This revenue procedure provides guidance to persons who may be required
to pay certain penalties under sections 6662(h), 6662A, or 6707A of the Internal
Revenue Code, and who may be required under section 6707A(e) to disclose those
penalties on reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This
revenue procedure describes the report on which the disclosures must be made,
the information that must be disclosed, and the deadlines by which persons
must make the disclosures on reports filed with the SEC in order to avoid
additional penalties under section 6707A(e).
.01 Section 6011 and the regulations thereunder require a taxpayer
that has participated in a reportable transaction to disclose certain information
with respect to the reportable transaction with its tax return. Section 1.6011-4(b)
of the Income Tax Regulations describes six categories of reportable transactions.
One category of reportable transactions is a transaction that is the same
as, or substantially similar to, one of the types of transactions that the
Internal Revenue Service has determined to be a tax avoidance transaction
and has identified by notice, regulation, or other form of published guidance
as a �listed transaction.� Treas. Reg. � 1.6011-4(b)(2).
.02 The American Jobs Creation Act of 2004, Pub. L. No. 108-357, 118
Stat. 1418 (the Act) was enacted on October 22, 2004. Section 811 of the
Act added section 6707A to the Code to provide a monetary penalty for the
failure to include on any return or statement any information required to
be disclosed under section 6011 with respect to a reportable transaction.
Section 6707A(b)(1) provides that the penalty for failure to include information
with respect to a reportable transaction, other than a listed transaction,
is $10,000 in the case of a natural person, and $50,000 in any other case.
Section 6707A(b)(2) provides that for a listed transaction, the penalty is
increased to $100,000 in the case of a natural person, and $200,000 in any
other case.
.03 Section 812 of the Act, which added section 6662A to the Code,
provides that a 20-percent accuracy-related penalty may be imposed on any
�reportable transaction understatement,� as defined in section
6662A(b). Section 6662A(c) increases the penalty rate to 30-percent for the
portion of any reportable transaction understatement with respect to which
the relevant facts affecting the tax treatment of the item were not adequately
disclosed in accordance with regulations prescribed under section 6011. If
the penalty under section 6707A for failure to include reportable transaction
information with a return is rescinded pursuant to section 6707A(d), the taxpayer
is treated as having adequately disclosed the relevant facts with respect
to that reportable transaction, and the 30-percent penalty rate under section
6662A(c) does not apply. See I.R.C. � 6664(d)(2).
In addition, section 6662A(e)(2)(C)(ii) provides that the reportable transaction
understatement penalty does not apply to any portion of an understatement
on which the 40-percent accuracy-related penalty for a gross valuation misstatement
is imposed under section 6662(h).
.04 Section 6707A(e) requires a person that is required to file periodic
reports under section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
or is required to be consolidated with another person for purposes of those
reports, to disclose in those reports for the periods specified by the Secretary
the requirement to pay the penalties set forth in section 6707A(e)(2). If
the person fails to disclose the requirement to pay the penalties, as required
by section 6707A(e), that failure shall be treated as a failure to disclose
a listed transaction and shall be subject to an additional penalty.
.05 Under section 6707A(e), the penalties a person must disclose in
periodic reports filed with the SEC are as follows:
(1) the penalty imposed by section 6707A(a) in the amount determined
under section 6707A(b)(2) for failure to disclose a listed transaction;
(2) the accuracy-related penalty imposed by section 6662A(a) at the
30-percent rate determined under section 6662A(c) for a reportable transaction
understatement with respect to which the relevant facts affecting the tax
treatment of the item were not adequately disclosed in accordance with regulations
prescribed under section 6011;
(3) the accuracy-related penalty imposed by section 6662(a) at the 40-percent
rate determined under section 6662(h) for a gross valuation misstatement,
if the person would (but for the exclusionary rule of section 6662A(e)(2)(C)(ii))
have been subject to the accuracy-related penalty under section 6662A(a) at
the 30-percent rate determined under section 6662A(c); and
(4) the penalty imposed by section 6707A(e) for failure to disclose
any of the penalties described in section 2.05(1) - (3) of this revenue procedure
in periodic reports required under section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as specified in this revenue procedure.
This revenue procedure applies to any person required to pay any penalty
described in section 2.05 of this revenue procedure that is also required
to file periodic reports under section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 or is required to be consolidated with another person for purposes
of those reports. Further guidance will be issued providing preassessment
administrative appeal rights to persons required to pay the penalties described
in section 2.05(1). The administrative appeal rights for the penalties described
in section 2.05(2) and (3) are the same as the administrative appeal rights
afforded with respect to the deficiency determinations (or proposed deficiency
determinations) with which those penalties are associated, and no separate
administrative appeal rights regarding those penalties are available. There
are no administrative appeal rights with respect to penalties described in
section 2.05(4).
.01 Periodic reports required under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934. In accordance with section 6707A(e), a person who
files SEC Form 10-K, Annual Report, pursuant to section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, either separately or consolidated with another
person, must disclose in Item 3 (Legal Proceedings) of Form 10-K the requirement
to pay any penalty specified in section 2.05 of this revenue procedure.
.02 Required disclosures. A person must disclose
in the Form 10-K the amount of any penalty specified in section 2.05 of this
revenue procedure, whether it has paid the penalty in full, the Code section
and subparagraph under which the penalty was determined (i.e.,
section 6662(h), section 6662A(c), section 6707A(b)(2), or section 6707A(e)),
and a description of the penalty (i.e., accuracy-related
penalty for gross valuation misstatement, accuracy-related penalty on an understatement
attributable to a nondisclosed listed or other avoidance transaction, penalty
for failure to include listed transaction information with return, or penalty
for failure to disclose imposition of penalty in report filed with the SEC).
A person must disclose in its Form 10-K the requirement to pay the 40-percent
accuracy-related penalty under section 6662(h) if:
(1) the person consented to the assessment of the 40-percent penalty
without the issuance of a statutory notice of deficiency if the Service proposed
the 30-percent penalty determined under section 6662A(c) in the alternative
in a notice of proposed deficiency (30-day letter);
(2) the person consented to the assessment of the 40-percent penalty
or did not timely petition the Tax Court if the Service included the 30-percent
penalty determined under 6662A(c) in the alternative in a statutory notice
of deficiency;
(3) the government raised the 30-percent accuracy-related penalty under
section 6662A(c) in the alternative in any pleading in a judicial proceeding
challenging the applicability of the 40-percent penalty and the court expressly
determined that the 30-percent penalty applied in the alternative to the 40-percent
penalty; or
(4) the person expressly acknowledged the applicability of the 30-percent
accuracy-related penalty under section 6662A(c) in the alternative to the
40-percent accuracy-related penalty under section 6662(h) in a written settlement
agreement with the government.
.03 When disclosure must be made. (1) A person
required to pay a penalty specified in section 2.05 of this revenue procedure
must disclose the requirement to pay the penalty on the Form 10-K filed with
the SEC that relates to the fiscal year (as defined in 17 C.F.R. � 240.12b-2)
in which the Service sends the person notice and demand for payment of the
penalty. If the person pays the penalty (not including interest) in full
prior to the Service sending notice and demand for payment, the person must
disclose the requirement to pay the penalty on the Form 10-K filed with the
SEC that relates to the fiscal year in which the person has paid the penalty.
If the person fails to disclose the requirement to pay any penalty specified
in section 2.05, as specified in the two preceding sentences, the disclosure
must be made on the next Form 10-K filed with the SEC after the failure to
disclose has occurred. This obligation to disclose on each successive Form
10-K filed will continue until the person actually discloses its requirement
to pay each of the penalties specified in section 2.05. Each failure to disclose
the requirement to pay a penalty specified in section 2.05, in the manner
specified in sections 4.01, 4.02 and this section 4.03, will give rise to
a new, separate penalty under section 6707A(e) that also must be disclosed
on the Form 10-K in the manner specified.
Example: In Year 1, Taxpayer T failed to disclose
the requirement to pay a section 6662A(c) accuracy-related penalty on the
Form 10-K filed with the SEC (the Year 1 Form 10-K) that relates to the fiscal
year in which the IRS sent notice and demand for payment of the penalty.
Taxpayer T is subject to a penalty under section 6707A(e) for a failure to
disclose the section 6662A(c) accuracy-related penalty. Accordingly, Taxpayer
T must disclose on the next Form 10-K filed with the SEC (the Year 2 Form
10-K) the requirement to pay the original section 6662A(c) penalty and, if
the IRS sends notice and demand for payment of the section 6707A(e) penalty
in the fiscal year to which the Year 2 Form 10-K relates, must disclose the
requirement to pay that penalty as well.
(2) If a person brings a refund action seeking recovery of a 40-percent
accuracy-related penalty under section 6662(h) and the government raises the
30-percent penalty under section 6662A(c) in the alternative in any pleading
filed in that action without having previously raised the 30-percent penalty
in a 30-day letter or a statutory notice of deficiency, the requirement to
disclose the penalty will only apply if the 30-percent penalty is upheld,
either directly or in the alternative to the 40-percent penalty. In that
case, the person must disclose the requirement to pay either the 30-percent
or 40-percent penalty, as applicable, on the first Form 10-K filed with the
SEC that relates to the fiscal year in which a decision upholding the 30-percent
penalty (either directly, or in the alternative to the 40-percent penalty)
becomes final. If, after commencing a refund action described above, the
person enters into a written settlement agreement with the government expressly
acknowledging the applicability of the 30-percent penalty in the alternative
to the 40-percent penalty, the person must disclose the requirement to pay
either the 30-percent or 40-percent penalty, as applicable, on the first Form
10-K filed with the SEC that relates to the fiscal year in which the settlement
agreement is entered into.
SECTION 5. PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT
The collection of information contained in this revenue procedure has
been reviewed and approved by the Office of Management and Budget in accordance
with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. � 3507) under control
number 1545-1956.
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to
respond to, a collection of information unless the collection of information
displays a valid OMB control number.
The collections of information in this revenue procedure are in sections
4.01 and 4.02. This information is required to enforce the provisions of
section 6707A(e) and make investors or potential investors aware of a person�s
participation in certain reportable transactions that led to penalties under
the Internal Revenue Code. The collection of information is mandatory. The
likely respondents are businesses that are publicly traded corporations.
The estimated total annual reporting or recordkeeping burden is 429.5
hours.
The estimated annual burden per respondent/recordkeeper varies from
.25 to .75 hour, depending on individual circumstances, with an estimated
average of .5 hour. The estimated number of respondents or recordkeepers is
859.
The estimated annual frequency of responses (used for reporting requirements
only) is 859.
Books or records relating to a collection of information must be retained
as long as their contents may become material in the administration of any
internal revenue law. Generally, tax returns and tax return information are
confidential, as required by 26 U.S.C. � 6103.
SECTION 6. EFFECTIVE DATE
This revenue procedure is effective for any penalty specified in section
2.05 that relates to a return or statement the due date for which is after
October 22, 2004.
SECTION 7. DRAFTING INFORMATION
The principal author of this revenue procedure is Matthew S. Cooper
of the Office of the Associate Chief Counsel (Procedure & Administration),
Administrative Provisions & Judicial Practice Division. For further information
regarding this revenue procedure, contact Matthew S. Cooper at (202) 622-4940
(not a toll-free call).
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