The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”) was enacted on December 22, 2017 and drastically changed certain provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The impact of the changes touches practically all businesses and individuals in one way or another. Among other things, the Act permanently decreases the corporate tax rate, temporarily decreases individual income tax rates, limits or eliminates the ability of taxpayers to utilize certain deductions and/or tax credits, includes special provisions allowing certain owners of qualifying “pass-through” businesses and disregarded entities to deduct up to twenty percent (20%) of qualifying business income, and modifies a number of other provisions that will impact businesses and owners going forward. This article briefly summarizes certain provisions of the Act that may be of particular interest to our business clients.
Criminalization of Business Regulation Violations
In the past, when corporations committed regulatory violations the penalties were often not severe. It used to be the case that the company would pay a fine and then business could continue as usual. Over the last decade, however, criminal statutes and sanctions against businesses have begun to resurface from within the federal regulations. This allows these violations to be criminalized and corporations to be prosecuted in an environment that was formerly largely thought of as regulatory. White collar criminal defense attorney Barry N. Covert spoke to the Buffalo Law Journal about the way these regulations are now being applied and how they could affect businesses going forward. The full story is available on the Buffalo Law Journal website.
New Ruling Halts Federal Overtime Rule
Many employers have been keeping a close watch on news regarding a new federal overtime rule since it was announced some time ago. A Texas Federal Court’s ruling this week has put at least a temporary halt on this rule before it has even been implemented. The rule, which was supposed to go into effect on December 1, could have extended overtime pay to about 5 million workers across the country. The Texas court ruled in favor of a preliminary injunction on this rule, which prohibits the Department of Labor from enforcing it. Diane M. Perri Roberts, an attorney who represents clients in business litigation and employment matters at Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria, spoke to the Buffalo Law Journal about the decision and what it means for employers going forward. The full story is available on the Buffalo Law Journal website.