Our International Tax Group discusses the IRS’s proposed update to the qualified intermediary agreement set to expire this year.
Click here to read the full advisory.
withholding tax
PATH Act Brings FIRPTA Changes
The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (the “PATH Act”), signed December 18, 2015, introduces significant changes to the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA), particularly concerning REITs. The reforms are generally intended to make foreign investment in U.S. real estate more attractive, though some revenue-raising measures are thrown in the mix.
Among the PATH Act's taxpayer-friendly FIRPTA updates:
The ownership threshold for foreign “portfolio investors” in publicly traded REITs increases from 5% to 10%. These investors are exempt from FIRPTA tax [...]Read more
Scapegoats: How Foreign Taxpayers’ Credits & Refunds Could Be Limited by Withholding Agents’ Non-Compliance
In Notice 2015-10 (the “Notice”), the IRS announced that it and the Treasury will issue regulations to limit credits or refunds for withholding taxes under Chapter 3 (Sections 1441-1443) and Chapter 4 (Sections 1471-1472, aka FATCA) to the amount actually deposited by withholding agents. The hope is that this “deposit limitation” will lessen the Treasury’s financial risk of crediting or refunding more tax, based on Form 1042-S reporting, than it collects or can collect.
The Notice previews regulatory amendments to provide that a credit or refund for withheld tax is available only [...]Read more