Basics of Tax Leasing (1) - Equipment Leasing & Finance Association

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Basics of Tax Leasing (1)

2007 ELFA

Lease Accountants Conference

Suresh Makam – 914-899-7912

Citi Bankers Leasing

Single Investor Lease

– Lessor purchases the equipment with equity or proceeds of recourse loan

– Lessor’s return depends upon Lessee’s credit and equipment value

– Lessor is 100% at risk

• There are no non-recourse loan amounts

True Lease Issues

Is the lease a “True Lease”?

3

IRS Guidelines

• As of May 7th, 2001, the following

Revenue Procedures were superseded by Revenue Procedure 2001-28 and

Revenue Procedure 2001-29:

– Revenue Procedure 75-21

– Revenue Procedure 75-28

– Revenue Procedure 76-30

– Revenue Procedure 79-48

IRS Guidelines

In Revenue Procedure 2001-28 , the IRS stated that:

• To qualify for an advance ruling regarding the tax

• status of a leveraged lease, a lease contract must

• adhere to the following guidelines: a. Minimum unconditional “At Risk” investment i.

Minimum Investment must remain equal to at least 20% of the cost of the property at all times throughout the entire lease term.

ii.

Equipment must have a remaining useful life beyond the lease term of the longer of one year or 20% of the originally estimated useful life.

IRS Guidelines: Rev Proc 2001-28 (cont’d) b. Purchases and sale rights i.

No bargain purchase options allowed (established by case law) ii. No Put option to Lessee c. No investment by lessee i.

No part of the cost of the property may be furnished by Lessee ii. Lessee may pay for certain improvements or additions

IRS Guidelines: Rev Proc 2001-28 (cont’d) d. No lessee loans or guarantees e. Profit requirement (complex IRS formula) f. Positive cash flow (complex IRS formula) g. No Limited Use property

IRS Guidelines: Rev Proc 2001-28

(cont’d)

– Rev Proc 2001-28 is best understood as a “bright line” test, but case law has been more flexible

– Neither the IRS nor the tax courts have worked out a fully comprehensive articulation of the differences between a true lease and a non-true lease

– Guidelines are safe harbor and are technically applicable only to leveraged leases

True Lease Issues

• Examine all facts and circumstances to determine if

• lessor has upside residual potential and downside

• residual risk. Downside risk is weighed heavier

• than upside potential.

• Three questions:

1.

Is there a bargain purchase option?

2.

Is the Lessee economically compelled to purchase the equipment at the end of the lease term or at the fixed purchase option if any (“EBO”)?

9

True Lease Issues (cont’d)

3. Is it commercially feasible that someone other than

Lessee will use the property after the lease expires?

– Limited use property

– Useful life

– Residual value

10

Examples of True Lease Structures

– Purchase option fixed at reasonable estimate of FMV

– Early termination at option of Lessee who guarantees sales price on sales to third party, by way of a cancellation payment

– Non-bargain purchase option (“EBO”) during the base term; provided that if purchase option is not exercised the term is extended with a Fair Market Value (FMV) option at the end of renewal term (first amendment)

– 3rd party residual guarantee (not a put)

– TRAC leases See IRC Sec. 7701(h)

11

Examples of True Lease Structures (contd)

– Leveraged Lease

• Lessor purchases the equipment with equity and proceeds of non-recourse loans.

– Cross Border Lease

• Lessor leases property to be used outside the

Lessor’s country of domicile.

– Double Dip Lease

• A cross border lease in which both lessor and lessee are entitled to tax benefits in their respective countries of domicile as tax owners.

Examples of Non-True Lease Structures

– Bargain Purchase option (including $1 out)

– Synthetic leases: Product term for a lease that takes advantage of inconsistencies in tax and accounting rules for the benefit of the lessee. Lease is structured as a conditional sale (or financing) for tax purposes, and an operating lease for lessee accounting purposes. Lessee has purchase option (upside) and guarantees a portion of residual value (the riskiest portion so that Lessee has predominant downside risk). Thus, the lessee takes the tax benefits of ownership, but gets off balance sheet accounting

– Loans and conditional sales agreements

13

Lease Structure Profile: True Lease

100%

Fair Market Value Curve

(FMV)

Stipulated Loss Value (SLV)

Early Buyout

Option (EBO)

FMV

Residual

Year

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Tax Accounting: True Lease

A. A true lease is accounted for as a lease for income tax purposes:

LESSOR

Rent Taxable income as earned (advance rents – when collected; arrears rents – accrue into proper period)

Taxable income when collected Fees Received

Residual:

Sale/Purchase Taxable income when collected

Re-lease Taxable income as earned

Depreciation

Fees paid

Up front:

Yearly deductions (MACRS)

Write off straight line over lease term

Over life Deducted as paid

Interest Expense Deductible using interest method

LESSEE

Deducted as accrued

N/A

Establishes depreciable basis

Deducted as accrued

Not available to lessee

N/A

N/A

N/A

Tax Accounting: Non-True Lease

B.

A non-true lease or a synthetic lease is accounted for income tax purposes as an installment sale (i.e., a loan or financing):

LESSOR

Rent

Depreciation

Allocated between interest income and return of principal

Not available to lessor, since it is not the owner for tax purposes

Interest Expense Deductible using the interest method

LESSEE

Allocated between interest expense and payment of principal

Yearly deductions (MACRS)

Depreciation Issues

17

Tax Depreciation

• Depends on the:

– Type of equipment (Aircraft, Vessel, Manuf

Equip)

– Use of the equipment by lessee (US, Foreign

)

– Location of the equipment (US, Foreign)

– Lessee’s status (US or non-US entity)

– Lessee’s status (US tax payer or Not)

18

Tax Depreciation

Depreciation Methodology

1.

Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (“MACRS”) applies to all property placed in service after December 31, 1986.

2 .

Under MACRS, there are six classes for personal property; depreciable lives are based on asset class lives:

3-Year Class

• Includes property with an asset class life of 4 years or less

• Examples include special tools and over-the-road tractor units. Specifically excluded are automobiles and light trucks.

5-Year Class

• Includes property with an asset class life of more than 4 years and less than 10 years

• Examples include computers, data handling equipment (typewriters, calculators, copiers, etc.), heavy general purpose trucks, trailers, general construction equipment. Specific property added to 5-year class includes automobiles, light trucks, qualified technological equipment (“QTE”), computer-based telephone central office switching equipment, research and experimentation property.

7-Year Class

• Includes property with an asset class life of at least 10 years and less than 16 years

• Examples include office furniture, fixtures, and equipment and commercial aircraft. Specific property added to 7-year class includes single-purpose agricultural structures, and property with no ADR midpoint that is not classified elsewhere

Tax Depreciation

Depreciation Methodology (cont.)

10-Year Class

• Includes property with an asset class life of at least 16 years and less than 20 years

• Examples include barges, coal gasification equipment, and petroleum refining equipment.

15-Year Class

• Includes property with an asset class life of at least 20 years and less than 25 years

• Examples include industrial steam and electric generation and/or distribution systems, cement manufacturing equipment, water transportation property, railroad wharves and docks. Specific property added to 15-year class includes municipal wastewater treatment plants, and telephone distribution plant and comparable equipment used for the two-way exchange of voice and data communications.

20-Year Class

• Includes property with an asset class life greater than or equal to 25 years

• Examples include farm buildings, railroad structures, telephone distribution plants.

3.

The cost of property in the 3-, 5-, 7-, and 10-year classes is recovered using the 200% declining-balance method over three, five, seven, and ten years, respectively, and the half-year convention, with a switch to the straight-line method in order to maximize the deduction. The cost of 15- and 20-year property is recovered using the 150% declining-balance method over

15 and 20 years, respectively, and the half-year convention, with a switch to the straight-line method in order to maximize the deduction.

Depreciation Issues

• Alternative Depreciation System (ADS)

– Property used predominantly outside the US, or

– Lessee is a tax-exempt entity (includes foreign entities)

• Depreciation under ADS is determined by using

– Straight line method

– Applicable convention

– Recovery period equal to class life, but not less than

125% of the lease term in certain cases

21

Mid-Quarter Convention

• If more than 40% of all personal property placed in service during the year is placed in service in the last 3 months of the taxable year, all personal property placed in service during the year is subject to a mid-quarter convention .

– Property placed in service and disposed of within the same tax year is excluded in determining the 40% aggregate basis

– Test applies on a consolidated basis but with respect to partnerships it generally applies at the partnership level

Mid-Quarter Convention (cont’d)

• If the taxpayer triggers the mid-quarter convention, the half-year convention no longer applies. The first year depreciation amount for all personal property placed in service that year will be recalculated according to the quarter it was placed in service .

– 1 st Qtr: 10.5 months

– 2 nd Qtr: 7.5 months

– 3 rd Qtr: 4.5 months

– 4 th Qtr: 1.5 months

Recent Changes In Tax Depreciation

• The Gulf Opportunity Zone Act Of 2005 for small business sector in Louisiana, Mississippi, And

Alabama. Provisions of the GO-Zones Law will:

– Double small business expensing from $100,000 to

$200,000 dollars for investments in new equipment;

– Provide a 50-percent bonus depreciation for businesses that invest in new equipment and new structures.

Recent Changes in Tax Laws

• The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (“the Energy Act”)

– Congress again chose to encourage renewable energy development in the United States through an array of tax incentives rather than direct grants or subsidies.

• The Section 45 credit is available for facilities that generate electricity from wind, closed-loop biomass, geothermal deposits, landfill gas and trash combustion.

– The Energy Act extends the Section 45 production tax credit for additional two years,

– Allowing qualified facilities placed in service through

December 31, 2008.

Section 46 Investment Tax Credits

• The Energy Act adds the following investment tax credits to code Section 46:

– 30% credit for solar energy property

– 20% credit for integrated gasification combined cycle projects,

– 15% credit for other advanced coal-based technologies,

– 20% credit for certified gasification projects,

– 30% credit for qualified fuel cell power plants, and

– 10% credit for qualified stationery micro turbine power plants.

Income Recognition Issues

IRS Section 467

27

Rental Income - Section 467

• Rental income should be approximately level over the term of the lease.

• Some forms of “uneven rent” are acceptable

– Rents that vary:

• Due to third party costs

• With an index

• With asset use

• Vary by a small amount

28

Rental Income - Section 467

(con’t)

• Rents that vary due to third party costs

– Property taxes

– Utility costs

– Insurance costs

– Maintenance costs

29

Rental Income - Section 467

(con’t)

• Rents that vary with an index

– Consumers Price Index

– Producers Price Index

– Regional Price Index

– Commodity Index (fuel or food prices)

– Financial Index

30

Rental Income - Section 467

(con’t)

• Rents that vary with asset use or results

– Variation with output of a leased equipment

– Mileage on a vehicle

– With sales (retail store)

– Variation with profitability (retail store)

31

Rental Income - Section 467

(con’t)

• Rents that vary by a small amount

• The “90-110 Test”

– 10% variation is allowed

– Determine the average annual rental rate

– Lowest annual rental must be at or above 90% of the Average

– Highest annual rental must be at or below 110% of the average rent

– Real Estate allows 15% variation (“85-115 Test”)

32

Rental Income - Section 467

(con’t)

• Rent variation beyond allowable

– IRS may determine that the agreement is a

“ Disqualified Agreement ”

– If a “Disqualified Agreement,” The IRS may recalculate the rental income pattern

(“ Levelize ”)

– If the agreement is a Disqualified Agreement, the entire agreement will be levelized.

33

Example of SITL - Assumptions

Asset:

Asset Cost:

Lease type:

Term:

Delivery Date:

Lease inception:

Early Buy-out Option:

Depreciation:

Lessor Tax Rate:

Rents:

Total Residual:

Fees Paid:

Guarantee)

Target yield:

Fund

Lessee’s Incremental Borrowing Rate:

Corporate Jet

$10,000,000.00

Single Investor Lease

120 months or 10 years

12/15/06

12/15/06

(84 months from Lease inception)

5 year MACRS Depreciation

Half year Convention

35%

Monthly in arrears

50% or $5,000,000.00

.5% or $ 50,000.00 (Portion for Residual

6.5% pre-tax Multiple Investment Sinking

6.0% Lessee’s comparable debt cost

Example of 467 Rent - Results

Lessor can structure various rent patterns within the Sec. 467 guidelines to minimize Lessee’s cost by increasing the value of tax benefits.

Rental Payment:

Level Payments 90/110 ____

$72,818.95 (1to 120) $66,232.47(1 to 60)

_

$6,831,083

$80,951.12 (61 to 120)

$7,206,012 EBO amount: (mo. 84)

If EBO Exercised:

PV of Rent + EBO

Implicit Cost :

95.02%

4.98%

94.54%

4.92%

If Lease goes to end of term and returns the aircraft to Lessor:

PV of min. lease payments 65.92%

IRR -2.65%

65.30%

-2.31%

Example of Lessor’s Tax Position

•Lessor Accounting :

Monthly Payment:

Implicit Rate:

PV of rents only :

•Lessor’s Classification:

$ 72,818.95

4.88%

69.29%

Operating Lease

•To re-classify as Direct Finance Lease:

•Lessor will require 3rd party residual Guarantee: $3,371,537.25

•PV of Minimum payments: 90.1%

•Impact on PT Yield and Lessor’s tax position and asset acquisition pattern

Half Year Mid Quarter AMT

•Pre-tax Yield

Convention

6.50%

•Impact to Lessor 0%

Convention

6.36%

.14%

2005 to 2010

4.88%

1.62%

Example of Lessor’s Taxable Income

Difference Between Accounting and Tax

Operating Lease Example

E. An example comparing book income to taxable income for an operating lease:

1.

Assume an operating lease for GAAP purposes and a true lease for income purposes.

a.

Lessor enters into a 60 month FMV lease of material handling equipment, having a cost of $1 million, monthly rent of $18,500, a residual of $200,000, and an implicit interest rate of 10%.

The first basic rent date is April 1, 20xx.

b.

There is no automatic transfer of ownership.

There is no bargain purchase option.

The equipment has an economic life of 10 years, therefore the lease term of 5 years is less than 75% of the economic life. The PV of the rents at the implicit rate of 10% is $878,000, which is less than 90% of the cost of the equipment. Therefore, the lease is an operating lease for financial reporting purposes.

Difference Between Accounting and Tax

Operating Lease Example (cont’d)

E. An example comparing book income to taxable income for an operating lease:

2.

Material handling equipment (generally) is five-year class property. MACRS depreciation rates (from the IRS table) are:

Year

1 st

2 nd

3 rd

4 th

5 th

6 th

%__

20.00

32.00

19.20

11.52

11.52

5.76

Difference Between Accounting and Tax

Operating Lease Example (cont’d)

3.

From the standpoint of the lessor, the lease will have the following incident of earnings:

Tax Books

Rental Income

1

$166,500

2

$222,000

Year ended December 31

3

$222,000

4 5 6

$222,000 $222,000 $55,500

Total

$1,110,000

Sale Proceeds 200,000 200,000

200,000

(33,500)

320,000

(98,000)

192,000

30,000

115,200

106,800

115,200 57,600

106,800 197,900

1,000,000

310,000

Depreciation Expense

Tax Income (Loss)

Tax Rate 40% (Combined

Federal & State Rate)

Tax Liability (Savings)

GAAP Books

Income before Tax

Tax Expense @ 40%

Net Income

Current Tax Liability

Deferred Tax Balance

40% 40%

($13,400) ($39,200)

46,500

18,600

$27,900

13,400

32,000

62,000

24,800

$37,200

39,200

96,000

40%

$12,000

62,000

24,800

$37,200

(12,000)

108,800

40%

$42,720

62,000

24,800

$37,200

(42,720)

90,880

40% 40%

$42,720 $79,160

62,000

24,800

$37,200

15,500

6,200

$9,300

(42,720) (79,160)

72,960 0

40%

$124,000

310,000

124,000

$186,000

(124,000)

0

Difference Between Accounting and Tax

Operating Lease Example (cont’d)

4.

A simple GAAP balance sheet presentation of the lease :

GAAP Books

Cash

Equipment under lease

Accumulated depreciation

1

$179,900

2

$441,100

3

$651,100

4

$830,380

1,000,000 1,000,000 1,000,000 1,000,000

(120,000) (280,000) (440,000) (600,000)

5

1,000,000

(760,000)

Total

$1,009,660 $1,186,000

Equipment under lease, net

Total Assets

880,000 720,000 560,000 400,000 240,000 0

$1,059,900 $1,161,100 $1,211,100 $1,230,380 $1,249,660 $1,186,000

0

0

Deferred Taxes

Stockholder’s Equity

Total Liabilities & Equity

192,000

867,900

192,000

969,100

166,400

1,044,700

125,400

1,104,980

84,400

1,165,260

0

1,186,000

$1,059,900 $1,161,100 $1,211,100 $1,230,380 $1,249,660 $1,186,000

Difference Between Accounting and Tax

Direct Finance Lease Example

From the standpoint of the lessor, the direct finance lease will have the following incident of earnings:

Taxable Income (Loss)

Tax Rate 40% (Combined

Federal & State rate)

(439,301)

40%

Current Tax Liability (Savings) (175,720)

GAAP Books

Income before Tax 73,253

Tax Expense @ 40% 29,301

Net Income $43,952

81,049 145,049

40%

32,420

84,247

33,699

$50,548

40%

58,020

67,398

26,959

$40,439

183,549

40%

73,420

48,738

19,495

$29,243

183,549

40%

73,420

28,074

11,230

$16,844

151,350

40%

60,540

3,534

1,414

$2,121

305,244

40%

122,098

305,244

122,098

$183,147

Current Tax Liability

Deferred Tax Balance

175,720

205,021

(32,420) (58,020) (73,420) (73,420) (60,540)

206,301 175,240 121,316 59,126 0

(122,098)

0

Difference Between Accounting and Tax

Direct Finance Lease Example

A simple GAAP balance sheet presentation of the lease:

GAAP Books 1 2

Year ended December 31

3 4 5

Cash

6

$196,508 $469,136 $690,566 $881,275 $1,071,984 $1,183,147

Gross Investment

Unearned Income

Residual

1,024,457 783,409

(231,991) (147,744)

100,000 100,000

542,360

(80,346)

100,000

301,311

(31,608)

100,000

60,262

(3,534)

100,000

0

0

0

Net Investment, Leases 892,466 735,664 562,014 369,703 156,728 0

Total Assets $1,088,974 $1,204,801 $1,252,580 $1,250,978 $1,228,712 $1,183,147

Deferred Taxes

Stockholder’s Equity

Total Liabilities & Equity

205,021

883,953

206,301

998,500

175,240

1,077,340

121,316

1,129,662

59,126

1,169,586

0

1,183,147

$1,088,974 $1,204,801 $1,252,580 $1,250,978 $1,228,712 $1,183,147

Q & A

62081 44

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