Scheidelman & Perry v Commissioner of Internal Revenue

United States Tax Court, no. 15171-08, July 14, 2010: Holds (a) a mandatory cash payment by taxpayers to a façade easement grantee was not a “contribution or gift” under Income Tax Regulation 1.170A because taxpayers did not sustain their burden of proving either that the payment was not made as a quid pro or, if they [...]

Amicus Briefs for Kaufman Rehearing

The amicus briefs of National Trust for Historic Preservation and Trust for Architectural Easements supporting a rehearing in Kaufman v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue are available. The key issue is whether a mortgage holder’s priority claim on casualty insurance and condemnation proceeds causes a “conservation restriction” to lose its status as perpetual (under IRS regs) notwithstanding [...]

Kaufman v Commissioner of Internal Revenue

U.S. Tax Court, 134 T.C. No. 9, April 26, 2010

The Tax Court rejected a deduction for a façade easement that was subordinate to a mortgage, but denied the IRS summary judgment as to whether a companion cash contribution was a conditional gift. Because the superior mortgagee would have a prior claim to condemnation and insurance proceeds, [...]

Klauer v Commissioner of Internal Revenue

United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo. 2010-65, Filed April 5, 2010

The Tax Court found that the taxpayer’s sale of a parcel land in phases over three years to the Trust for Public Land (TPL) pursuant to an Option Agreement signed in 2001 (and amended several times) were bargain sales for which the taxpayer was entitled to charitable [...]

Friedman v Commissioner of Internal Revenue

United States Tax Court, T.C. Memo. 2010-45, March 11, 2010

Although the petitioner-taxpayer lost in this case, the Tax Court agreed to apply the “substantial compliance doctrine” to the question of whether the petitioner complied with the requirements of sec. 1.170A-13, Income Tax Regs. regarding a non-cash charitable contribution. The court wrote, “Under the substantial compliance doctrine, [...]

Senate Passes One-Year Extension of the Enhanced Easement Incentive

Per the Land Trust Alliance report on March 10, 2010, “the Senate voted 62 to 36 to pass H.R. 4213, a package of tax ‘extenders’ and other provisions that includes a one-year extension of the enhanced tax deduction for conservation easements.” The NRDC reports, however, that the bill, “contains two harmful environmental provisions. One extends liquid [...]