On May 12, 2014 the IRS published in the IRB its April 21^st technical corrections relating to brokers making certain returns of information with respect to their customers as per the final and temporary regulations that relate to the withholding of tax on certain U.S. source income paid to foreign persons, information reporting and backup withholding with respect to payments made to certain U.S. persons, portfolio interest paid to nonresident alien individuals and foreign corporations, and the associated requirements governing collection, refunds, and credits of withheld amounts under these rules.  See my February 21, 2014 article analyzing these substantial amendments to the FATCA regulations.

Need for Correction

The technical corrections contain amendments to § 1.6045–1T. This regulation affects persons that are brokers making certain returns of information with respect to their customers.  See the Technical Corrections at Announcement 2014–21 (Internal Revenue Bulletin 2014-20) May 12, 2014

As published, the temporary regulation contains errors in the instructions that need to be corrected. First, the instructions indicate that § 1.6045–1T is amended. However, the temporary regulation is added, not amended. Second, the instructions do not add paragraphs (m) through (o), which should be included in the temporary regulation by cross-reference to the final regulation. The correcting amendments add the temporary regulation, including paragraphs (m) through (o).

Relevant excerpts below:

§ 1.6045–1T Returns of information of brokers and barter exchanges (temporary).

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(ii) Excepted sales. No return of information is required with respect to a sale effected by a broker for a customer if the sale is an excepted sale. For this purpose, a sale is an excepted sale if it is—

(A) So designated by the Internal Revenue Service in a revenue ruling or revenue procedure (see § 601.601(d)(2) of this chapter); or

(B) A sale with respect to which a return is not required by applying the rules of § 1.6049–4(c)(4) (by substituting the term a sale subject to reporting under section 6045 for the term an interest payment).

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(xiv) Certain redemptions. No return of information is required under this section for payments made by a stock transfer agent (as described in § 1.6045–1(b)(iv)) with respect to a redemption of stock of a corporation described in section 1297(a) with respect to a shareholder in the corporation if—

(A) The stock transfer agent obtains from the corporation a written certification signed by an officer of the corporation, that states that the corporation is described in section 1297(a) for each calendar year during which the stock transfer agent relies on the provisions of paragraph (c)(3)(xiv) of this section, and the stock transfer agent has no reason to know that the written certification is unreliable or incorrect;

(B) The stock transfer agent identifies, prior to payment, the corporation as a participating FFI (including a reporting Model 2 FFI) (as defined in § 1.6049–4(f)(10) or (f)(14), respectively), or reporting Model 1 FFI (as defined in § 1.6049–4(f)(13)), in accordance with the requirements of § 1.1471–3(d)(4) (substituting the terms stock transfer agent and corporation for the terms withholding agent and payee);

(C) The stock transfer agent obtains, before each year the payment would otherwise be reported, a written certification representing that the corporation shall report the payment as part of its account holder reporting obligations under chapter 4 of the Code or an applicable IGA (as defined in § 1.6049–4(f)(7)) and provided the stock transfer agent does not know that the corporation is not reporting the payment as required. A stock transfer agent that knows that the corporation is not reporting the payment as required under chapter 4 of the Code or an applicable IGA must report all payments reportable under this section that it makes during the year in which it obtains such knowledge; and

(D) The stock transfer agent is not also acting in its capacity as a custodian, nominee, or other agent of the payee with respect to the payment.

(xv) Effective/applicability date. Paragraphs (c)(3)(ii) and (xiv) of this section apply to sales effected on or after July 1, 2014. (For sales effected before July 1, 2014, see paragraph (c)(3)(ii) of this section as in effect and contained in 26 CFR part 1 revised April 1, 2013.)

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(i) With respect to a sale effected at an office of a broker either inside or outside the United States, the broker may treat the customer as an exempt foreign person if the broker can, prior to the payment, reliably associate the payment with documentation upon which it can rely in order to treat the customer as a foreign beneficial owner in accordance with § 1.1441–1(e)(1)(ii), as made to a foreign payee in accordance with § 1.6049–5(d)(1), or presumed to be made to a foreign payee under § 1.6049–5(d)(2) or (3). …

(iv) Special rules where the customer is a foreign intermediary or certain U.S. branches. A foreign intermediary, as defined in § 1.1441–1(c)(13), is an exempt foreign person, except when the broker has actual knowledge (within the meaning of § 1.6049–5(c)(3)) that the person for whom the intermediary acts is a U.S. person that is not exempt from reporting under paragraph (c)(3) of this section or the broker is required to presume under § 1.6049–5(d)(3) that the payee is a U.S. person that is not an exempt recipient. …

(4) Examples. The application of the provisions of this paragraph (g) may be illustrated by the following examples: …