Economic Substance Doctrine: How Codification Changes Decided Cases

Abstract:     
Congress codified and clarified the economic substance doctrine by enacting new Section 7701(o). The article analyzes how new Section 7701(o) would have altered the results in previously decided cases if this provision had existed at the time of these previously decided cases were litigated. Through this analysis, the article attempts to predict how Section 7701(o) will impact the development of the federal tax common law and attempts to predict when and to what extent new Section 7701(o) will reduce the opportunity for taxpayers to capture unintended tax benefits.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 48

Keywords: Judicial Responsibility, Economic Substance Doctrine, Tax Shelters, Statutory Interpretation, Purposivism, Textualism, Coltec, Gregory, Sham Transaction Doctrine, Substance Over Form Doctrine, Business Purpose, Tax Avoidance, Tax Practice

Accepted Paper Series