The Presumption of Innocence Podcast: Episode 21 - Conservation Easement Donations: Tax Shelter or Charitable Contribution Deduction?
The Koontz Decision: Limits Conditions a Government can Impose on Developers
In the late 1990s, former Atlanta Braves players John Smoltz and Ryan Klesko formed Big K Farms (“Big K”), a partnership that, over the years, acquired approximately 1,500 acres of land in Georgia for around $4 million. From...more
Two recent tax court cases paint an ominous picture for professionals and investors who participated in listed syndicated conservation easement transactions. Coming on the heels of the Fisher conviction and his lengthy...more
Last week, the first federal criminal trial related to syndicated conservation easement (“SCE”) deals began with impaneling the jury and opening statements. Each of the Fisher defendants on trial, Jack Fisher, James Sinnott,...more
Polsinelli’s Government Investigations and Tax attorneys continue to follow the well-known Fisher case, the Department of Justice’s ("DOJ") first criminal indictment related to syndicated conservation easements. Walter...more
On March 27, 2019, the Senate Finance Committee launched an investigation into the abuse of syndicated conservation easement transactions. The transactions being investigated involve promoters selling interests in tracts of...more
The Department of Justice has finally filed a civil complaint against certain promoters who have been spearheading syndicated easements to the tune of over $2 billion in claimed federal tax deductions using grossly inflated...more
Last month, the IRS issued final regulations entitled “Substantiation and Reporting Requirements for Cash and Noncash Charitable Contribution Deductions,” codified as Treasury Regulation Sections 1.170A-15 (cash), -16...more
We have all been told at one point or another that we simply “can’t have it all.” But for owners of recreational or agricultural land who desire to preserve the land, pass it down to their descendants as a legacy property,...more
March Interest Rates for GRATs, Sales to Defective Grantor Trusts, Intra-Family Loans and Split Interest Charitable Trusts - The March § 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs and...more
What’s a real estate developer to do when its pristine development site, with beautiful ocean views and room for between 164 and 410 upscale residential units that *NEED NOT BE BUILT, is clogged with wildlife, including bald...more
In its recently issued opinion in the case of Route 231, LLC v. Commissioner, No. 14-1983, 2016 WL 97598 (4th Cir. 2016), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (the “Court”) affirmed the U.S. Tax Court’s decision...more