CONGRESS OKs EXTEND CLOSING DATE FOR HOMEBUYER CREDIT

On June 30, Congress passed H.R. 5623, the Homebuyer Assistance Improvement Act of 2010. The Act, which is now cleared for the President’s signature, provides first-time homebuyer credit relief to taxpayers who couldn’t meet a key June 30, 2010, closing date.

Under prior law, both the regular Code 36 first-time homebuyer credit of $8,000 and the reduced credit of $6,500 for long-term residents generally expired for homes purchased after Apr. 30, 2010. However, if a written binding contract to purchase a principal residence was entered into before May 1, 2010, the credit could be claimed if the purchase closed before July 1, 2010.

The Act amends Code Sec. 36(h)(2) to provide that if a written binding contract to purchase a principal residence was entered into before May 1, 2010, the credit may be claimed if the purchase is closed before Oct. 1, 2010. Thus, this extension allows homebuyers who signed a contract no later than the April 30th deadline to complete their closing by the end of September.

The three-month extension of the closing date provides tax relief for those who couldn't close on time because of backlogs at lenders and federal programs involved in homebuyer loans. In the words of the Act’s supporters, the three-month extension “will give time for all the new mortgages to be processed and not punish those homeowners who have been delayed through no fault of their own.”

The cost of the three-month closing reprieve is fully offset with revenue raisers, including these tax changes: expanding the bad check penalty under Code Sec. 6657 to cover electronic payments, effective for instruments tendered after the enactment date; and providing for disclosure of prisoner return information under Code Sec. 6103(k)(10) to state prisons, effective for disclosures after the enactment date.

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JUNE 2010 TAX BRIEFING

First-time Homebuyer Credit:
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) released a report on the IRS's efforts to identify and prevent fraudulent Section 36 First-Time Homebuyer Credits claimed on 2008 Form 1040's and 1040X's—for the full report, go to www.treas.gov/tigta/auditreports/2010reports/201041069fr.pdf . TIGTA found that 10,282 taxpayers received credits for homes used by other taxpayers to claim the credit (in one case, 67 taxpayers used the same home), while $9.1 million went to 1,295 prisoners who were incarcerated when they reportedly purchased their home (including 241 prisoners serving life sentences). While admitting there were questionable claims, the IRS responded that it blocked or denied nearly 400,000 questionable credit claims, saving taxpayers more than $1 billion.

Zero Rate Interest Netting:
There is a net interest rate of zero under IRC Sec. 6621(d) for the period of time that interest is payable and allowable on equivalent underpayments and overpayments of tax by the same taxpayer. To qualify, interest must be payable under Subchapter A of Chapter 67 of the Code (interest on underpayments) and allowable under Subchapter B of Chapter 67 of the Code (interest on overpayments) by the same taxpayer. An IRS legal memo concluded that interest on an underpayment of tax paid through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan could not be netted against allowable overpayment interest because the interest paid through the Chapter 11 plan is not interest payable under the Internal Revenue Code, as required by IRC Sec. 6621(d) . ILM 201024040 .

Health Care Reform:
An extensive set of regulations (found in TD 9491 ) implement Public Health Service Act (PHS Act) sections 2704 (preexisting condition exclusions), 2711 (lifetime and annual dollar limits on benefits), 2712 (rescissions), and 2719A (patient protections). PHS Act section 2704 generally is effective for plan years (in the individual market, policy years) beginning on or after 1/1/14 (on or after 9/23/10 for enrollees, including applicants for enrollment, who are under 19 years of age), while the rest of the provisions generally are effective for plan years (or policy years) beginning on or after 9/23/10. The regulations are part of a multiphase rule project affecting healthcare insurance plans, and were issued in conjunction with regulations issued by the Departments of Labor, and Health and Human Services. [ Editor's Note: PPC's Guide to Health Care Reform (HCR) , which will be available by 9/1/10 and updated quarterly, will have detailed coverage of these and other health care reform provisions.]

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