David Perry

In the Tax Notes article "Mortgages and Conservation Easements: Not a Good Mix," Wendy Gerzog discusses the Tax Court's denial of a charitable deduction for a conservation easement on a home.  The home-mortgage-holder's claim on any insurance or i... Read More

The following decision was not designated for publication.  The Fifth Circuit has held that the Tax Court did not have jurisdiction to hear an equitable recoupment claim by a trust (which had been settled by a decedent) during deficiency proceedin... Read More

The New York Times reports that Oscar-winning actress Faye Dunaway is being sued by her landlord for eviction in New York City housing court.  The landlord claims that Dunaway does not live in the rent-stabilized apartment (as required for rent... Read More

The ABA Section of Taxation will host the following webinar: Practical Problems and Practical Solutions for Private FoundationsThe experts on the panel will discuss problems for both domestic and foreign private foundations, including "grants to foreig... Read More

President Obama signed into law the Budget Control Act of 2011.  The New York Times website has a chart explaining the features of the compromise. Here is the White House "Fact Sheet" on the deal.See Jennifer Steinhauer, "Debt Bill is... Read More

The State Bar of Wisconsin website features an article on estate planning for Packers season tickets.  The team's policy permits devise of tickets to family members and close blood relatives.  The article also discusses planning, problems tha... Read More

Scott Martin's The Trust Advisor Blog discusses how trust banks, thrift institutions, and other entities may face tougher government supervision now that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has absorbed the Office of Thrift Supervision. ... Read More

The IRS has published a reminder that the deadline is August 31 to participate in the 2011 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Initiative.  This program follows up on the successful 2009 program in which holders of unreported offshore accounts could dis... Read More

The IRS has ruled that a community trust may operate a charitable corporation as a component of the trust.  The corporation was founded by the trust and both the corporation and trust have been filing separate Forms 990.  The trust... Read More

Victoria J. Haneman's upcoming article covers malpractice in the estate planning field, and she suggests using a constructive trust when a professional makes an error.  There seems to be little case law employing constructive trusts to remedy esta... Read More

The IRS released on Wednesday final regulations on the use of actuarial tables in valuing annuities, interests for life or terms of years, and remainder or reversionary interests under IRC 7520(c)(3).  The new regulations replace the temporary reg... Read More

Roll Call reports on a letter from several donors to political non-profits questioning the IRS's decision to cease audits of several donors to political non-profits.  Donations to these 501(c)(4) organizations are not tax-deductible, and they may ... Read More

At Tax Notes, Jennifer Bird-Pollan positively reviews Federal Taxes on Gratuitous Transfers: Law and Planning, by Joseph M. Dodge, Wendy C. Gerzog, and Bridget J. Crawford (Aspen 2011).  She especially praises the inclusion of problems and plannin... Read More

November 15, 2011 is the deadline for estates of those who died in 2010 to elect out of the retroactively reinstated 2010 estate tax, according to Friday's Notice 2011-66.  The IRS says it will release the required Form 8939, tentatively... Read More

Forbes magazine's and Forbes.com's annual list of the 400 wealthiest Americans will be available with many multimedia bells and whistles on their website at noon Wednesday.Click on their "Special Report" or "The Richest People in America," Forbes.com (... Read More

In a Notice Tuesday, the IRS said it will continue to offer provisional Preparer Tax Identification Numbers (PTINs) to those who are not attorneys, accountants, or enrolled agents through April 18, 2012.  This is because background check and profi... Read More

A CPA tells the New York Times about her fear of public speaking, and how she's been working on it.  Much practice and speaking "from her heart," and not from prepared notes, are her keys to improvement.See Dominique Molina, "Conquering... Read More

Tax Notes reports professional responsibility news from the recent ABA Tax Section conference: The director of the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility said that when IRS Appeals grants a taxpayer a penalty abatement for reasonable reliance on the... Read More

Director Karen Hawkins of the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility recently addressed concerns based on an earlier remark--that she had asked Appeals agents to report advisors whose clients avoided accuracy-related penalties through reasonable rel... Read More

A Texas appeals court has ruled the discovery rule does not apply to will contests--it charged a person interested in the will with constructive notice once the will was probated.  The court also discusses the distinction between incapacity requir... Read More

Barron's discusses a recent trend among the wealthy: Out of fear that 21-year-olds, or young people even past that age, will squander inherited fortunes, parents are structuring their inheritances to pay out legacies over a longer period.  To enco... Read More

CNN Money collects a few simple strategies for making your December charitable donations go further.  The strategies it details include donating appreciated securities; making IRA-to-charity rollovers; and giving to community foundation endowment ... Read More

WealthCounsel, LLC has released a summary of the key findings of the 2001 Industry Trends Survey that it, along with Trusts and Estates magazine, conducted with over 1,000 professionals.  These respondents, mostly attorneys, left impressions inclu... Read More

World Research Group is hosting a weekend-long event for family-run offices and businesses in Beverly Hills, California.  Several asset management and financial services firms are sponsoring the event.  WRG, "a US-based conference and trainin... Read More

The IRS's fact sheet on 2011 tax law changes is available.  It's suitable for client use.   It quickly summarizes, in layman's terms, various filing deadlines, new credits, and reporting rules in a number of areas.  Health insurance cost... Read More

The IRS has released a revised version of Publication 969, Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Plans.  It gives 2011 tax  information onHealth savings accounts (HSAs).Medical savings accounts (Archer MSAs and Medicare Advantage MSAs... Read More

David Brunori outlines his view of the necessary components of a practical libertarian tax policy.  Rather than calling for a shutdown of the entire tax system, as some libertarians might hope for, he advocates a trimmer and more understandable ta... Read More