LTR 201240017 is the world’s longest letter ruling, 111 pages in PDF format. Not surprisingly, it is a Section 355 ruling. It was issued three-and-a-half months after the original submission, with those dates bridging Christmas and New Year’s Day. There were seven additional submissions from the taxpayer in the interim. The release of the ruling was delayed for a couple of months.
In re Creekside Senior Apartments, LP, 2012 Fed App. 0008P (6th Cir. B.A.P. June 29, 2012)
CASE SNAPSHOT
In a case of first impression, the Sixth Circuit BAP held that, for purposes of valuing collateral under section 506(a) of the Bankruptcy Code, the availability of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits must be considered in valuing a creditor’s secured claim.
FACTUAL BACKGROUND
A few weeks ago, the Sixth Circuit affirmed the Western District Court of Michigan’s holding in U.S. v. Quality Stores Inc., 424 B.R. 237 (W.D. Mich. 2010), that severance payments made to employees pursuant to an involuntary reduction in force were not “wages” for Federal Insurance Contribution Act (“FICA”) tax purposes. U.S. v. Quality Stores Inc., No. 10-1563 (6th Cir. 2012). The Sixth Circuit’s decision creates a circuit court split with the Federal Circuit and its 2008 decision in CSX Corporation v. United States, 518 F.3d 1328 (Fed. Cir. 2008).
Summary
I. Summary
In 2012, several judicial opinions have reminded directors, officers and “responsible persons” that personal liability may be imposed for business taxes. See our alert from June 20, 2012. Responsible persons are reminded again that not only will authorities impose liability for unpaid taxes of a business on individuals but that the imposition of such taxes may not be dischargeable in bankruptcy.
On September 7, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision (United States v. Quality Stores, Inc.) holding that certain severance payments are not "wages" subject to Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax, and upheld a bankruptcy court’s decision ordering a full refund of more than $1 million of FICA taxes paid by an employer with respect to severance payments it made to employees whose positions were eliminated in connection with the bankruptcy.
In an important recent decision, United States v. Quality Stores, Inc., et al.,1 in which Pepper represented the prevailing party, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held that supplemental unemployment compensation benefits (SUB payments) paid by a bankrupt company to its former employees were not wages subject to taxation under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA).
Taxpayers that engaged in transactions under §381(a), including tax-free liquidations under §332 and certain tax-free reorganizations under §361, previously could not change their methods of accounting for the year of the transaction using the automatic consent procedures under Rev. Proc. 2011-14, 2011-1 C.B.