IRS Publishes Final Regs on CFC's Share of Partnership Income

 Fr. Doc. E7-13496

ACTION: Final regulations and removal of the temporary regulations.

SUMMARY: This document contains final regulations providing guidance under subpart F relating to partnerships. The final regulations add rules for determining whether a controlled foreign corporation's (CFC's) distributive share of partnership income is excluded from foreign personal holding company income under the exception contained in section 954(i). These regulations will affect CFCs that are qualified insurance companies, as defined in section 953(e)(3), that have an interest in a partnership and U.S. shareholders of such CFCs.

DATES: Effective Date: These regulations are effective July 13, 2007.

Applicability Date: For date of applicability, see § 1.954-2(a)(5)(v).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kate Y. Hwa, (202) 622-3840 (not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On January 17, 2006, the IRS and the Treasury Department published in the Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking (REG-106418-05, 2006-7 IRB 461, 71 FR 2496) by cross-reference to temporary regulations (TD 9240, 2006-7 IRB 454, 71 FR 2462) (collectively, the January 2006 regulations), which provide that a CFC's distributive share of partnership income will qualify for the exception contained in section 954(i) of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) if the CFC is a qualifying insurance company and the income of the partnership would have been qualified insurance income under section 954(i) if received by the CFC directly. Thus, whether the CFC partner's distributive share of partnership income is qualified insurance income is determined at the CFC partner level.

The IRS and the Treasury Department received no comments responding to the January 2006 regulations and no public hearing was requested or held. Accordingly, the proposed regulations are adopted without change by this Treasury decision and the corresponding temporary regulations are removed.

Special Analyses

It has been determined that this Treasury decision is not a significant regulatory action as defined in Executive Order 12866. Therefore, a regulatory assessment is not required. It has also been determined that section 553(b) of the Administrative Procedures Act (5 U.S.C. chapter 5) does not apply to these regulations and, because the regulation does not impose a collection of information on small entities, the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. chapter 6) does not apply. Pursuant to section 7805(f) of the Code, the notice of proposed rulemaking that preceded these regulations was submitted to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration for comment on its impact on small business.

Drafting Information

The principal author of these regulations is Kate Y. Hwa of the Office of the Associate Chief Counsel (International). However, other personnel from the IRS and Treasury Department participated in their development.

List of Subjects in 26 CFR Part 1

Income taxes, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

Adoption of Amendments to the Regulations

Accordingly, 26 CFR part 1 is amended as follows:

PART 1 -- INCOME TAXES

Paragraph 1. The authority citation for 26 CFR part 1 continues to read, in part, as follows:

Authority: 26 U.S.C. 7805 * * *

Par. 2. Section 1.954-2 is amended by revising paragraphs (a)(5)(ii)(C) and (a)(5)(iii) Example 2, to read as follows:

§ 1.954-2 Foreign personal holding company income.

(a) * * *

(5) * * *

(ii) * * *

(C) A controlled foreign corporation's distributive share of partnership income will not be excluded from foreign personal holding company income under the exception contained in section 954(i) unless the controlled foreign corporation is a qualifying insurance company, as defined in section 953(e)(3), and the income of the partnership would have been qualified insurance income, as defined in section 954(i)(2), if received by the controlled foreign corporation directly. See § 1.952-1(g)(1).

(iii) * * *

Example 2. D Corp, a Country F corporation, is a controlled foreign corporation within the meaning of section 957(a). D Corp is a qualifying insurance company, within the meaning of section 953(e)(3), that is engaged in the business of issuing life insurance contracts. D Corp has reserves of $100x, all of which are allocable to exempt contracts, and $10x of surplus, which is equal to 10 percent of the reserves allocable to exempt contracts. D Corp contributed the $100x of reserves and $10x of surplus to DJ Partnership in exchange for a 40-percent partnership interest. DJ Partnership is an entity organized under the laws of Country G and is treated as a partnership under the laws of Country G and Country F. DJ Partnership earns $30x of investment income during the taxable year that is received from persons who are not related persons with respect to D Corp, within the meaning of section 954(d)(3). D Corp's distributive share of this investment income is $12x. This income is treated as earned by D Corp in Country F under the tax laws of Country F and meets the definition of exempt insurance income in section 953(e)(1). This $12x of investment income would be qualified insurance income, under section 954(i)(2), if D Corp had received the income directly, because the $110x invested by D Corp in DJ Partnership is equal to D Corp's reserves allocable to exempt contracts under section 954(i)(2)(A) and allowable surplus under section 954 (i)(2)(B)(ii) . Thus, D Corp's distributive share of DJ Partnership's income will be excluded from foreign personal holding company income under section 954(i).

* * * * *

Dated: July 2, 2007.