Proposed Code Sec. 367 Regulations Attempt To Tax Foreign Goodwill And Going Concern Value

The transfer of foreign goodwill and going concern value by a domestic corporation to a foreign subsidiary for use in a trade or business outside the United States has never been subject to taxation under Code Sec. 367. Without any legislative change, the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury in proposed regulations would seek to tax such transfers.

In his recent article in the International Tax Journal, Lowell Yoder, global head of McDermott's Tax Practice, discusses the sweeping changes proposed under the new 367 regulations and the problems posed by the IRS' approach.  He recommends that the IRS withdraw the proposed regulations, which go far beyond (and actually contradict) legislative intent.