[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4139 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4139

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to simplify the taxation of 
                             partnerships.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 2, 2004

 Mr. Houghton introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to simplify the taxation of 
                             partnerships.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as ``State Business Law Conformity Act of 
2004''.

SEC. 2. REFERENCES TO GENERAL PARTNERS.

    (a) Exclusion of Certain Active Businesses From at Risk Rules.--
Subclause (I) of section 465(c)(7)(D)(ii) of the Internal Revenue Code 
of 1986 (defining qualified corporate partner) is amended to read as 
follows:
                                    ``(I) such corporation is not 
                                prohibited or limited under State law 
                                from participation in the management or 
                                business of the partnership.''.
    (b) Payments to Retiring Partners.--Subparagraph (B) of section 
736(b)(3) of such Code (relating to limitation on application of 
paragraph (2)) is amended to read as follows:
                    ``(B) any portion of the retiring or deceased 
                partner's distributive share of partnership income was 
                subject to tax under section 1401.''.
    (c) Foreign Currency Transactions.--Subclause (I) of section 
988(c)(1)(E)(v) of such Code is amended to read as follows:
                                    ``(I) Certain general partners.--
                                The interest of a partner in the 
                                partnership shall not be treated as 
                                failing to meet the 20-percent 
                                ownership requirements of clause 
                                (iii)(I) for any taxable year of the 
                                partnership if for the taxable year of 
                                the partner in which such partnership 
                                taxable year ends--
                                            ``(aa) the partner is not 
                                        limited as to participation in 
                                        the management or activity of 
                                        the qualified fund, and
                                            ``(bb) such partner (and 
                                        each corporation filing a 
                                        consolidated return with such 
                                        partner) had no ordinary income 
                                        or loss from a section 988 
                                        transaction which is foreign 
                                        currency gain or loss (as the 
                                        case may be).''.
    (d) Special Valuation Rules for Generation-Skipping Tax.--Clause 
(ii) of section 2701(b)(2)(B) of such Code (relating to partnerships) 
is amended to read as follows:
                            ``(ii) in the case of a limited 
                        partnership, the holding of any interest as a 
                        partner who is not limited as to participation 
                        in management or activity of the 
                        partnership.''.
    (e) Tax Matters Partner.--Paragraph (7) of section 6231(a) of such 
Code (defining tax matters partner) is amended to read as follows:
            ``(7) Tax matters partner.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The tax matters partner of any 
                partnership is--
                            ``(i) the partner designated as the tax 
                        matters partner as provided in regulations, or
                            ``(ii) if there is no partner who has been 
                        so designated, the partner having the largest 
                        profits interest in the partnership at the 
                        close of the taxable year involved (or, where 
                        there is more than 1 such partner, the 1 of 
                        such partners whose name would appear first in 
                        an alphabetical listing).
                    ``(B) Selection by secretary.--If there is no 
                partner designated under subparagraph (A)(i) and the 
                Secretary determines that it is impracticable to apply 
                subparagraph (A)(ii), the partner selected by the 
                Secretary shall be treated as the tax matters partner. 
                The Secretary shall, within 30 days of selecting a tax 
                matters partner under the preceding sentence, notify 
                all partners required to receive notice under section 
                6223(a) of the name and address of the person selected.
                    ``(C) Restriction on designation of partner.--A 
                partner may not be designated as a tax matters partner 
                under subparagraph (A)(i) unless such partner is not 
                limited as to participation in management or activity 
                of the partnership.''.
    (f) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2004.

SEC. 3. REFERENCES TO LIMITED PARTNERS.

    (a) Limited Entrepreneur.--
            (1) In general.--Subparagraph (A) of section 464(e)(2) of 
        the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (defining limited 
        entrepreneur) is amended by striking ``other than as a limited 
        partner''.
            (2) Conforming amendments.--
                    (A) Section 464(c) of such Code is amended--
                            (i) by striking ``limited partners or'' in 
                        paragraph (1)(B),
                            (ii) by striking ``a limited partner or'' 
                        in paragraph (2).
                    (B) Section 1256 of such Code is amended--
                            (i) by striking ``limited partners or'' 
                        each place it appears in subsections (e)(3)(B) 
                        and (f)(4),
                            (ii) by striking ``a limited partner or'' 
                        in subsection (e)(3)(C), and
                            (iii) by striking ``limited partner or'' 
                        both places it appears in the heading and text 
                        of subsection (e)(4)(A)(i).
                    (C) Section 1258(d)(5)(C) of such Code is amended--
                            (i) by striking ``limited partner or'' in 
                        the matter preceding subclause (i),
                            (ii) by striking ``limited partner's (or 
                        limited entrepreneur's) in subclause (i) and 
                        inserting ``limited entrepreneur's'', and
                            (iii) by striking ``partners and limited'' 
                        in the heading.
    (b) Passive Loss Rules.--
            (1) Subsection (h) of section 469 of such Code is amended 
        by striking paragraph (2) and by redesignating paragraphs (3), 
        (4), and (5) as paragraphs (2), (3), and (4), respectively.
            (2) Subparagraph (A) of section 469(c)(7) of such Code is 
        amended by striking the last sentence.
            (3) Paragraph (6) of section 469(i) of such Code is amended 
        by striking subparagraph (C) and by redesignating subparagraph 
        (D) as subparagraph (C).
            (4) Subsection (f) of section 772 of such Code (relating to 
        special rules for applying passive loss limitations) is amended 
        to read as follows:
    ``(f) Special Rules for Applying Passive Loss Limitations.--
            ``(1) In general.--If any person holds an interest in an 
        electing large partnership other than as a partner described in 
        paragraph (3)--
                    ``(A) paragraph (2) of subsection (c) shall not 
                apply to such partner, and
                    ``(B) such partner's distributive share of the 
                partnership items allocable to passive loss limitation 
                activities shall be taken into account separately to 
                the extent necessary to comply with the provisions of 
                section 469.
            ``(2) Exception.--Paragraph (1) shall not apply to any 
        items allocable to an interest held as a partner described in 
        paragraph (3).
            ``(3) Partner described.--For purposes of this subsection, 
        a partner is described in this paragraph if the partner is a 
        person whose participation in the management or business 
        activity of the partnership is limited under applicable State 
        law.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2004.

SEC. 4. PARTNERSHIP INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO CAPITAL EXCLUDED FROM NET 
              EARNINGS FROM SELF-EMPLOYMENT.

    (a) In General.--Paragraph (13) of section 1402(a) of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 is amended to read as follows:
            ``(13) there shall be excluded the distributive share of 
        net income of a partner attributable to capital;''.
    (b) Partnership Income Attributable to Capital.--Section 1402 of 
such Code is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(l) Partnership Income Attributable to Capital.--
            ``(1) In general.--For purposes of subsection (a)(13), the 
        following amounts shall be treated as income attributable to 
        capital--
                    ``(A) the amount, if any, in excess of what would 
                constitute reasonable compensation for services 
                rendered by such partner to the partnership, and
                    ``(B) an amount equal to a reasonable rate of 
                return on unreturned capital of the partner determined 
                as of the beginning of the taxable year.
            ``(2) Definitions.--For purposes of paragraph (1)--
                    ``(A) Unreturned capital.--The term `unreturned 
                capital' means the excess of the aggregate amount of 
                money and the fair market value as of the date of 
                contribution of other consideration (net of 
                liabilities) contributed by the partner over the 
                aggregate amount of money and the fair market value as 
                of the date of distribution of other consideration (net 
                of liabilities) distributed by the partnership to the 
                partner, increased or decreased for the partner's 
                distributive share of all reportable items as 
                determined in section 702. If the partner acquires a 
                partnership interest and the partnership makes an 
                election under section 754, the partner's unreturned 
                capital shall take into account appropriate adjustments 
                under section 743.
                    ``(B) Reasonable rate of return.--A reasonable rate 
                of return on unreturned capital shall equal 150 percent 
                (or such higher rate as is established in regulations) 
                of the highest applicable Federal rate, as determined 
                under section 1274(d)(1), at the beginning of the 
                partnership's taxable year.
            ``(3) Regulations.--The Secretary shall prescribe such 
        regulations as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of 
        this subsection.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply with respect to services performed in taxable years beginning 
after December 31, 2004.

SEC. 5. REPEAL OF ABILITY TO ELECT LARGE PARTNERSHIP REPORTING RULES.

    (a) In General.--Paragraph (2) of section 775(a) of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to election) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: ``No election under this subsection shall be made 
after December 31, 2004.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section shall apply 
to partnership taxable years beginning after December 31, 2004.
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