Federally Proposed Rules to Increase Tax Cost of Family-Entity Transfers

The federal government proposed sweeping new tax rules earlier this month that would dramatically affect family businesses, investment partnerships and other entities. These rules, which could become final and binding as early as the end of 2016, would artificially inflate the value of interests in family entities for gift and estate tax purposes. Families should now consider whether to accelerate their plans to transfer family business and investment assets ahead of these rules.