The Indiana Court of Appeals and the South Carolina Supreme Court recently issued noteworthy rulings on the appropriateness of discounts in valuing minority interests. The contexts in which the issue arose were different, but both situations amounted to a compelled buyback of shares. Read more >>

A recent Wisconsin case illustrates that a shareholder agreement in place is no guarantee for a smooth buyout of the minority shareholder. The case also includes a caution to experts to strive for clarity in their expert reports. Read more >>

Over the past week, over 100 new comments have been submitted to the IRS about the controversial proposed Section 2704 regs designed to rein in estate tax valuations. That brings the total comments to almost 200, but it's hoped that many more will come in before the due date of November 2. Read more >>

At the ASA Advanced Business Valuation Conference last week in Boca Raton, Fla., valuation practitioners told us that they are seeing an increase in valuation engagements triggered by the proposed Section 2704 regulations. They expect the increased business to gain steam as the regs continue to sink in with attorneys, wealth planners, and clients. Read more >>

The accounting, valuation, and legal professions are hard at work to defeat the Treasury Department's proposed Section 274 regulations. The new regs would curtail, if not entirely eliminate, valuation discounts in family-controlled entities. Read more >>

Well-crafted comments can change the course of the controversial proposed IRC Section 2704 regs designed to curb estate valuation discounts. There's a concern that, if these regs are finalized as proposed, the federal government will go after valuation discounts in other contexts. Comments are due by November 2, and there's a public hearing in Washington on December 1. Read more >>

The Treasury has released long-awaited proposed IRC Section 2704 regulations designed to curb estate valuation discounts. It appears that the proposed regulations eliminate almost all minority discounts for closely held entity interests, including operating businesses owned by a family. The proposed regs have triggered a strong response from the valuation community, legal profession, and others. Read more >>

The parties retained a sole appraiser, whom they both knew from past appraisals he had done of the company. Prior to formally engaging the appraiser, in a court hearing, both sides broached the issue of whether it was appropriate to apply a minority discount in valuing the plaintiff's shares. The court declined to weigh in on the subject, but told the parties the minority discount issue should form “part of the discussion” they needed to have over the valuation methodology. Read more >>