§75 — Title 26 Internal Revenue Code | U.S. Code

Summary

People who hold tax‑free municipal bonds mainly to sell must change how they report income or the bond’s basis to account for bond premium. If they keep inventories and value them on any basis other than cost, they must lower the cost of securities sold by the amount of amortizable bond premium that would not be allowed as a deduction under the amortizable premium rules if the bond were treated like other bonds. If they do not use inventories, or they value inventories at cost, and they sell or otherwise dispose of the bond during the year, they must reduce the bond’s adjusted basis by the same amortizable‑premium adjustment that the basis rules would require if the bond were not excluded. Municipal bond: a government‑issued obligation whose interest is tax‑exempt, but not included if sold within 30 days of purchase or if its earliest maturity or call date is more than 5 years after purchase. Cost of securities sold: opening inventory plus purchases during the year minus closing inventory.

Title 26, §75

Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In computing the gross income of a taxpayer who holds during the taxable year a municipal bond (as defined in subsection (b)(1)) primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of his trade or business—

(1)if the gross income of the taxpayer from such trade or business is computed by the use of inventories and his inventories are valued on any basis other than cost, the cost of securities sold (as defined in subsection (b)(2)) during such year shall be reduced by an amount equal to the amortizable bond premium which would be disallowed as a deduction for such year by section 171(a)(2) (relating to deduction for amortizable bond premium) if the definition in section 171(d) of the term “bond” did not exclude such municipal bond; or

(2)if the gross income of the taxpayer from such trade or business is computed without the use of inventories, or by use of inventories valued at cost, and the municipal bond is sold or otherwise disposed of during such year, the adjusted basis (computed without regard to this paragraph) of the municipal bond shall be reduced by the amount of the adjustment which would be required under section 1016(a)(5) (relating to adjustment to basis for amortizable bond premium) if the definition in section 171(d) of the term “bond” did not exclude such municipal bond.

(b)For purposes of subsection (a)—

(1)The term “municipal bond” means any obligation issued by a government or political subdivision thereof if the interest on such obligation is excludable from gross income; but such term does not include such an obligation if—

(A)(i)it is sold or otherwise disposed of by the taxpayer within 30 days after the date of its acquisition by him, or

(ii)its earliest maturity or call date is a date more than 5 years from the date on which it was acquired by the taxpayer; and

(B)when it is sold or otherwise disposed of by the taxpayer—

(i)in the case of a sale, the amount realized, or

(ii)in the case of any other disposition, its fair market value at the time of such disposition,

(2)The term “cost of securities sold” means the amount ascertained by subtracting the inventory value of the closing inventory of a taxable year from the sum of—

(A)the inventory value of the opening inventory for such year, and

(B)the cost of securities and other property purchased during such year which would properly be included in the inventory of the taxpayer if on hand at the close of the taxable year.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1958—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 85–866, § 2(a)(2), (3), struck out “short-term” each place it appeared, and inserted sentence to provide that no reduction to cost of securities sold during taxable year shall be made in respect of subsec. (b)(1)(A)(ii) obligations held at close of year, and to permit reduction in cost of securities sold in taxable year sold if obligation is municipal bond. Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 85–866, § 2(a)(1), substituted “municipal bond” for “short-term municipal bond”, designated former subpars. (A) and (B) as (A)(i) and (ii), respectively, and added subpar. (B).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1958 Amendment Pub. L. 85–866, § 2(c), Sept. 2, 1958, 72 Stat. 1607, provided that: “The

Amendments

made by subsections (a) and (b) [amending this section and section 1016 of this title] shall apply with respect to taxable years ending after December 31, 1957, but only with respect to obligations acquired after such date.”

§75 Dealers in Tax-exempt Securities

Summary

Title 26, §75

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Amendments

Citations & Metadata