Discussion 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.
Discussion 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.