New Tax Relief on Repatriation of Intangible Property

Volume 10 No 3    /    Read Article

By Stanley C. Ruchelman and Daniela Shani

Code §367(d) provides rules for intercompany transfers of intangible property to related parties abroad. Not only are they taxable when first made, but they may continue to give rise to taxable income for the transferor for extended periods of time, notwithstanding a fixed price that is arm’s length at the time of the original transfer. Recently, U.S. companies have considered repatriating intangible property previously transferred abroad, in light of favorable provisions under the F.D.D.I. regime, the inability to defer tax under the C.F.C. rules, both Subpart F and G.I.L.T.I., and the prospect of Pillar 2’s adoption. However, the rules that applied to repatriation of intangible property left issues unanswered. In early May, the I.R.S. published proposed regulations affecting transactions in which U.S. corporations bring intangible property back to the U.S. In their article, Stanley C. Ruchelman and Daniela Shani review the legislative background of the proposed regulations and address the key principles involved before the toll charges of Code §367(d) are turned off. If the repatriation transaction can be effected tax free under U.S. domestic law to the prior transferor or a qualified successor, no gain is recognized.  See more →