As we beckon in the New Year and a new decade, Belpointe REIT recently announced that it has started trading on the OTCQX (the OTC) under the symbol “BELP.”
Read more in our new Opportunity Zones blog.
From the Land of OZ – My Top Ten Favorites from the Final Regs
Now that we have all had a chance to celebrate a Merry Christmas, a Happy Kwanzaa or a Happy Hanukah, and have had the chance to digest 544 pages of final OZ regs – what, you say you have not really studied the new final regs yet – can’t be the case :) !
Read more in our new Opportunity Zones blog.
From the Land of OZ – Final OZ Regulations Issued by the IRS/Treasury
On December 19, 2019, the U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS issued final regulations implementing the Opportunity Zones tax incentive. According to the IRS press release, the final rules seek to provide clarity for Opportunity Funds and their eligible subsidiaries in determining qualification and levels of new investment in Opportunity Zones. They also provide guidance regarding the types of gains that qualify for Opportunity Zone investments, as well as gains that may be excluded from tax after a 10-year holding period.
Read more on our new Opportunity Zones blog.
From the Land of OZ: Rapid increase in funds invested in Opportunity Zone Funds
Despite the laments that I have heard of late at various conferences and read in various articles, Opportunity Zones are, in our little slice of the world, very busy, very active and, per both Novogradac and Bisnow, OZ Funds who are focused on raising third party equity have seen a marked increase in funds under management in the last few months and have raised approximately $4.5B to date. While this is indeed less than the $6T of unrealized capital gains estimated to be available to invest, it is still a very sizable sum of money.
Read more in our new Opportunity Zones blog.
From the Land of OZ – New Federal OZ Regulations to OMB; DOE Prioritizes OZs; Proposed Federal OZ Reporting Bill; and SC adds state incentives to OZ program
On Friday, December 6th, the IRS/Treasury delivered to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) , approximately 500+ pages of final regulations for Opportunity Zones. Hey now!
Read more on our new Opportunity Zones blog.
Opportunity Zones – Additional States Continue to Join the Growing List of Places (39 States in All) Following Federal Form – Brad A. Molotsky, Esq.
Busy times continue in the Opportunity Zone world now that we have gotten past the clarion call of 2018 partnership rollovers into Qualified Opportunity Funds and Qualified Opportunity Zone Businesses that occurred on or before June 28, 2019. In our little corner of the world, deals are getting closed and new engagements happening, in particular on the business side of the ledger and some on the community impact side as well. Interesting and exciting stuff.
Based on my conversations with friends and colleagues at KPMG (thanks team for your continued excellent efforts) regarding the various states and their conformity with the federal OZ program – as of July 14th, 39 states for corporations and 33 states for individuals have elected to follow form with Pennsylvania being the latest to join the hit parade as of last week:
For Corporations:
— 39 states currently are conforming (rolling or updated state IRC conformity; AZ and MN are recent changes; AZ retroactively conforms starting TY18; HI conforms starting in TY19; IA conforms starting in TY19; MN might be retroactive but DOR guidance has not been issued yet)
— 2 states didn’t update IRC conformity
(CA, NH)
— 1 state updated IRC conformity but decoupled from IRC 1400Z (NC)
For Individuals:
— 33 states currently conforming (rolling or updated state IRC conformity; AZ and MN are recent changes; AZ retroactively conforms starting TY18; HI conforms starting in TY19; IA conforms starting in TY19; MN might be retroactive but DOR guidance has not been issued yet)
— 1 state didn’t update IRC conformity (CA)
— 1 state updated IRC conformity but decoupled from IRC 1400Z (NC)
— 6 states where IRC conformity is different for personal income tax or only have selective IRC conformity (AL, AR, MA, MS, NJ, PA) of which three do not conform (AL, MA, MS), one conforms (NJ), one will conform (PA for TYB 1/1/20), and one conforms but only with respect to QOZs located within this state (AR)
Check it out and let us know if you have any questions or need help on your various deals and transactions.
Brad A. Molotsky, Duane Morris LLP
Washington DC – Opportunity Zone March Madness – Brad A. Molotsky, Esq.
Earlier this week, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced 3 new initiatives intended to maximize opportunity zones (OZ) benefits in the nation’s capital.
The city committed $24 million to properties that support affordable housing, workforce development and the growth of small businesses in the district’s 25 OZs.
Mayor Bowser also announced the OZ Community Corps to provide free legal and other advice, as well as an online OZ marketplace for sponsors, fund managers, investors and community members.
For more information about Washington, DC’s Opportunity Zones, visit oppzones.dc.gov
While this will not help my brackets at all, it is a super step forward for DC’s 25 OZ’s, well done Mayor!
-Brad A. Molotsky, Esq.
Opportunity Zone Update – OMB Guidance Expected and Some State Follow On – Brad A. Molotsky, Esq.
Continued high interest and activity on the Opportunity Zone fronts on many levels this past week. Conversations, closings and connections continue at a torrid pace – including a packed IMN conference in NYC this past week with many of the national and regional luminaries in attendance. By way of a quick update on a few fronts, courtesy of our friends at Novogradac for their recon:
Federal – On March 12th, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) received the 2nd tranche of regulatory guidance for review from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) concerning the opportunity zones (OZ) incentive. OIRA is a division of the White House Office Management of the Budget. The proposed IRS rule is expected to address what types of property qualify as qualified OZ business property, steps an OZ business must take to be qualified, the penalty for a qualified opportunity fund’s failure to meet the 90% investment standard and more. After a mandated review of at least 10 days, the OMB is expected to release the guidance to be published in the Federal Register. The first tranche of guidance was reviewed for 36 days before it was published.
Vermont – H 442 introduced in the Vermont Legislature would make investments made in Opportunity Zones eligible to apply annually for the state Downtown and Village Center Tax Credit, which is twice as often as other projects are allowed to apply and would expand eligibility under the program only for OZ investments. The Downtown and Village Center Tax Credit covers between 10 percent and 50 percent of eligible rehabilitation expenses and has a $2.4 million statewide annual cap. If enacted, the bill would go into effect July 1.
Ohio – Gov. Mike DeWine said that his proposed 2020-2021 budget will call for a 10% state income tax credit to attract investment to opportunity zones. DeWine will propose a nonrefundable credit using existing tax credit availability to create the new credit.
At this point 31 states have “followed form” and are offering some level of state capital gains relief to those who follow the federal opportunity zone rules and invest in businesses or real estate pursuant to the federal OZ rules and regulations. New Jersey is moving ahead with a bill to become the 32nd state.
I look forward to seeing some of you on the 25th at our discussion in Baltimore on OZs. If of interest, drop me an email as space is limited. Best regards.
– Brad A. Molotsky, Esq.
P-3s and Opportunity Zones – An Update on a Few Fronts
P-3s and Opportunity Zones – An Update on a Few Fronts – Brad A. Molotsky, Esquire
Infrastructure and P-3s – The Move America Act of 2019 (H.R. 1508) was re-introduced again yesterday by Reps. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind. and Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. The Bill attempts to spur investment in infrastructure improvements through the issuance of Move America Bonds and Move America Credits.
The proposed bill would expand tax-exempt private activity bonds for infrastructure and create a federal infrastructure tax credit to fund infrastructure projects through public-private partnerships (P-3s). Sens. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., introduced the Senate companion bill (S. 146) in January.
Previous versions of the Move America Act were introduced in the Senate in 2015 and in the Senate and House in 2017.
According to the team at Novogradac, the House Ways and Means Committee is holding a hearing today on infrastructure reform and House leadership has tentatively targeted late spring for major infrastructure legislation on the House floor, which could include the Move America Act and other tax credit provisions from the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act and the New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act.
States incentivizing investments in their designated Federal Opportunity Zones.
Maryland – The Maryland legislature introduced HB 1141 this past week according to our sources at Novogradac. This bill would enable the creation of a state affordable housing tax credit effective in 2020. It would also create a “Qualified Maryland Housing Tax Credit” for properties that qualify for the federal low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) and are in areas designated as “community revitalization areas”. These community revitalization areas are areas that include Opportunity Zones. The bill sets an annual statewide cap of $10 Million and no requirement that the development also receive federal LIHTCs.
Rhode Island – A bill in the Rhode Island House of Representatives (HB 5808) would create a tax credit for 10% of a taxpayer’s opportunity zones (OZ) investment in Pawtucket and Central Falls, R.I. Per the draft bill, a qualified opportunity fund would be required to invest at least $250,000 in the OZ for the participants to receive the credit. The tax credit could be taken in the year in which a qualified OZ business is placed in service.
Opportunity Zones – CO Taking the OZ Program Seriously!
Governor Jared Polis announced the formation of a dedicated office within the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) to cultivate active investment in Colorado’s 126 federally designated Opportunity Zones.
“Colorado has earned national recognition for our thoughtful and inclusive approach designating Opportunity Zones, and we are committed to ensuring that we realize the maximum potential,” said Governor Jared Polis. “It’s vital that we continue to build on this momentum and collaborate with communities and investors to make these opportunities a reality to create good jobs.”
The new team will be led by recently named Opportunity Zone Program Director Jana Persky and charged with engaging stakeholders to facilitate active investment in designated Colorado tracts. The office will provide procedural guidance and technical knowledge to enable communities to secure much-needed investment and is funded through an Economic Development Commission allocation.
The office is partnering with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) to support communities in developing Opportunity Zone strategies, with the goal of attracting capital to projects that will have a positive community impact.
“DOLA has been working in partnership with local communities and leaders and OEDIT to identify where their designated areas can achieve its full potential,” said DOLA Executive Director Rick Garcia. “Through the Opportunity Zone program, equitable distribution will be possible in some of our rural areas of the state which will provide them with the opportunity to continue along the path towards economic innovation throughout Colorado.”
To help facilitate Opportunity Zone investments, the office will offer grants to support economic modeling, prospectus development, and other technical assistance needed to help community-oriented projects come to fruition.
OEDIT, in conjunction with Startup Colorado and the Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network, has also launched CO-Invest.co to connect investors and opportunities – including opportunity zones – to leverage the speed and reach of technology to further facilitate the investment opportunities.
Great to see communities, the State and its economic development teams working hand in glove to deliver great resources and tools to the market place to assist those interested in appropriate investment that is desired by the applicable communities. Way to go CO!