Thought Leadership / News
January 12, 2023 
 Press Releases
IRS Concedes $120 Million Tax Liability with Gray Reed Client

On January 9, 2023, after five years of litigation, the U.S. Tax Court entered a stipulated “no deficiency” judgment relieving Gray Reed client Belmont Interests Inc. of approximately $120 million proposed tax liability.

The IRS claimed that Belmont Interests, a Texas-based corporate group, owed nearly $120 million for tax years 2012 and 2013. The IRS' arguments were based on the duty of consistency, a doctrine that generally bars shifting treatment for items that fall into multiple reporting years, especially in cases in which the agency can no longer rectify potentially incorrect reporting from an earlier year because the statute of limitations has expired.

In September 2022, the U.S. Tax Court rejected the IRS’ arguments for tax year 2013 and said Belmont didn’t owe $94 million in tax for 2013 because it wasn't obliged to include certain debt-related items in calculating its liabilities. On January 9, 2023, the parties agreed that for both 2012 and 2013 the amount owed was zero.

“We are beyond pleased with the Court’s refusal to expand the duty of consistency beyond the legal limits for 2012, just as it did for 2013,” Gray Reed Partner Tom Rhodus says. “We’ve been litigating this case for five years and we couldn’t ask for a better outcome for our client.”

In addition to Rhodus, Belmont was represented by Gray Reed Tax Partners David Gair and Joshua Smeltzer. The case is Belmont v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo 2022-98, filed September 26, 2022.

About Gray Reed

A full-service Texas law firm with offices in Dallas, Houston, and Waco, Gray Reed provides legal services to companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 as well as high-net-worth individuals. Gray Reed attorneys assist clients with a myriad of legal issues including commercial litigation, corporate transactions, oil and gas, tax planning and litigation, real estate, construction, healthcare, trusts and estates, employment law, family law, intellectual property and bankruptcy. For more information, visit www.grayreed.com