Trying Times: Important Lessons to Be Learned from Recent Federal Tax Cases

Since 2006, the Tax Court, District Courts, and Circuit Courts have collectively issued more than forty decisions relating to the federal charitable income tax deduction for the donation of perpetual conservation easements (fifteen decisions were issued in 2012 alone). This outline discusses the practical implications of recent court decisions for conservation easement donors and donees. The outline was prepared for a workshop of the same name at the Land Trust Alliance's national conference in New Orleans in September 2013. Presenters at the workshop were Nancy A. McLaughlin, Professor of Law, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law; Steve Small, Attorney at Law, Law Office of Stephen J. Small, Esq., P.C.; Karin Gross, Supervisory Attorney, Internal Revenue Service; and Marc Caine, Senior Counsel, Internal Revenue Service, Office of Chief Counsel.