Altera amicus brief

A number of law professors, headed by Susan Morse of the University of Texas Law School, have filed an amicus brief in the Altera case. I am a signatory, not because I participated in writing it (although I did review it before adding my name), but as a gesture of agreement and support. More particularly, this is an important IRS regulatory case, at least in its broader implications, I believe the government's side in the case is clearly correct, but that the weight of self-interested businesses and people in the tax bar taking the other side requires countering by the considered views of people who care about the proper functioning of the tax system, without having economic stakes to consider. One wouldn't want the court to be deceived about where, in my view, the weight of thoughtful opinion actually lies

The amicus brief is available here.

I blogged about an earlier Altera amicus brief here. Quick background: the case involves transfer pricing, or more particularly use of the cost-sharing regulations to enable U.S. companies to report as arising in tax havens the value of intellectual property (for foreign sales) that was developed by employees of U.S. companies working in the United States. The Tax Court held for the taxpayer, on grounds I personally found ridiculous although there are those who view it more charitably than I do (based largely on what I would call formalistic misunderstanding of how to apply rules that are meant to yield accurate, rather than absurdly manipulable, income allocations). The Tax Court decision also had implications potentially undermining, not just IRS reg authority when being exercised completely reasonably, but also the use of Treasury preambles to new regulations as genuinely explanatory, rather than litigating, documents.

Clint Wallace and Susan Morse took the lead in preparing amicus briefs two years ago that may conceivably have influenced the Ninth Circuit's initial decision (by a 2-1 panel vote) in the government's favor. But one of the majority opinion's two signatories, Judge Reinhardt, had died before the opinion was issued. So it was decided, understandably I suppose, that a new judge had to be appointed to reconstitute the three-judge panel and decide it all over again.

The Morse et al amicus brief is arguing for the good guys in the "all over again" stage.