Taxing Market Discount on Distressed Debt

43 Pages Posted: 28 Nov 2012 Last revised: 18 Sep 2013

See all articles by Ethan Yale

Ethan Yale

University of Virginia School of Law

Date Written: November 12, 2012

Abstract

The statutory rules regarding the timing and character of income and losses on debt instruments overtax distressed debt investors. Investors that make profitable investments in distressed debt are likely to have some or all of their income tainted as market discount and hence ordinary income, whereas investments that turn out badly are highly likely to generate capital losses. Taxable income is also sometimes accelerated relative to economic income. Despite widespread agreement on the nature and extent of the problems, there is lack of consensus on whether the inappropriate outcomes that are generated by the statutory rules are tempered by common law doctrines. There is also disagreement regarding how policymakers should address the problem. I first summarize how the statutory rules generate inappropriate outcomes, then offer a new perspective on how the statutory and common law rules governing distressed debt interrelate, and finally explain and evaluate the options for reform.

Keywords: tax, tax policy, financial instruments, debt

JEL Classification: K34, H24, H25, G32

Suggested Citation

Yale, Ethan, Taxing Market Discount on Distressed Debt (November 12, 2012). Tax Notes, Forthcoming, Virginia Tax Review, Forthcoming, Virginia Law and Economics Research Paper No. 2013-01, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2181545

Ethan Yale (Contact Author)

University of Virginia School of Law ( email )

580 Massie Road
Charlottesville, VA 22903
United States

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
519
Abstract Views
2,283
Rank
87,548
PlumX Metrics