01/29/2013 - New Protocol Amending the Income Tax Treaty between the United States and Spain
On January 14, 2013 the United States and Spain signed a new protocol amending the existing income tax treaty between the United States and Spain that was signed on February 22, 1990. The Protocol modernizes the Treaty to conform with the existing treaty policies of both the Unites States and Spain.

11/30/2012 - DealThink: As Always – State Taxes Lurk as a Trap
You are general counsel of a publicly traded medical device company that has begun the diligence process on your company’s target, a publicly held x-ray and CT scan component manufacturer. This alert outlines diligence concerns related to tax issues.

04/17/2012 - The Sun is Setting: Is it Time To Sell The Company?
You are the general counsel of a public company, and the company’s board has determined that it is in the best interests of the company’s stockholders to examine and explore all strategic alternatives to increase stockholder value, including a sale of the business.

02/23/2012 - Sales and Use Tax, Hard Times, and the Sticky Wicket of Nexus
Over the last few years as tax revenues have decreased and budgets have tightened, states across the country have aggressively pursued out-of-state retailers that may owe sales or use tax.

07/27/2011 - Update: Out-of-State Retailers Beware; Soon You May be Doing Business in Texas (whether you like it or not!)
Texas has now joined the growing ranks of states that have passed laws aimed at increasing tax collection from online retail transactions. Governor Rick Perry signed into law S.B. 1 on July 19, 2011. The relevant language is found in Section 30.02 of the bill and will take effect January 1, 2012.

06/28/2011 - The Crackdown on Foreign Account Holders Continues: The 2011 Voluntary Disclosure Initiative and the Updated Filing Requirements for Foreign Financial Accounts
With budgetary pressures increasing and deficits mounting, the United States Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) is continuing its campaign to find U.S. citizens and residents who have failed to report both (1) their worldwide income on their U.S. federal tax returns and (2) all non-U.S. financial accounts in which they have a financial interest or over which they have signature authority.

05/10/2011 - Self-Employment Taxes for Business Owners and Investors
Self-employment taxes can be a land mine for business owners or investors. Because self-employment taxes may apply to someone who is not “self-employed” in the traditional sense of the word, an individual may find him or herself on the hook for unexpected tax liabilities when the tax man comes knocking.

05/02/2011 - Out-of-State Retailers Beware; Soon You May be Doing Business in Texas (whether you like it or not!)
It currently appears that Texas may join a growing number of states that have passed laws aimed at increasing tax collection from online retail transactions. On Wednesday, April 27, 2011, the Texas House passed H.B. 2403, which provides that out-of-state retailers that have relationships with certain Texas “affiliated” entities will be deemed to be doing business in Texas for purposes of the sales and use tax. H.B. 2403 has been sent to the Texas Senate for consideration.

02/14/2011 - Voluntary Disclosure Plan for Offshore Assets - Take #2
On February 8, 2011, the IRS announced a second voluntary disclosure program that will allow U.S. taxpayers to disclose offshore accounts that were previously kept secret from the IRS. U.S. citizens and resident foreign nationals are required to pay U.S. federal income tax on their worldwide income.

12/23/2010 - The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010
On Friday December 17, 2010, the President signed into law the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (the “Act”).

11/10/2010 - (Almost) Year-End Tax Alert
In response to the current state of the economy, Congress has passed some tax legislation amending the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”). Although it is up for debate, some would say that Congress has not been busy enough. As we near the end of the year, many taxpayers and their advisers are going through their usual year-end tax planning checklist. This year, planning may be greatly impacted both by recent legislation and by items that Congress has not yet addressed, including, among others, the extension (or lapse) of the “Bush tax cuts.”

08/26/2010 - Items to Consider in Determining Whether to Sell Your Business in 2010 - Part 4 of 4
This is the fourth client alert in a series of four generally describing (i) the tax changes that will occur on January 1, 2011 and in later tax years as a result of the recently enacted health care legislation, (ii) some of the steps a business owner should consider taking in order to prepare his or her business for sale, (iii) the sale process, and (iv) several key factors to consider in this process in an effort to maximize the after-tax benefits to the owners and to help ensure a smooth sales process.

08/18/2010 - Items to Consider in Determining Whether to Sell Your Business in 2010 - Part 3 of 4
This is the third client alert in a series of four alerts generally describing (i) the tax changes that will occur on January 1, 2011 and in later tax years as a result of the recently enacted federal legislation, (ii) some of the steps a business owner should take in order to prepare his or her business for sale, (iii) the sale process, and (iv) several key factors to consider to maximize the net after-tax benefits to the owners and to help ensure a smooth sales process.

08/10/2010 - Items to Consider in Determining Whether to Sell Your Business in 2010 - Part 2 of 4
This alert is the second in a series of four generally describing (i) the tax changes that will occur on January 1, 2011 and in later tax years as a result of the recently enacted health care legislation, (ii) many of the steps a business owner should consider taking in order to prepare his or her business for sale, (iii) the sale process, and (iv) several key factors to consider in this process in an effort to maximize the after-tax benefits to the owners and to help ensure a smooth sales process.

03/18/2010 - Warning: Trusts in Texas May Be Subject To Texas Franchise Tax!
The Texas franchise tax (also known as the “margin tax”) is so expansive that it can apply to private trusts administered in Texas.

02/24/2010 - Texas and Many Other States Will No Longer Automatically Respect the Form of Transactions Selected by Taxpayers for Sales Tax Purpose
Historically, a significant number of states had a general policy of respecting the form of a transaction chosen by a taxpayer and applied their sales tax laws based on that form of transaction. But several states, including Texas, that adopted and followed this policy are now undergoing a major shift to a new policy whereby they will determine the taxability of a transaction.

11/11/2009 - Special New Tax Election to Carry Back Net Operating Losses for up to 5 Years
On November 6, 2009, the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 (H.R. 3548) (the “Act”) was signed into law. The Act provides taxpayers (including corporate and non-corporate taxpayers) with a special election to carry back net operating loss (“NOL”) deductions for up to 5 years, rather than 2 years, as generally is permitted.

10/01/2009 - Software Licenses: Permission vs. Forgiveness and the Law of Unintended Consequences
In a case that may prove to be as serendipitous for struggling software companies as anything else, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit wrote another chapter in the law of unintended consequences with its ruling in Cincom Systems, Inc. v. Novelis Corp. (published September 25, 2009 pursuant to Sixth Circuit Rule 206: File Name: 09a0346p.06).

07/07/2009 - IRS Launches a Multi-Year Random Audit Program on Employment Tax Returns
Recently the IRS announced that it will begin conducting detailed, random employment tax audits of companies in November 2009. A representative with the IRS Small Business/Self-Employed (SBSE) Division stated that the government’s purpose during these audits will be to scrutinize employers’ treatment of workers as either employees or independent contractors, employers’ executive compensation policies, and certain other employment-related matters.

06/26/2009 - FURTHER UPDATE: IRS Extends FBAR Filing Deadline in Limited Circumstances
We recently alerted clients to the looming FBAR filing deadline of June 30, 2009. The IRS has now provided a limited extension of the deadline until September 23, 2009 FOR SOME—BUT NOT ALL—TAXPAYERS. 

06/24/2009 - Foreign Account Holders and Persons with Authority over Foreign Accounts – BEWARE! The June 30th U.S. Filing Deadline May Apply to You
Pursuant to the Bank Secrecy Act, certain U.S. persons are required to disclose information related to foreign financial accounts in which or over which they maintain an interest or some level of control. This information is disclosed by filing Form TD F 90-22.1, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts. (This Treasury Department form is commonly referred to as an “FBAR”). The FBAR, which reports a taxpayer’s foreign financial accounts held or controlled during the 2008 calendar year, must be filed by June 30, 2009 (no extension is available) with the U.S. Department of Treasury. The purpose of this Alert is to provide a summary of the scope of an FBAR (including the recent revisions to this form) to assist our clients in complying with the stringent reporting requirements and avoid the onerous penalties relating to the failure to timely file this form.

05/07/2009 - Weathering the Storm: Modifying Your Company’s Debt: Tax Trap or Treasure?
Debtors increasingly are requesting that their creditors modify the terms of their debts because of difficulty or inability to service their debts in accordance with the debts’ existing terms. Faced with the prospect of debtor defaults and having to foreclose on property securing their loans causing the accrual of financial losses, creditors, too, often have an incentive to restructure debt to maximize their returns.

04/08/2009 - The Other End of the Firehose: The Treasury Giveth and the IRS Taketh Away
Presented as part of "Tax Issues in Large Case Chapter 11 Bankruptcies," ABA, April 8, 2009.

03/05/2009 - New York Fires Warning Shot at Hedge Funds Issuing Carried Interests
As the current economic downturn continues without signs of abating, many states are looking intently for new sources of revenue to meet their operating needs, and “carried interests” appear to be one of those sources moving onto the state tax chopping blocks. 

02/25/2009 - Weathering the Storm: Purchasing a Company’s Own Debt - The Tax Consequences May Surprise You
Recently, we have been approached by a number of companies that have expressed an interest in purchasing their own outstanding debt that, in many cases, is trading at a significant discount. While a debt acquisition (redemption) transaction may save cash for a company, unless one of the statutory exceptions is applicable, this type of transaction generally will result in the company immediately recognizing ordinary income. The purpose of this Alert is to provide a summary of the material federal income tax consequences associated with a company’s purchase of its own debt.

10/27/2008 - The Dark Side of the Internet: States Now Imposing Taxes on Businesses Regardless of Physical Presence
Does your company operate its business over the internet or make sales through its website? Do your customers or other businesses refer business to your website? Depending on the circumstances and the state, you might have inadvertently fallen into an ever-expanding trap of “nexus” with the states where your customers or the referring businesses are located.

09/24/2008 - A State Government “Hammer” for Non-Paying Taxpayers
News alert that discusses the increase in state tax audits due to the current state revenue shortfalls. 

01/10/2008 - Health Law: 2007 Highlights and Reminders for 2008

Texas Tax Reform Analysis
A Haynes and Boone teleconference

Texas Tax Reform is Imminent, Including a Possible Substantial Rewrite

01/01/2003 - Schools, Fools and Tax Collector Tools
New Stuff and New Uses For Old Stuff When the Tax Reaper Swings His Scythe (2003 Texas CPA Tax Institute)