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Client Alert - A Summary of the Tax Law Provisions of the 2024-2025 Connecticut Biannual Budget

June 20, 2023

On June 12, 2023, Governor Ned Lamont signed Connecticut’s two-year, $51 billion budget into law. The budget is said to include the largest income tax cut in Connecticut history and includes approximately $500 million in tax relief to Connecticut taxpayers, primarily by lowering certain income tax rates, modifying the pass-through entity tax, and expanding or increasing certain tax credits.

IRS Reveals 10-Year Spending Plan for $80 Billion Funding

April 24, 2023

The Inflation Reduction Act enacted in August 2022 included $80 billion in funding for the IRS over the next decade. On April 6, 2023, the IRS released its Strategic Operating Plan (the “SOP”) which outlines the IRS’s plan for using these funds.

Supreme Court Rules that Non-Willful Foreign Bank Account Reporting Penalty Applies on a Per Report Basis

April 17, 2023

The Bank Secrecy Act requires every U.S. person with a financial interest in, or signature or other authority over, a financial account located outside the U.S. to report the account to the U.S. Treasury Department annually, if the total value of the foreign financial accounts exceeds $10,000 at any time during the year.

The IRS Puts its Stake in the Ground with Respect to Step Up in Basis on Grantor Trusts Not Included in Taxable Estate

April 7, 2023

With IRS Revenue Ruling 2023-2, the IRS is attempting to eliminate a position trumpeted by certain estate and gift tax practitioners and commenters since 2002.

Biden Administration's 2024 Fiscal Year Budget Proposals Once Again Threaten Changes to the Estate and Gift Tax System

March 31, 2023

On March 9, 2023, the Treasury Department released its General Explanations of the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2024 Revenue Proposals (known as the Greenbook), to accompany President Biden’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2024.

Selecting a Fiduciary to Administer Your Estate or Trust

March 27, 2023

The purpose of the brochure is to provide clients with information on the role, responsibilities, liabilities and types of fiduciaries to help them select a fiduciary that is right for them, as well as share with them our experience serving as fiduciaries and the broad range of services we can provide to our clients’ fiduciaries.

29 Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys Named Best Lawyers® in Connecticut for 2023

March 22, 2023

Cummings & Lockwood LLC is pleased to announce that 29 of the firm’s attorneys have been named among the Best Lawyers® in Connecticut for 2023, including five lawyers identified as “Ones to Watch.”

Back-End Spousal Lifetime Access Trust

March 5, 2023

The historically high combined federal estate and gift tax exemption amount, currently $12,920,000 per individual in 2023, afforded by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts (the “TCJA”) will sunset on December 31, 2025, absent further legislation from Congress, and be reduced to the pre-TCJA level of $5,000,000 (adjusted annually for inflation) per individual on January 1, 2026.


Naples Daily News Sunday Supplement

Marc T. Finer Joins Cummings & Lockwood as a Principal Tax Attorney

February 27, 2023

Cummings & Lockwood is pleased to announce that Marc T. Finer has recently joined the firm as a Principal Tax Attorney in the Private Clients Group and is based in the firm’s West Hartford office.

Corporate Transparency Act

January 25, 2023

In September 2022, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) of the Department of the Treasury issued final regulations implementing the beneficial ownership information (“BOI”) reporting requirements of the Corporate Transparency Act of 2020 (the “CTA”). 

2022 Cummings & Lockwood Firmwide Annual Update

January 4, 2023

To Our Clients and Friends:

The end of the year is a good time for reflection about our values and accomplishments and our goals for the coming year.  A letter from our new Chairman and Managing Director, Laura Weintraub Beck.

Tax Update: What the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 Means for 529 Accounts

January 3, 2023

Included in Congress’ recently passed SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (SECURE 2.0) is a noteworthy planning opportunity for those with 529 Accounts. In the past, withdrawals from tax-advantaged 529 Accounts could only be used for qualified education expenses without incurring federal income tax and penalties. While accounts could be rolled over for certain relatives, the options were undesirable for most.