Links to Official IRS Bulletin Documents listed below are in the Adobe Acrobat PDF Format, and require the appropriate Acrobat Reader to view and/or print.

INCOME TAX

Notice 2003-55(PDF, 96K)
This notice concerns the federal tax treatment of lease strips. Notice 95-53 modified and superseded.

Notice 2003-56(PDF, 78K)
Equity investment prior to allocation. The Treasury Department and the Service announce that they will amend section 1.45D-1T(c)(3)(ii) of the temporary regulations to provide an exception permitting certain equity investments made on or after the date the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund publishes a Notice of Allocation Availability in the Federal Register, and before the receipt of a new markets tax credit allocation under section 45D(f)(2), to be designated as qualified equity investments under section 45D(b)(1)(C) of the Code.

REG-132483-03(PDF, 135K)
Proposed regulations under section 141 of the Code revise the definition of nonqualified bonds contained in regulations section 1.141-12 by reducing the amount of outstanding bonds that are nonqualified bonds. Second, the proposed regulations simplify the rules for determining which bonds will be treated as the nonqualified bonds for purposes of the remedial action rules under sections 1.141-12 and 1.142-2. Finally, they clarify the remedial action rules applicable to bonds issued prior to May 16, 1997 (the effective date of the current private activity bond regulations). A public hearing is scheduled for November 4, 2003. Rev. Proc. 93-17 obsolete for actions that occur on or after May 16, 1997.

REG-141669-02(PDF, 118K)
Proposed regulations under section 6724 of the Code provide rules designed to determine whether the correction of a failure to file a correct information return is considered prompt for purposes of waiving information reporting penalties. A public hearing is scheduled for October 21, 2003.

Rev. Proc. 2003-68(PDF, 135K)
This procedure restates and modifies Rev. Procs. 2002-13 and 2002-45. The modifications include permitting the use of expected term in connection with the safe harbor valuation method and the ability to recalculate the option value under certain circumstances. Rev. Procs. 2002-13 and 2002-45 revoked.

Rev. Proc. 2003-70(PDF, 78K)
This procedure provides the domestic asset/liability percentages and domestic investment yields needed by foreign insurance companies to compute their minimum effectively connected net investment income for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2001.

Rev. Rul. 2003-96(PDF, 107K)
Lease stripping transaction. This ruling discusses whether section 482 of the Code may apply to allow allocations of the income and deductions arising from a lease stripping transaction entered into by parties that were unrelated at the time the income is stripped from the lease, solely on the basis that the parties were acting in concert or with a common goal or purpose, to arbitrarily shift income or deductions among themselves.

Rev. Rul. 2003-97(PDF, 176K)
Deductibility of interest. This ruling provides guidance on whether interest accruing on a note is deductible under section 163(a) of the Code, and whether the deduction is disallowed under section 163(1), when a corporation issues units, each consisting of instruments in the form of a note and a forward contract to purchase a quantity of the corporation's common stock. The holding of this ruling is modified for units issued on or before August 22, 2003. This ruling also requests comments concerning possible regulations under section 163(1).

Rev. Rul. 2003-98(PDF, 110K)
Deduction rules; compensatory stock options. This ruling addresses the application of the deduction rules under section 83(h) of the Code with regard to the exercise or disposition of compensatory stock options following certain corporate transactions.

Rev. Rul. 2003-99(PDF, 104K)
Obsolete revenue rulings. This ruling publishes a list of previously published rulings that have been identified as no longer determinative with respect to future transactions.

Rev. Rul. 2003-100(PDF, 100K)
LIFO; price indexes; department stores. The June 2003 Bureau of Labor Statistics price indexes are accepted for use by department stores employing the retail inventory and last-in, first-out inventory methods for valuing inventories for tax years ended on, or with reference to, June 30, 2003.

EXCISE TAX

Rev. Proc. 2003-68(PDF, 135K)
This procedure restates and modifies Rev. Procs. 2002-13 and 2002-45. The modifications include permitting the use of expected term in connection with the safe harbor valuation method and the ability to recalculate the option value under certain circumstances. Rev. Procs. 2002-13 and 2002-45 revoked.

TAX CONVENTIONS

Notice 2003-57(PDF, 100K)
This notice provides circumstances under which no Form 3520 or Form 3520-A with respect to certain Canadian retirement plans is required with respect to the 2002 taxable year, and guidance concerning compliance with Forms 3520 and 3520-A when required.

REG-141669-02(PDF, 118K)
Proposed regulations under section 6724 of the Code provide rules designed to determine whether the correction of a failure to file a correct information return is considered prompt for purposes of waiving information reporting penalties. A public hearing is scheduled for October 21, 2003.

Rev. Proc. 2003-67(PDF, 74K)
Low-income housing tax credit. This procedure publishes the amounts of unused housing credit carryovers allocated to qualified states under section 42(h)(3)(D) of the Code for calendar year 2003.

Rev. Proc. 2003-69(PDF, 130K)
This procedure provides the requirements for completing and submitting Form 8655, Reporting Agent Authorization for Magnetic Tape/Electronic Filers. Rev. Proc. 96-17 modified and superseded.