Member News

COVID-19 News, Member News

Littler | Reopening and Rehiring During the COVID-19 Pandemic – Critical Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Considerations

As many employers are on the way to normalizing their business practices and re-engaging their employees, they should not overlook the many potential pitfalls in the administration of their retirement, health and welfare plans and their executive compensation arrangements. The risks of missteps are high, and include loss of tax-qualification of retirement plans, penalty taxes in connection with the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) employer mandate rules, other IRS penalties, employee lawsuits and Department of Labor enforcement actions. The following...

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Member News, Trade & TTIP Related

GDLSK | US-EU Trade Update

US and EU Agree to Reduce Tariffs on Certain Products and the EU Asks the US to Withdraw Tariffs in Connection with the Large Civil Aircraft Dispute. On August 21, 2020, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) issued a Joint Statement with the European Union Trade Commission to announce the first tariff reductions between the US and EU in over 20 years. The tariff reductions will be retroactive to August 1, 2020.  The US will reduce tariff rates by...

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Member News

H&K | New PPP Interim Final Rule Addresses Loan Forgiveness Requirements

Provisions Added Regarding Treatment of Owner-Employees and Limitations on Eligibility of Non-Payroll Costs Highlights A new Interim Final Rule (IFR) from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) provides that certain owner-employees with less than a 5 percent ownership stake are not subject to the owner-employee compensation rule of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) limiting loan forgiveness for owner compensation. The IFR also provides that loan forgiveness may not include 1) amounts attributable to tenant, subtenant or household expenses, 2) most...

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Member News

Marks Paneth | CARES ACT – Tax Update: RMD Rollbacks Must Be Completed by August 31, 2020

The CARES Act enabled any taxpayer with a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) due in 2020 from a defined-contribution retirement plan, including a 401(k) or 403(b) plan, or an IRA, to skip those RMDs this year. This includes anyone who turned age 70 1/2 in 2019 and would have had to take the first RMD by April 1, 2020. This waiver does not apply to defined-benefit plans. The IRS allows anyone who already took an RMD in 2020 from these...

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Member News

AlixPartners | 5 Considerations For Enhancing SEC Disclosures Amid Crisis

Previously published on Law360 | The continuing economic and stock market tumult is prompting new behaviors from companies and regulatory bodies alike. As second-quarter earnings season wraps up, public companies have new guidelines from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission around how much information to disclose to stakeholders in their quarterly and annual forward-looking statements. Through these new guidelines, the SEC, by its own admission, has taken on a larger role in trying to use the power of disclosure to support broad economic...

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Member News

Solidus Capital | New Book on “Early Stage Valuation: A Fair Value Perspective”

In June, Wiley published “Early Stage Valuation: A Fair Value Perspective.” The book, authored by Antonella Puca, provides accurate, up-to-date information on recent guidelines and new approaches for valuation assessments. Andreas Dal Santo is co-author of “Chapter 4: Seed Stage Valuation and the Venture Capital Method”. The book also includes contributions from Neil Beaton, Alexander Davie, John Jackman, and Mark Zyla. This authoritative guide examines how to apply market analysis, discounted cash flow models, statistical techniques such as option pricing...

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Member News

Thompson Hine | Uncharted Territory: COVID-19 Travel and School Challenges Facing Employers

Employers have faced no shortage of challenges during 2020, and as we near the end of summer, new ones are on the horizon. Employees and their families seeking a change of scenery are traveling again, sometimes to COVID-19 hot spots, and when they come home, their return to the workplace has employers justifiably concerned. At the same time, employees with school-aged children have unique concerns of their own, including uncertainty over whether, when and where their children will begin...

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Member News

Faegre Drinker | New Executive Order Directs Federal Agencies to Buy U.S.-Made Medicines, Medical Countermeasures and Inputs

On August 6, 2020, President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) that directs certain federal agencies to prioritize purchasing certain essential medicines, medical countermeasures and critical inputs that are made in the United States. The EO applies to all federal agencies and departments involved in the procurement of such goods. After last week’s EO restricting the ability of government contractors to employ foreign nationals, this is the latest in a series of EOs promoting the administration’s Buy American, Hire American agenda....

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Member News

IPTI | Update on Property Tax Issues: August 2020

The EACC, in partnership with the International Property Tax Institute (IPTI), wants to keep its members up to date with the latest developments in property taxes in the USA and Europe. IPTI has put together a selection of brief reports from articles contained in IPTI Xtracts which can be found on its website (www.ipti.org). USA New York: Pandemic Disruption Waylays NYC Property Tax Reform Project One of the first New York City public events shut down in the coronavirus emergency was an...

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Member News

EIB | Health innovation: EU bank supports development of vascular calcification therapy

Vascular calcification is an ever-spreading health problem, with many potentially deadly implications and no specific medical treatment available yet. The European Investment Bank (EIB) aims to remedy this situation by providing a €20 million loan to Spanish biopharmaceutical company Sanifit, who is developing novel treatments in two disease indications linked to calcification. The EIB is advancing funds for this research, development and innovation project through a venture debt operation under the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI). EFSI is the financial...

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