The American Bar Association’s Section of Taxation held its 2018 May meeting last week, where tax practitioners and policymakers convened to discuss various tax issues and topics. Here are some highlights from the event:

  • Interest Expensing – 163(j): Guidance is expected late summer or fall. Brett York, attorney-advisor at the Treasury, is the point person on this issue. Treasury plans to add other factors that will alter the calculation of adjusted taxable income — a figure that companies use to determine how much of their business interest expense they can deduct.
  • Pass-through Deduction – 199A: Guidance is expected mid- to late-July.
  • GILTI – 951A: Guidance is expected late summer. There have been questions on whether taxpayers can include a “gross-up” in the GILTI basket (note: this is the amount equal to the taxes deemed to have been paid on the income that must be included in the corporation’s gross income under tax code Section 78).
  • BEAT – 59A: Guidance should be ready by November or December. Kevin Nichols, senior counsel at Treasury, is the point person for this issue.

On the energy front, Treasury’s Hannah Hawkins indicated that regulators are still working on guidances relating to the solar investment tax credit, Section 45J, Section 45Q, and 163(j) allocation for public utilities.