SECTION 5. AREAS UNDER

EXTENSIVE STUDY IN WHICH RULINGS OR DETERMINATION LETTERS WILL NOT BE ISSUED UNTIL THE SERVICE RESOLVES THE ISSUE THROUGH PUBLICATION OF A REVENUE RULING, REVENUE PROCEDURE, REGULATIONS OR OTHERWISE

.01 Section 61.—Gross Income Defined.—Whether amounts voluntarily deferred by a taxpayer under a deferredcompensation plan maintained by an organization described in § 501 (other than a plan maintained by an eligible employer pursuant to the provisions of § 457) are currently includible in the taxpayer’s gross income.

.02 Sections 61 and 162.—Gross Income Defined; Trade or Business Expenses.—The tax consequences with respect to a salary reduction arrangement under which an employee receives and returns salary amounts to the employer. (Also §§ 3121, 3306, and 3401.)

.03 Section 79.—Group-Term Life Insurance Purchased for Employees.— Whether life insurance provided for employees under a “retired lives reserve” plan will be considered group-term insurance. (Also §§ 61, 72, 83, 101, 162, 264, and 641.)

.04 Sections 83 and 451.—Property Transferred in Connection with Performance of Services; General Rule for Taxable Year of Inclusion.—When compensation is realized by a person who, in connection with the performance of services, is granted a nonstatutory option without a readily ascertainable fair market value to purchase stock at a price that is less than the fair market value of the stock on the date the option is granted.

.08 Section 107.—Rental value of parsonages.—Whether amounts distributed to a retired minister from a pension or annuity plan should be excludible from the minister’s gross income as a parsonage allowance under § 107.

.09 Section 115.—Income of states, municipalities, etc.—The results of transactions pursuant to a plan or arrangement created by state statute a primary objective of which is to enable participants to pay for the costs of a post-secondary education for themselves or a designated beneficiary, including: (i) whether the plan or arrangement, itself, is an entity separate from a state and, if so, how the plan or arrangement is treated for federal tax pur

.05 Sections 101, 761, and 7701.—Definitions.—Whether, in connection with the transfer of a life insurance policy to an unincorporated organization, (i) the organization will be treated as a partnership under §§ 761 and 7701, or (ii) the transfer of the life insurance policy to the organization will be exempt from the transferfor-value rules of § 101, when substantially all of the organization’s assets consists or will consist of life insurance policies on the lives of the members.

.06 Section 101.—Certain Death Benefits.—Whether there has been a transfer for value for purposes of § 101(a) in situations involving a grantor and a trust when (i) substantially all of the trust corpus consists or will consist of insurance policies on the life of the grantor or the grantor’s spouse, (ii) the trustee or any other person has a power to apply the trust’s income or corpus to the payment of premiums on policies of insurance on the life of the grantor or the grantor’s spouse, (iii) the trustee or any other person has a power to use the trust’s assets to make loans to the grantor’s estate or to purchase assets from the grantor’s estate, and (iv) there is a right or power in any person that would cause the grantor to be treated as the owner of all or a portion of the trust under §§ 673 to 677.

.07 Section 105.—Amounts Received Under Accident and Health Plans.— Whether a medical reimbursement plan, funded by employer contributions, containing a provision allowing unused amounts to be carried over and accumulated in an employee’s account qualifies as an accident and health plan under § 105.

1998–1 I.R.B. 109 January 5, 1998

held oil and gas properties or interests therein; or any similarly held properties or interests to a partnership in exchange for an interest in the partnership when (i) the contribution is the result of solicitation by promoters, brokers, or investment houses, or (ii) the interest in the transferee partnership is issued in a form designed to render it readily tradable.

.22 Section 761.—See section 5.05, above.

.23 Section 1239.—See section 5.15, above.

.24 Section 2503.—Taxable Gifts.— Whether the transfer of property to a trust will be a gift of a present interest in property when (i) the trust corpus consists or will consist substantially of insurance policies on the life of the grantor or the grantor’s spouse, (ii) the trustee or any other person has a power to apply the trust’s income or corpus to the payment of premiums on policies of insurance on the life of the grantor or the grantor’s spouse, (iii) the trustee or any other person has a power to use the trust’s assets to make loans to the grantor’s estate or to purchase assets from the grantor’s estate, (iv) the trust beneficiaries have the power to withdraw, on demand, any additional transfers made to the trust, and (v) there is a right or power in any person that would cause the grantor to be treated as the owner of all or a portion of the trust under §§ 673 to 677.

.25 Section 2514.—Powers of Appointment.—If the beneficiaries of a trust permit a power of withdrawal to lapse, whether § 2514(e) will be applicable to each beneficiary in regard to the power when (i) the trust corpus consists or will consist substantially of insurance policies on the life of the grantor or the grantor’s spouse, (ii) the trustee or any other person has a power to apply the trust’s income or corpus to the payment of premiums on policies of insurance on the life of the grantor or the grantor’s spouse, (iii) the trustee or any other person has a power to use the trust’s assets to make loans to the grantor’s estate or to purchase assets from the grantor’s estate, (iv) the trust beneficiaries have the power to withdraw, on demand, any additional transfers made to the trust, and (v) there is a right or power in any person that would cause the grantor to be treated as the owner of all or a portion of the trust under §§ 673 to 677.

poses; and (ii) whether any contract under the plan or arrangement is a debt instrument and, if so, how interest or original issue discount attributable to the contract is treated for federal tax purposes. (Also §§ 61, 163, 1275, 2501, and 7701.)

.10 Section 162.—See section 5.02, above.

.11 Section 162.—Trade or Business Expenses.—Whether payments paid or accrued by a corporation to an exempt organization as described in § 501(c)(7) or § 501(c)(20) are deductible under § 162. .12 Section 213.—Medical, Dental, etc., Expenses.—Whether amounts paid for medical insurance (or other medical care) extending substantially beyond the close of the taxable year may be deducted under § 213 in the year of payment, if the conditions of § 213(d)(7) are not satisfied.

.13 Section 302(b)(4) and (e).—Redemption from Noncorporate Shareholder in Partial Liquidation; Partial Liquidation Defined.—Whether a deemed surrender of stock as described in Rev. Rul. 90–13, 1990–1 C.B. 65, satisfies the requirements for a redemption, when:

(i) The corporation has outstanding more than one class of stock and there are priorities as to dividend or liquidating distributions or any other differences in stock rights, or

(ii) Either under the terms of the stock or as established contractually, there are outstanding any rights affecting the corporation’s stock, such as, but not limited to, warrants, options, convertible securities, shareholder agreements, or rights of first refusal.

.14 Section 306(b)(4).—Transactions Not in Avoidance.—Whether § 306(b)(4) applies to the distribution and disposition or redemption of “section 306 stock” that is subject to mandatory redemption.

.15 Sections 331, 453, and 1239.—The Tax Effects of Installment Sales of Property Between Entities with Common Ownership.—The tax effects of a transaction in which there is a transfer of property by a corporation to a partnership or other noncorporate entity (or the transfer of stock to such entity followed by a liquidation of the corporation) when more than a nominal amount of the stock of such corporation and the capital or beneficial interests in the purchasing entity (that is, more than 20 percent in value) is owned by the same persons, and the considera

tion to be received by the selling corporation or the selling shareholders includes an installment obligation of the purchasing entity.

.16 Section 351.—Transfer to Corporation Controlled by Transferor.—Whether § 351 applies to the transfer of widely held developed or undeveloped real property or interests therein; widely held oil and gas properties or interests therein; or any similarly held properties or interests to a corporation in exchange for shares of stock of such corporation when (i) the transfer is the result of solicitation by promoters, brokers, or investment houses, or (ii) the transferee corporation’s stock is issued in a form designed to render it readily tradable.

.17 Section 451.—See section 5.04, above.

.18 Section 453.—See section 5.15, above.

.19 Section 457.—Deferred Compensation Plans of State and Local Governments and Tax-Exempt Organizations.— The tax effect of provisions under the Small Business Job Protection Act affecting plans described in § 457. Taxpayers may, however, still receive rulings on § 457 plans based on the law in effect prior to enactment of the Small Business Jobs Protection Act.

.20 Section 671.—Trust Income, Deductions, and Credits Attributable to Grantors and Others as Substantial Owners.—Whether the grantor will be considered the owner of any portion of a trust when (i) substantially all of the trust corpus consists or will consist of insurance policies on the life of the grantor or the grantor’s spouse, (ii) the trustee or any other person has a power to apply the trust’s income or corpus to the payment of premiums on policies of insurance on the life of the grantor or the grantor’s spouse, (iii) the trustee or any other person has a power to use the trust’s assets to make loans to the grantor’s estate or to purchase assets from the grantor’s estate, and (iv) there is a right or power in any person that would cause the grantor to be treated as the owner of all or a portion of the trust under §§ 673 to 677.

.21 Section 721.—Nonrecognition of Gain or Loss on Contribution.—Whether § 721 applies to the contribution of widely held developed or undeveloped real property or interests therein; widely

January 5, 1998 110 1998–1 I.R.B.

tions seeking reconsolidation within the 5-year period specified in § 1504(a)(3)(A)); 90-39, 1990-2 C.B. 365 (certain affiliated groups of corporations seeking, for earnings and profits determinations, to make an election or a change in their method of allocating the group’s consolidated federal income tax liability); and 89-56, 1989-2 C.B. 643 (certain affiliated groups of corporations seeking to file a consolidated return where member(s) of the group use a 52-53 week taxable year).