potential break-up of Ernst & Young, and his concerns about private equity investing in accounting firms. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

For the OECD's tax policy chief, years of negotiations on the global corporate tax deal has been a "roller coaster ride" of different approaches by the nations involved. The organization is hoping to see efforts come together with major parts of it resolved this summer, says Grace Perez-Navarro, who is retiring Friday. Countries are pushing to meet a midyear deadline on the remaining key pieces of the deal, including what is known as Amount A—the reallocation of some multinational profits—and Amount B, a plan to streamline some transfer pricing. Perez-Navarro sat down with Bloomberg Tax reporter Isabel Gottlieb this week ahead of her last day as director of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Center for Tax Policy and Administration. She stepped into the director role last year after serving as deputy director since 2007. She talked about the status of remaining work on the agreement and what issues countries are still negotiating, as well as remote work taxation, and how the OECD is helping governments discuss carbon taxes. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

The US tax code doesn't take race into consideration, but should it? In this episode of Talking Tax, Georgetown Law professor Dorothy Brown argues the case for why the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service should make race a factor in tax policy. Brown, author of the 2021 book, "Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans—and How We Can Fix it," sits down with Bloomberg Tax editor Yuri Nagano. Brown discusses how her book inspired a recent Stanford University study showing Black taxpayers are audited at higher rates, a topic at a Senate Finance Committee hearing on the nomination of now-confirmed IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. She also touches on how Treasury's Greenbook of 2024 revenue proposals doesn't reflect data from the department's January report on tax impact by race and ethnicity, and grades efforts by the Biden administration, Treasury and IRS on their progress. Brown is a member of the recently formed Treasury Advisory Committee on Racial Equity. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

To help reduce poverty, many states have modeled their own versions of tax relief for lower and middle-income workers on an enhanced federal earned income tax credit that expired last year. Rising inflation, pandemic hardships, and increasing economic disparities have intensified calls to create or expand these credits along with child tax credits in both Democratic and Republican-led states. To date, 11 states have enacted their own child tax credits and more than 30 now have an earned income tax credit, according to a report by the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. On this episode of Talking Tax, Bloomberg Tax reporter Donna Borak speaks with Connecticut's new state comptroller Sean Scanlon, who says there's no one "silver bullet solution" to tax policy. The former state legislator discusses his involvement in creating the state's first child tax credit and the Biden administration's latest attempt to reinstate a federal enhanced child tax credit. Scanlon also speaks on why he thinks historic surpluses make it possible for Connecticut lawmakers to create both a permanent child tax credit (SB 771) and pursue Gov. Ned Lamont's (D) plans to cut income taxes and raise the earned income tax credit. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

Looking forward to a mint julep on Kentucky Derby Day? You might be interested to know that a bit of each bourbon-soaked cocktail funds school districts, police departments, and other local services in the Bluegrass State. The money flows through Kentucky’s one-of-a-kind bourbon barrel tax, a levy on spirits aging in barrels. It’s a big deal for distillers, who must pay the tax, and municipalities, which derive significant revenue from the roughly 11 million barrels of bourbon inventoried across Kentucky. That could change soon. After a Bourbon Barrel Taxation Task Force studied the matter last year, senior lawmakers recently introduced legislation to gradually phase out the tax until it's eliminated in 2039 with the aim of giving local jurisdictions time to adjust to lost revenues. On this episode of Talking Tax, Bloomberg Tax senior reporter Michael J. Bologna digs into the unusual history of the tax and the current efforts to repeal it with Mark F. Sommer, tax practice group leader with Frost Brown Todd LLP in Louisville. BONUS: Sommer shares his mint julep recipe! (Derby Day is May 6, in case you haven't put it on your calendar yet. ) Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

California cities have made deals with retailers—Best Buy Co. Inc., Apple Inc., QVC, Walmart Inc., and others—to be the point of sale for statewide e-commerce purchases in exchange for a cut of the sales tax proceeds. But who really benefits? On this episode of Talking Tax, senior reporter Laura Mahoney sits down with Bloomberg Law editor Bernie Kohn to talk about her closer look at Dinuba, a small city in California's Central Valley, and its tax-sharing deal with Best Buy. Dinuba gives half of its influx of sales tax money to Best Buy and 10% to the lawyer who brokered the deal. Tens of millions of dollars are involved in an agreement that will last 40 years. They discuss what Dinuba's deal with Best Buy means for its fiscal health and quality of life compared with its neighbors, and how the tension between the haves and have-nots is part of a statewide debate about sales tax rules in California. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

Tax practitioner Tifphani White-King is strongly invested in increasing diversity and equity in the world of tax. "I don't lose sight of the fact that I don't see many people that look like me in this field," she said. White-King, principal at Mazars USA, has over two decades of experience in tax, and as a Black woman, has extensive experience navigating a historically white male-dominated profession to become a leader in tax. She chatted with Bloomberg Tax reporter Jeff Leon to share more about her experiences in the profession, lessons learned, and being a woman of color in tax. White-King shares insights on how tax organizations can meaningfully level the playing field and embrace the strength of a diverse workforce, and where she sees the tax profession going. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

State sales taxes are now a fact of life for online buyers and sellers, since the US Supreme Court's 2018 Wayfair decision created a framework for remote-sales tax collection. It might look simple to customers, but for remote sellers and sales platforms—especially small businesses—the massive patchwork of state and local sales tax regimes can be daunting. How much of an "undue burden" on interstate commerce is the patchwork, and should Congress intervene to reduce the inconsistencies across sales tax regimes without stepping on state sovereignty? Some, including the US Government Accountability Office, have suggested it. This episode of Talking Tax explores the complicated requirements businesses have to deal with and the steps roughly half the states have taken to simplify their sales tax codes and streamline their processes. Bloomberg Tax senior reporter Michael J. Bologna speaks with Craig Johnson, executive director of the Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board, which administers a 24-state compact that strives for state sales tax harmony, and Diane Yetter, a self-described "sales tax nerd" and founder of the Sales Tax Institute, which educates and advises businesses. They were among witnesses at a Senate Finance Committee hearing last year on Wayfair impacts. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

Tax transparency is on the rise, and companies are figuring out how to adapt. Large multinationals will soon have to publicly report their tax information in the EU. The pressure for more information isn't just coming from governments. Investors, too, are pushing for greater disclosure of companies' tax arrangements. Companies have long worried that reporting their tax information could set them up for a reputational hit. But now, with public reporting requirements on the horizon, some are choosing to put the information out themselves ahead of the mandate. KPMG's Anu Varadharajan sat down with Bloomberg Tax's Isabel Gottlieb to talk about why the tax transparency measures worry companies, and what they're doing to prepare for the requirements. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

Though never popular with neighboring state officials, New York's tax on the income of out-of-state residents working for Empire state companies is being scrutinized more closely. A post-pandemic shift to remote work — as a choice by either the employee or employer — has meant that many former commuters rarely if ever set foot in a New York workplace. There are winners and losers in the current situation and billions of dollars at stake. Officials in both New Jersey and Connecticut have recently revived efforts to keep their resident's income taxes within their own borders regardless of where the person works. New York isn't expected to relinquish these revenues without a fight. The state got roughly 17% of its income tax revenue from non-residents in fiscal 2020. On this episode of Talking Tax, our weekly podcast, podcast producer David Schultz talks with Andrew Silverman, a tax policy analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence, about the particular dynamics of the tri-state region. Silverman also examines why the US Supreme Court opted not to weigh in on a similar challenge by New Hampshire to end a Massachusetts commuter tax in 2016, how remote work impacts what's called the "convenience-of-the-employer" rule, and why this disagreement between a number of states will be up to the high court resolve. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

The $80 billion in new funding the IRS will get over the next decade offers a chance "to bring US tax administration into the 21st century," according to National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins. Collins leads the Taxpayer Advocate Service, an independent office within the agency that provides taxpayer assistance. She's written multiple blog posts about modernization efforts and sent a report to Congress discussing her vision for a revamped, paperless tax enforcement agency. On this episode of Talking Tax, Collins speaks with Bloomberg Tax reporter Aysha Bagchi about key recommendations for how the agency can improve taxpayer services using the additional funding authorized by the Biden administration's sweeping tax-and-climate bill. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

The IRS and Treasury pushed back the effective date for brokers forced to report client transactions to the IRS, giving the cryptocurrency industry some relief as they wait for more guidance. There are still a lot of unknowns about how to report and what exactly is required—answers the industry anticipates in new guidance. On this episode of our Talking Tax podcast, Bloomberg Tax reporter Erin Slowey speaks with Deloitte's Jonathan Cutler, a senior manager, and Rob Massey, global and US tax blockchain and digital assets leader, about the crypto reporting landscape here in the US. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

All eyes are on the IRS in 2023, as the cash-strapped agency is finally getting an $80 billion infusion, with potential big implications for the tax world. Bolstered by the additional multiyear funding in the Inflation Reduction Act, the agency plans to upgrade its outdated systems, staff up, and take bolder steps toward enforcement, aiming largely at big companies and high-wealth taxpayers. Bloomberg Tax reporter Jeff Leon talks about the prospects with Niles Elber, a tax professional at Caplin & Drysdale who has been following the developments closely. The IRS has a tall order, Elber says. He talks about how the agency might deploy the funds, and the biggest areas of need, from hiring to enforcement. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

Congress was busy on tax policy in 2022, and that means the IRS will have work to do this year. The agency has issued some guidance clarifying the Inflation Reduction Act's tax provisions, but it has lots more that needs to get out in the coming weeks and months. On this episode of our weekly podcast, Talking Tax, we hear about the big-ticket items the IRS needs to get out the door from three Bloomberg Tax reporters: Erin Slowey, Lauren Vella, and Naomi Jagoda. We also discuss the IRS's plans to spend the nearly $80 billion in federal funding Congress granted—funds that could make this year's filing season go more smoothly. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

For this episode of our weekly podcast, Talking Tax, we're revisiting interviews with some of the biggest tax policy makers in the news this year. The OECD's two-pillar plan to reshape the global tax framework, the Inflation Reduction Act, and getting the court system back to a sense of normalcy amid the pandemic were among the biggest tax stories this year. Kathleen Kerrigan, the new chief judge of the US Tax Court, talks about pushing for more electronic filing of petitions and other challenges. Richard Jones, chairman of the Financial Accounting Standards Board, talks about the new work on his plate as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act. And Pascal Saint-Amans, chief of the OECD's Centre for Tax Policy and Administration until late this year, talks about his decade-plus work revamping global tax rules and some of the organization's under-the-radar initiatives. Saint-Amans is now a partner at Brunswick Group and a professor at Lausanne University. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

Most state tax stories are about legislation, regulation, and litigation. Too often lost in the headlines are the people who develop and manage state tax policies, and their motivations for pursuing careers in tax advocacy and tax administration. On this episode of Talking Tax, we talk with Alan Lindquist, a special assistant attorney general with the Illinois Department of Revenue. Lindquist has had an unusual career, representing taxpayers as a partner at Chicago-based Winston & Strawn LLP for 30 years. He surprised many of his peers in 2018, when he retired from the legal giant and began using his extensive background in complex tax litigation as an advocate for the revenue department. He spoke with Bloomberg Tax’s Michael Bologna about his career choices, the balance of power in tax litigation, the hot topics in state taxes, and the challenges revenue agencies face. Lindquist also offered some advice to recent law school graduates—and near-retirees, too—by encouraging them to consider public service work. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

Starting with Ronald Reagan in 1981, every Republican president at some point has made tax cuts a centerpiece of his economic agenda, often with scant evidence that these policies have produced economic benefits that touch all Americans. Delving into some of the more notable moments in this history offers a roadmap to this inequality. How did a tax designed to discourage multigenerational inherited wealth come to be known as the "death tax?" Why are qualified dividends—which most taxpayers see as a single line on their 1040s—an outsized benefit for high income individuals? How did generous incentives help to reshore income held abroad? On this episode of Talking Tax, James B. Steele, a two-time Pulitzer Prize journalist who has covered economic inequality for decades, sat down with Bloomberg Law editor Bernie Kohn to talk about his story co-written for the Center for Public Integrity and Bloomberg Tax showing how US tax policies have consistently fueled inequality. This podcast is a partnership between the Center for Public Integrity, a newsroom that investigates inequality, and Bloomberg Tax. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

Technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence are quickly reinventing how auditors test corporate accounts, but these innovations also may require a reimagining of auditing standards. Christina Ho, a member of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, has called technology the “audit quality challenge of the 21st century." She's leading a working group of technologists, data scientists, and more traditional finance leaders to help the regulator plan for the future of digital auditing—setting the stage for guidelines that could boost audit quality—and facilitate an even playing field for large and small firms. On this episode of Talking Tax, Ho, who has called herself a “data nerd," sat down with Bloomberg Tax reporter Amanda Iacone to talk about her career and tech background and share how those experiences shape her efforts at the US audit regulator. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

Clean energy developers and investors trying to make the most of the credits in President Joe Biden's tax-and-climate law are evaluating how new requirements to get the boost are impacting projects. The tax-and-climate law devotes $374 billion to support climate and energy measures, including adding more and expanding on existing tax credits for the clean energy industry. One of the energy credit adders in the law, also known as the Inflation Reduction Act, is the domestic content requirement. It allows energy companies to get a 10% increase in the credit amount if all of the steel and iron from a facility is produced in the US and 40% of the manufactured products is produced in the US. However, one hurdle is that the US supplies to meet the manufacturing threshold is limited. On this episode of Talking Tax, our weekly podcast, Bloomberg Tax reporter Erin Slowey speaks with Amish Shah, a partner at Holland & Knight, about the value of the credits to companies and who's interested in the getting the domestic content adder. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

On this week's episode of Talking Tax, we bring you two discussions that focus on some of the biggest developments facing multinationals' tax departments. First, OECD tax head Grace Perez-Navarro shares with Bloomberg Tax reporter Isabel Gottlieb a glimpse into what's coming next from the global tax deal: the transfer pricing simplification plan known as Amount B, details on which unilateral measures will be revoked, and more guidance on the global minimum tax. Next, the acting commissioner of the IRS's Large Business and International Division, Holly Paz, talks to Bloomberg Tax reporter Michael Rapoport about where her team is focusing, including on transfer pricing audits and partnerships' disclosure of foreign income. These discussions took place at Bloomberg Tax's Nov. 17 Leadership Forum. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

Calls for regulation and global standards for the cryptocurrency industry have taken on fresh urgency recently, with the stunning collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX exchange and its sister trading house Alameda Research. One important regulatory proposal already in progress is the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Crypto Asset Reporting Framework—CARF—which would standardize how global tax authorities regulate and share information on cryptocurrency assets and still give nations significant leeway to set their own rules. The G20 endorsed the OECD’s crypto plan at its October finance minsters meeting. On this episode of our weekly podcast, Talking Tax, Bloomberg Tax correspondent Shaun Courtney speaks with the OECD Center for Tax Policy and Administration’s Paul Hondius and Artur Olszewskicq about the crypto framework. Hondius and Olszewski talk about what the new framework does and doesn’t do, how it meets the needs of tax administrations, and expectations for implementation of the standards among G20 nations—which of course include the U.S. They also offer an update on the organization's timeline for creating legal and IT solutions to help countries with implementation and global information sharing. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

The polls have closed on the midterm elections, but with many races left undecided, it's still unclear which party will lead the next Congress. Though there was no "Red Wave" as some prognosticators predicted, Republicans appear to be closing in on a narrow majority in the House. In the Senate, the balance of power remains up in the air as the Nevada and Arizona races remain uncalled, and the Georgia contest between Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker heads toward a December runoff. On this episode of our weekly podcast, Talking Tax, Bloomberg Tax reporters Chris Cioffi, Naomi Jagoda, and Samantha Handler preview what kind of oversight a House Republican majority may conduct and who's poised to take over for retiring ranking member Kevin Brady (R-Texas). The group also talks about how a potentially GOP-controlled Senate could slow down the process of confirming a new IRS commissioner to replace the outgoing agency head, Charles Rettig. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

State policy makers and budget officials are facing a period of greater economic uncertainty as forecasts increasingly point to the likelihood of at least a mild U.S. recession in 2023. Over the past year many states have sought to stay ahead of any downturn by managing their budgets more prudently. Roughly 30 states took some type of permanent tax policy action in 2022 through their legislatures—rate cuts for income, corporate, or both, plus some sales tax holidays—to offer relief to taxpayers. Many also put more guardrails in place to help offset future economic volatility by funding reserves, instituting revenue triggers, or slowly phasing in rate cuts. On this episode of Talking Tax, Bloomberg Tax reporter Donna Borak speaks with Eric Kim, head of state ratings and senior director at Fitch Ratings, about his outlook on the U.S. economy and how states are preparing for what's expected to be challenging economic times ahead. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

Tax professionals are racing to advise companies on two laws passed this year—the tax-and-climate law and the CHIPS Act—both providing tax credits that can be claimed as soon as Jan. 1. Guidance from IRS and Treasury can't come soon enough as companies try to decipher how they would be affected. On this episode of our weekly podcast, Talking Tax, we discuss one Big Four accounting firm's strategy for working with companies as they eagerly await guidance. Bloomberg Tax's Erin Slowey speaks with Steve Kimble, chairman and CEO of Deloitte Tax LLP. Kimble talks about some of the biggest questions he'd like to get answered from the agencies and how companies shouldn't wait for guidance before planning. We also get an update on how the firm is consulting with companies ahead of the midterm elections. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

Companies have rushed to apply for an expiring Texas program that offers hefty school district property tax abatements for new manufacturing and renewable energy projects. The Chapter 313 incentive has drawn big investment through its 20-year history, but has been criticized as too expensive and harmful to some schools and populations. It wasn't renewed, and policy makers are determining whether and how to redesign it. In the meantime, applications for it leaped to more than 400 this year as companies including Tesla Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., and Micron Technology Inc. try to get their awards while the program still exists. There were 74 applications in 2021 and 49 in 2020. Bloomberg Tax’s Angélica Serrano-Román sat down with representatives of key players—school groups, researchers, and transparency organizations—to talk about the tax incentive, its impact on state revenues and budgets, and the possibility that lawmakers will take up the issue next year. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

Over the past decade, some of the biggest changes to the international tax framework have come out of the Paris-based OECD—from the worldwide crackdown on base erosion and profit shifting to the two-pillar plan to overhaul global tax rules. Pascal Saint-Amans, the man at the helm of the organization's tax division through those years, recently announced he would be stepping down from his role at the end of October. Bloomberg Tax's Isabel Gottlieb sat down with Saint-Amans to talk about what he's doing next, what it will take to get the tax deal's Pillar One over the finish line, and the future of international cooperation on environmental taxation. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

The global tax pact that’s been agreed to by nearly 140 countries has run into some obstacles, but the new global vice chair of tax for EY thinks chances are good that the big changes the agreement calls for will ultimately be implemented. EY’s Marna Ricker acknowledges that there’s a lot of work still to be done on both of the key parts of the agreement—Pillar One, which would reallocate a chunk of the taxing rights on big companies’ profits to other countries, and Pillar Two, which would impose a 15% global minimum tax. “I think this is going to be a really interesting window of time,” Ricker said. On this episode of Talking Tax, senior reporter Michael Rapoport discusses the OECD agreement and the new Inflation Reduction Act taxes with Ricker, who assumed her new post on Oct. 1. She’s been with EY for 28 years, and had previously been vice chair of tax for EY Americas. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

An estimated 43 million Americans qualifying for the Biden administration’s student loan debt forgiveness program won’t have to account for the $10,000 benefit on their federal 1040 tax returns next year, but they could face a very different reality when they file their state returns. The federal government and most states are waiving taxes on the cancellation of debt program. According to one analysis, roughly seven states—Arkansas, California, Indiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Wisconsin—plan to make debtors pay income taxes ranging from a few hundred dollars to as much as $900, depending on the state. On this episode of Talking Tax, Bloomberg Tax senior correspondent Michael J. Bologna caught up with Jared Walczak, vice president of state projects at the Tax Foundation, to help sort through some of these potentially complicated state tax issues. He explained which states plan to tax student loan debt cancellation and how taxpayers should account for the benefit.

Richard Jones took the helm of the board charged with writing US accounting rules the same year the coronavirus pandemic upended the economy. Jones and the six other members of the Financial Accounting Standards Board had to act quickly to tackle questions on how to use accounting standards during such an uncertain time. Two years later, FASB is plotting its next big moves, including writing rules for buzzy topics like cryptocurrency and figuring out how the new tax-and-climate law will impact its work. On this episode of Talking Tax, Jones speaks with Bloomberg Tax's Nicola M. White about FASB's agenda and how the standard-setter works with a Securities and Exchange Commission that's increasingly active in accounting issues. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

Ernst & Young faces numerous challenges as it tries to gain ground in the competitive advisory market while maintaining its place in the audit industry as its leaders push ahead with a planned breakup of the $40 billion revenue firm. The consequential deal could hinder EY's ability to retain and hire the skilled professionals it needs to deliver in-demand audit and reporting services as a stand-alone audit firm, said Jim Peterson, former in-house attorney for Arthur Andersen, the former top audit firm which collapsed in 2002. On this episode of Talking Tax, Peterson discusses with Bloomberg Tax's Amanda Iacone about what EY’s breakup means to the accounting industry and the risks that firm leaders face as they try to decouple the global business. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

Tax data and technology can be helpful for companies when making projections for tax planning purposes, but companies have to weigh when the best time is to implement them. Data can give more certainty for companies in scenario planning, such as for the Inflation Reduction Act and everyday business decisions, said Greg Engel, vice chair of tax at KPMG LLP. Still, 52% of companies aren’t using tax data for this work, according to a recent KPMG report. On this episode of Talking Tax, Engel speaks about the importance of companies incorporating tax data into tax planning, how companies are trying to hire to fill this need, and why now is the best time to integrate it. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

The IRS is seeking to prevent new, potentially abusive transactions from gaining traction with taxpayers. Early this year, the agency launched a group, called the Joint Strategic Emerging Issues Team, so that representatives from a wide range of IRS offices can collaborate to quickly identify areas where there's a high risk of noncompliance and determine how best to address these issues. On this episode of Talking Tax, we speak with two IRS officials involved in the team: Benjamin Swartz, senior adviser to the commissioner of the Small Business/Self-Employed Division, and Holly Porter, associate chief counsel for passthroughs and special industries. Swartz and Porter discuss the goals of JSEIT, the makeup of the team, and the types of issues the group is focusing on. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

Tax directors around the world are grappling with a two-pillar global tax agreement that will require multinational companies to change where and how much tax they pay. As details of how these complex new rules will work in practice come to light, some companies have begun modeling their effect on their tax bills. Rio Tinto PLC, which is part of the OECD's business advisory group, has had a front row seat during the development of the rules and has already put together a team to analyze their impact. On this episode of Talking Tax, we speak with Mark Munsel, general manager of the OECD digital project at Rio Tinto. He heads up the multi-disciplinary team at the company that has been tasked with figuring out how the rules work. Munsel advises companies to start early and begin collecting and organizing the data required to comply with the rules, or risk not being ready when countries start implementing them. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

The accounting world has been shaken up with several high-profile mergers and acquisitions among firms in recent years, reflecting the growing needs of clients. Abe Schlisselfeld of Marks Paneth LLP had a front-row seat to this trend, serving as the firm's managing director during its acquisition by accounting firm CBIZ Inc. in 2021. Schlisselfeld was at the helm to help shepherd the top-50 accounting firm's transition. On this episode of Talking Tax, Schlisselfeld, senior managing director of CBIZ Marks Paneth, speaks about his experience of overseeing an accounting firm merger, focusing on the challenges faced and lessons learned, as well as sharing advice about how to retain talent and manage major changes. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

Kathleen Kerrigan is stepping into her new role as the US Tax Court's chief judge with an overarching goal to help the court in living with the Covid-19 pandemic. Kerrigan says her work will include moving to more in-person trials while still maintaining flexibility. In addition, she hopes to increase electronic filing now that DAWSON—the case management system launched by the court in late 2020—makes that possible. On this week's Talking Tax, Kerrigan also spoke about access to Tax Court records, avenues to advance or resolve cases pre-trial, and work by the court to promote diversity and equity. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

The United States ranks first globally for financial secrecy, according to the latest report by the Tax Justice Network and US authorities are trying to do something about it. The Pandora Papers show secretive business structures are thriving in states including Delaware, Nevada, South Dakota, and Wyoming. A few states are taking the problem seriously including New York, which debated but failed to enact the LLC Transparency Act (A9415/S8439) earlier this year. Among other things, the proposed law would require full disclosure of the beneficial owners of limited liability companies and the creation of a publicly searchable database of this information. On this episode of Talking Tax, we hear two perspectives on New York’s proposal. Ryan Gurule, policy director of the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency Coalition, contends the states have an important role to play to halt illicit financial flows that facilitate tax evasion and money laundering. Elizabeth “Beth” Garvey, a shareholder in the government policy practice of Greenberg Traurig LLP, cautions that New York’s proposal would create a “backdoor tax” and interfere with the state’s business development objectives. Gurule and Garvey spoke with Bloomberg Tax senior correspondent Michael Bologna. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

The July 8 news that the US was canceling a bilateral tax treaty with Hungary that has been in place since 1979 took a lot of people by surprise. While Treasury pointed to conditions in the treaty it said were unfavorable to the US, the announcement also came amid Hungary's continued opposition at the European Union to the 15% minimum tax the Biden administration has championed. On this week's Talking Tax, Sean Foley, the global head of KPMG's transfer pricing dispute resolution network, talks about the implications of the treaty termination, including on dispute resolution and withholding taxes. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

Tax-advantaged land deals known as syndicated conservation easements are under increasingly heavy scrutiny from the IRS and Congress. The transactions involve a tax break under tax code Section 170(h) that is designed to encourage property owners to give away the development rights for land or buildings for conservation purposes. Syndicated deals—which involve multiple parties who buy into a property, often based on promises of super-sized deductions worth several times more than their investment—are designated as tax schemes on the IRS's infamous Dirty Dozen list. The IRS has been fighting some of these deals in court, while legislation targeting the practice has progressed on Capitol Hill, albeit slowly. On the latest episode of Talking Tax, Tabetha Peavey, an attorney adviser for the Tax Law Center at New York University Law, and Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), who has introduced legislation targeting the deals, discuss syndicated easements. Peavey explains how the transactions work and what the IRS has done to stop what it considers to be abusive behavior. Then Thompson offers his thoughts on whether this is the year that a long-simmering proposal to restrict the deals makes it through Congress. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

The Biden administration and Democratic lawmakers are quickly running out of time to move a revamped tax, climate, and health care package before the midterm elections. Biden's broad "Build Back Better" agenda stalled in December when Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), a pivotal vote in the evenly split chamber, announced he wouldn't support it. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has been negotiating with Manchin about a narrower bill focused on clean energy incentives, health care, and tax hikes on corporations and the wealthy. There have been some recent signs of progress, with tentative agreements on prescription drugs and extending the solvency of Medicare. But there are still many issues to hash out and not much time to do it. On the latest episode of Talking Tax, Capitol Hill reporters Kaustuv Basu and Zach C. Cohen break down the state of the negotiations. They cover what's in, what's out, and what obstacles remain. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

The electric vehicle market in the United States is reaching an inflection point as companies look to boost manufacturing at the same time that two more large automakers are on the verge of losing a critical consumer incentive. The $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit begins phasing out at 200,000 vehicles sold per manufacturer, a threshold General Motors Co. and Tesla Inc. hit years ago. Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. are quickly approaching that sales milestone, which has automakers and EV advocates looking to Congress to step in. Democrats remain interested in ways to expand the EV credit, but that effort is wrapped up in the Biden administration's stalled tax, climate, and social spending plan. Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, a senior resident fellow for climate and energy at the think tank Third Way, is the guest on the latest episode of Talking Tax. Hughes-Cromwick—who previously worked at the Commerce Department and Ford—discusses growth in the electric vehicle sector, breaks down the argument for expanding the federal tax credit, and explains what it will take to create a market for used EVs. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

A sweeping cryptocurrency bill unveiled earlier this month addresses many of the biggest open questions for the young and volatile asset class, from sanctions compliance to stablecoin oversight. When it comes to the taxation of digital assets, the proposal from Sens. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) would give the industry much of what it has been asking for. The bill would establish that cryptocurrency rewards created through the processes known as "staking” and “mining" would be taxed when the rewards were sold, rather than when they were created. It also includes a de minimis tax exemption and a narrower definition of brokers for cryptocurrency reporting requirements established in last year's bipartisan infrastructure law. On this episode of Talking Tax, we discuss the implications of the Lummis-Gillibrand bill with Seth Wilks, director of government relations at software company TaxBit, and Omri Marian, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine, School of Law. Wilks discusses the rationale behind the de minimis exemption and other tax proposals, as well as why some things might change as the bill works its way through Congress. Marian explains why he considers the bill's tax title to be "a complete and total surrender" to industry. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

More countries are turning to temporary windfall taxes targeting the huge profits being made by oil and gas companies as prices continue to climb. The UK, Italy, and Argentina, among other countries, have taken different approaches in designing these new taxes. The UK and Italy want to impose a 25% tax on the profits of energy companies to help people facing a cost-of-living crisis, while Argentina wants to impose a 15% tax. On this episode of Talking Tax, senior reporter Hamza Ali spoke with Rhiannon Kinghall Were, a partner and head of tax policy at law firm Macfarlanes. They discuss the different approaches countries can take when applying windfall taxes, and possible long-term consequences of applying these temporary levies. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

One of the hottest issues in the corporate-tax world right now is about when multinational companies can use the taxes they pay in foreign countries to defray their US tax bills. The Treasury Department has made that process tougher. Last December, it tightened US foreign tax credit rules, narrowing the range of taxes that qualify for it. But many companies have complained that Treasury went too far—rendering some taxes ineligible for the credit even though they’ve been eligible for years, and thus requiring companies to pay taxes twice on the same income. Earlier this month, the chief financial officers of 28 major companies urged Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to modify the rules. Treasury has acknowledged the companies’ complaints and says it plans steps to address some of them. But it has defended the basic thrust of the rules. Yellen told a Senate committee this week that “these regulations are very important to protect critical interests of the United States." On this episode of Talking Tax, we discuss the dispute over the foreign tax credit rules with Rafic Barrage, a partner in the North America Tax Practice Group at Baker & McKenzie LLP in Washington. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

A 2015 law promised to streamline the Internal Revenue Service's method for auditing partnerships—a type of "pass-through" business where the partners report their share of the proceeds on their personal tax returns. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 included provisions intended to make it easier for the IRS to scrutinize partnerships. But the law created new concerns and unintended consequences for those navigating the audit process, according to Rochelle Hodes, principal of the Washington National Tax office at Crowe LLP. "The simple has become complex," Hodes said on the latest episode of the Talking Tax podcast. She discusses the complexities of the BBA centralized partnership audit regime, who is eligible to opt out, and what partners undergoing an audit need to consider. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

With cash cushions plump with federal pandemic relief dollars and a surge in tax revenues, state legislatures across the country have cut taxes aggressively this year. But several states went further, converting their tiered income tax structures to flat-rate systems. Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, and Mississippi have committed to the flat tax in recent weeks, and Oklahoma is likely to join the group soon. The shift away from graduated income tax structures, which tax higher incomes at higher rates, is a dramatic departure from decades of state tax policy. While the motivations in state capitols vary, flat tax proponents framed their proposals as efforts to limit outmigration and improve their state’s economic horsepower. But skeptics warned of long-term social and economic consequences. On this episode of Talking Tax, we hear two perspectives on this shift. Katherine Loughead, a senior policy analyst with the Tax Foundation, contends flat taxes are more transparent and easier to administer, and boost a state’s competitiveness in a climate where labor and capital are increasingly mobile. Kamolika Das, a state tax policy analyst with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, says flat systems place unfair burdens on low- and middle-income taxpayers, and damage states' capacities to raise revenue and create sensible budgets. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

Automation tools increasingly used by seasoned tax professionals are helping to take some of the pain and manual labor out of routine compliance work. That futuristic tech goes beyond robotics process automation and can link together the many programs and platforms that accountants rely on everyday. Those building blocks can automate every step in the tax process from onboarding clients to tax return delivery, according to John McGowan, the CEO of Hubsync and former chief information officer for two Big Four tax practices. On this episode of Talking Tax, McGowan talks to Bloomberg Tax's Amanda Iacone about the challenges that firms face in adopting new ways of working and how it can not only help get work done faster but could make CPA firms more attractive to job candidates and clients alike. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

Some or all of the interest paid on student loans can be deducted from your taxes. But despite the proliferation of these types of loans over the years, many taxpayers don't see a real benefit. That's because, unlike with home mortgage interest, the student loan interest deduction has significant limitations and has changed numerous times over the years. Bloomberg Tax columnist Kelly Phillips Erb says Congress needs to rethink how the tax code treats student loans—especially if President Biden forgives a huge swath of them, as he's discussed doing. Kelly also talks about the struggles of paying for higher education and about her family's decision whether to borrow money for her kids, even though she's still paying off her own student loans. Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.