Introduction

Tax-exempt organizations, while not generally subject to tax, are subject to tax on their “unrelated business taxable income” (“UBTI”).  One category of UBTI is debt-financed income; that is, a tax-exempt organization that borrows money directly or through a partnership and uses that money to make an investment is generally subject to tax on a portion of the income or gain from that investment.[1]  However, under section 514(c)(9),[2] “educational organizations” are not subject to tax on their debt-financed income from certain real estate investments.

The Mayo Clinic in Minnesota is one of the country’s leading hospitals.  Between 2003 and 2012, the Mayo Clinic was a partner in a partnership that borrowed money to make real estate investments.[3]

On November 22, 2022, U.S. District Court for the district of Minnesota held that the Mayo Clinic qualified as an educational organization within the meaning of section 514(c)(9) and, therefore, was not subject to tax on the debt-financed income from the partnership.[4]

December 10, 2018 saw significant activity with respect to Section 512(a)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”), which requires tax-exempt employers to increase their unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) by amounts paid or incurred for qualified transportation fringe benefits provided to employees, including the provision of parking and public

Proskauer’s 23rd Annual Trick or Treat Seminar was held on Wednesday, October 31.

The Seminar discussed:

  • Sexual Harassment in the #MeToo Era
  • Taxing Times for Tax-Exempt Organizations: The Impact of Tax Reform on Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits for Tax Exempt Organizations
  • Recent, Spooky Tax Changes Affecting the UBTI

Early on December 2, 2017, the Senate passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Senate Bill”).  This blog entry describes certain provisions of the Senate Bill that would have the most significant impact on the nonprofit community, including important differences between the Senate Bill and the prior version of the Senate bill and the bill passed by the House of Representatives (the “House Bill”) (both of which we described several weeks ago in “Updates for Tax-Exempt Organizations from the Senate Markup to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act”).

Proskauer’s 21st Annual Trick or Treat Seminar was held on Thursday, October 27.

The Seminar discussed:

  • Best Practices for Document Retention: One Size Does Not Fit All
  • An Overview of Unrelated Business Taxable Income
  • New Department of Labor Fiduciary Regulations: The Employer Perspective
  • Annual Update on Employee Benefits and the Affordable Care Act

Amanda Nussbaum welcomed everyone to the 21st Annual Trick or Treat Seminar, commented on the IRS Tax Exempt and Government Entities FY 2017 Work Plan and FY 2016 compliance results (including, examinations and revocations), and introduced the presenters.

The Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (“ACT”), an IRS advisory panel, made several recommendations on issues relating to unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) in its annual report to the IRS (the “Report”).  In recent years, the IRS has focused on UBTI reporting for tax exempt organizations; issues relating to UBTI reporting were addressed in Colleges and Universities Project Final Report, which was released in April last year.  In light of the IRS’ increased focus on UBTI reporting, ACT selected UBTI as a focus for its annual project.

The IRS today has released a draft version of the form that small businesses and exempt organizations will use to calculate the small business health care tax credit when they file income tax returns next year. The IRS also announced how eligible exempt organizations — which do not generally file income tax returns — will claim the credit during the 2011 filing season.