Assignment:
Question 1
Section 306 of the IRC was enacted by Congress to prevent tax avoidance by distributing certain stock to a shareholder in a nontaxable stock dividend. Section 306 prevents shareholders from using a preferred stock bailout to convert ordinary income into a capital gain. Analyze the key provisions of Section 306 of the IRC, and outline a tax- planning strategy geared toward redeeming preferred stock with sale or exchange treatment as an alternative to Section 306.
Question 2: Personal Holding Company
Per the text, the personal holding company (PHC) tax penalizes taxpayers that enter into tax-motivated transactions designed to shelter passive income of closely held corporations from higher individual tax rates. Suppose you represent a professional athlete who is the majority owner of a corporation. The corporation has several personal service contracts with advertising agencies and endorsements for your client in addition to passive income. Propose a plan in which you eliminate the potential for the PHC tax on the client's corporation.
The same client provides significant information on passive income at the end of the year, creating a potential PHC tax liability. Outline a plan for the current year in which you reduce the total tax liability for the client and include a proposal for future years to prevent PHC tax liability.