A bond issue (a debt obligation of a local government) is often perceived as a mystery for many Pennsylvania local government officials and solicitors. The securities and tax regulations governing municipal bonds have grown increasingly complex in recent years further adding to the challenge of understanding the path toward a successful bond issuance.

In this

Updates in the Inflation Reduction Act could provide tax credits as an avenue for funding opportunities for municipalities to make seemingly impossible project possible. McNees invites you to join our panel of industry experts led by attorney Ryan Gonder for a roundtable discussion on:

  • An overview of the recent changes in the Inflation Reduction Act

The Internal Revenue Service recently released Notice 2019-39, clarifying the scope of permitted current refundings of bonds issued under special governmental bond programs. Issuers may rely on this Notice to issue tax-exempt bonds to currently refund any bonds that are issued pursuant to such targeted programs, subject to some limitations.
Continue Reading IRS Blesses Current Refundings of Targeted Government Bond Programs (With Limits)

The Internal Revenue Service celebrated New Year’s Eve this year by issuing two rule-making notices of interest to the tax-exempt bond community, on the topics of public approval of private activity bonds and reissuance.

The first notice contains final regulations on the public approval requirement of section 147(f) of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C.

On October 26, 2018, the IRS released a memorandum from its Office of Chief Counsel, confirming that issuers may issue tax-exempt bonds to advance refund taxable bonds without running afoul of the prohibition on tax-exempt advance refundings contained in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The release of the memorandum follows the request in March by the National Association of Bond Lawyers for guidance on this issue, following public statements earlier in the year by IRS and Treasury officials in favor of the approach.
Continue Reading IRS Releases Guidance on Use of Advance Refunding Bonds Post-TCJA

The Internal Revenue Service, Tax Exempt & Government Entities Division, has released its Fiscal Year 2019 Program Letter, a copy of which is available here. Among other things, the Program Letter identifies the compliance areas for the tax-exempt bond community that will be a priority for the IRS in the new fiscal year which began on October 1.
Continue Reading IRS Announces Tax-Exempt Bonds’ Program Priorities for 2019 Fiscal Year

In an eagerly-awaited decision, the United States Supreme Court struck down today the “physical presence” standard in Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, 504 U.S. 298 (1992). Quill had long hamstrung states’ efforts to collect sales and use taxes on purchases by in-state residents of products sold by internet-only retailers. With Quill now history, states are

On Monday, May 14, the United States Supreme Court announced its eagerly awaited decision in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association and, as many expected, struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (“PASPA”), a federal law that prohibits states from authorizing and regulating sports wagering.
Continue Reading Supreme Court Opens Door to Sports Betting in all Fifty States

On April 11, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service published Revenue Procedure 2018-26, a copy of which can be accessed here, which provides new guidance to issuers on the availability of remedial actions to preserve the tax-advantaged status of their bonds in the face of a violation of the tax rules. Rev. Proc. 2018-26 applies to tax-advantaged bonds generally, i.e. traditional tax-exempt bonds under section 103 of the Code, as well as federally taxable bonds that carry with them tax credit or direct pay subsidy benefits.
Continue Reading IRS Issues Guidance on Remedial Actions for Tax-Advantaged Bonds