Talking Tax

Congress is getting closer to enacting major tax legislation by the end of the year, but first the House and the Senate will have to reconcile key differences in their bills—a task that could prove difficult. John Gimigliano, principal in charge of the Federal Legislative and Regulatory Services group in KPMG LLP's Washington National Tax practice, joins Talking Tax host Allyson Versprille to discuss the disparities between the two proposals and the implications for the tax reform process. The resurgence of the alternative minimum tax in the Senate bill has been particularly controversial. Republicans swore they would do away with the tax, but the corporate and individual AMT resurfaced at the last minute as senators needed revenue Dec. 1 to convince GOP holdouts to vote for the bill. The podcast also features discussion of the approach taken in both bills on pass-throughs, effective dates, and the individual income brackets and tax rates. Not only are differences in these areas important in the context of passing tax legislation in the next few weeks, but they also make it difficult for businesses to plan, Gimigliano said. "I don't know if there's ever been a harder time to be a head of tax at a large company trying to plan for the future." This episode was recorded the morning of Dec. 5. The legislation is subject to change.

House and Senate lawmakers will begin to reconcile their tax plans this week with the hope of getting a bill to President Donald Trump before the end of the year. The House and Senate bills are now more closely aligned in how they approach deemed repatriation rates and deductions for state and local property taxes. But there are still some significant differences, including pass-through taxation and a Senate amendment that would retain the alternative minimum tax for corporations and individuals. Reporters Allyson Versprille and Laura Davison spoke with Talking Tax host Matthew Beddingfield on Dec. 4 about the process of conferencing the legislation and what hurdles lawmakers face as they look for a final agreement.

Employers often offer wellness programs to promote employee health and reduce medical costs. Alan Tawshunsky of the Tawshunsky Law Firm PLLC in Washington sits down with Talking Tax host Andrea Ben-Yosef, an acquisitions manager with Bloomberg Tax's Tax Management journals, to discuss how to navigate the complex interaction of rules from the IRS and EEOC on provisions of the Affordable Care Act, Americans With Disabilities Act, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act to make sure their programs pass muster with the agencies and the courts.

Republicans in Congress will have to navigate through tricky procedural, political, and policy hurdles to push through tax reform by year's end. Reporter Laura Davison spoke with Talking Tax host Matthew Beddingfield on Nov. 21 about the GOP's chances for successfully passing the tax plan and what difficulties lie ahead.

Dave Camp, former chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and now a senior policy adviser for PricewaterhouseCoopers, joins Talking Tax host Allyson Versprille to discuss how he sees the legislative process playing out for the GOP's tax plan. This episode of Talking Tax was recorded the morning of Nov. 15. Matters involving the Senate and House tax proposals are subject to change.

The Senate tax plan released Nov. 9 and amendments to the House bill (H.R. 1) bring new considerations for tax professionals as Republicans press forward with tax reform efforts. Bloomberg Tax reporter Allyson Versprille hosts this week’s Talking Tax alongside Justin Shafer, a partner and U.S. tax reform leader at Ernst & Young LLP, to discuss what practitioners should look for in the proposal, including revenue considerations, how the plan differs from the House bill, and what could come next in the legislative process. EY tax policy experts Michael Mundaca and Cathy Koch offer their take on what’s ahead.

Lisa Starczewski, of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, joins Talking Tax with host Andrea Ben-Yosef to give an overview of the new partnership audit rules and proposed regulations. Starczewski highlights some of the more important aspects of the new partnership audit rules and proposed regulations, points out where the regulations have added new concepts to the rules, alerts practitioners to issues they may have missed, and advises on what practitioners need to do now, especially regarding amending/drafting agreements and educating clients.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1) is here, and with it come several considerations for practitioners if the GOP tax reform effort is successful. Bloomberg Tax's Matthew Beddingfield hosts this week's Talking Tax alongside EY's U.S. Tax Reform Leader Justin Shafer, to discuss what practitioners should look out for in the new bill, including revenue considerations, international impact, and what's to come in the legislative process. EY tax policy experts Michael Mundaca, Jose Murillo, and Cathy Koch offer their take on what's to come.

Congressional Republicans expect to release a tax bill Nov. 1, and House leaders say they want to hold a vote by Thanksgiving. Reporters Colleen Murphy, Kaustuv Basu, and Laura Davison spoke with Talking Tax host Matthew Beddingfield on Oct. 27 about the process once the GOP bill is released, and what the proposed legislation might include.

The Senate has passed a budget that opens the door for Republicans to move forward with their tax plan, possibly in the coming week. Reporters Colleen Murphy, Kaustuv Basu, and Laura Davison spoke with Talking Tax host Matthew Beddingfield on Oct. 20 about GOP tax reform efforts, including what aspects of a tax bill have yet to be agreed on.