News

This past Thursday, February 14, the IRS Auditorium in Washington DC was packed to capacity with over 200 attendees as stakeholders spoke during the public hearing on proposed regulations: “Investing in Qualified Opportunity Funds” [REG-115420-18]. Hearing participants requested additional guidance on a wide variety of proposed regulations, with many suggesting improvements to the regulations that … Read more

The IRS will hold a public hearing tomorrow, February 14 at 10:00 a.m. EST, to focus on proposed regulations regarding qualified opportunity zone funds. The hearing will take place in the auditorium of the IRS Building located at 1111 Constitution Ave NW in Washington DC. There are 177 comments from the last round of proposed … Read more

Amazon had been criticized for locating their HQ2 in an opportunity zone in Queens, New York. As it turns out, they will not be taking advantage of the tax break after all. From Bloomberg: “We will not be using the opportunity zone on this project,” Holly Sullivan, head of economic development at Amazon, told the … Read more

Last week, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) — along with 15 other Senators and Congressmen — sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, seeking clarification on several matters related to the Opportunity Zones tax policy, specifically in regards to investments in operating businesses, certain timing requirements, and community impact. The letter calls attention to five … Read more

Manager interest in launching qualified opportunity zone funds is sky high, but most are still waiting to hear more regulatory clarity from the IRS. Thus far, most of the managers that have launched OZ funds are relatively small private wealth management firms and family offices oriented toward wealthy individual investors, according to P&I. Of course, … Read more

Two additional census tracts in Puerto Rico have been designated as Opportunity Zones by the Treasury Department. The two tracts — 72119130102, located in Rio Grande, and 72137122002 located in Toa Baja — meet the statutory criteria for a Low-Income Community based on new American Community Survey data (2012-2016).

Today, President Trump signed an executive order, promoting public commitment to the opportunity zones program enacted last December as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. The executive order establishes the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, led by HUD Secretary Ben Carson. The council is tasked with streamlining, coordinating, and targeting … Read more

A working group of accountants formed by Novogradac sent a letter to the U.S. Treasury last month, requesting further clarification in the wake of the proposed regulations (IRS REG-115420-18) published in October. In part, the letter states, “Taxpayer uncertainty around these issues is hindering investment in opportunity zones.” Taxpayers must invest capital gains into opportunity … Read more

Most qualified opportunity zone funds are geared toward real estate. Because 90% of a fund’s assets must be held within OZ geographies, real estate investing is simpler than business venture investing. That said, the actual purpose of the legislation itself was to spark small business and entrepreneurship in oft-ignored areas of the country — not … Read more