(a) Nature of election. In lieu of determining the increase under the provisions of section 954(g) and § 1.954-7(a) or the decrease under the provisions of section 955(a)(2) and § 1.955A-1(b) in a controlled foreign corporation's qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations for a taxable year in the manner provided in such provisions, a United States shareholder of such controlled foreign corporation may elect, under the provisions of section 955(b)(3) and this section, to determine such increase in accordance with the provisions of § 1.954-7(b) and to determine such decrease by ascertaining the amount by which—
(1) Such controlled foreign corporation's qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations at the close of such taxable year exceed its qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations at the close of the taxable year immediately following such taxable year, and reducing such excess by
(2) The amount determined under § 1.955A-1(b)(1)(ii) for such taxable year subject to the limitation provided in § 1.995A-1(b)(2) for such taxable year. An election under this section may be made with respect to each controlled foreign corporation with respect to which a person is a United States shareholder within the meaning of section 951(b), but the election may not be exercised separately with respect to the increases and the decreases of such controlled foreign corporation. If an election is made under this section to determine the increase of a controlled foreign corporation in accordance with the provisions of § 1.954-7(b), subsequent decreases of such controlled foreign corporation shall be determined in accordance with this paragraph and not in accordance with § 1.955A-1(b).
(b) Time and manner of making election—(1) Without consent. An election under this section with respect to a controlled foreign corporation shall be made without the consent of the Commissioner by a United States shareholder's filing a statement to such effect with his return for his taxable year in which or with which ends the first taxable year of such controlled foreign corporation in which—
(i) Such shareholder is a United States shareholder, and
(ii) Such controlled foreign corporation realizes foreign base company shipping income, as defined in § 1.954-6.
(2) With consent. An election under this section with respect to a controlled foreign corporation may be made by a United States shareholder at any time with the consent of the Commissioner. Consent will not be granted unless the United States shareholder and the Commissioner agree to the terms, conditions, and adjustments under which the election will be effected. The application for consent to elect shall be made by the United States shareholder's mailing a letter for such purpose to the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Washington, DC 20224. The application shall be mailed before the close of the first taxable year of the controlled foreign corporation with respect to which the shareholder desires to compute an amount described in section 954(b)(2) in accordance with the election provided in this section. The application shall include the following information.
(i) The name, address, and taxpayer identification number, and taxable year of the United States shareholder;
(ii) The name and address of the controlled foreign corporation;
(iii) The first taxable year of the controlled foreign corporation for which income is to be computed under the election;
(iv) The amount of the controlled foreign corporation's qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations at the close of its preceding taxable year; and
(v) The sum of the amounts excluded under section 954(b)(2) and § 1.954-1(b)(1) from the foreign base company income of the controlled foreign corporation for all prior taxable years during which such shareholder was a United States shareholder of such corporation and the sum of the amounts of its previously excluded subpart F income withdrawn from investment in foreign base company shipping operations for all prior taxable years during which such shareholder was a United States shareholder of such corporation.
(c) Effect of election—(1) General. Except as provided in subparagraphs (3) and (4) of this paragraph, an election under this section with respect to a controlled foreign corporation shall be binding on the United States shareholder and shall apply to all qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations acquired, or disposed of, by such controlled foreign corporation during the taxable year following its taxable year for which income is first computed under the election and during all succeeding taxable years of such corporation.
(2) Returns. Any return of a United States shareholder required to be filed before the completion of a period with respect to which determinations are to be made as to a controlled foreign corporation's qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations for purposes of computing such shareholder's taxable income shall be filed on the basis of an estimate of the amount of the controlled foreign corporation's qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations at the close of the period. If the actual amount of such investments is not the same as the amount of the estimate, the United States shareholder shall immediately notify the Commissioner. The Commissioner will thereupon redetermine the amount of tax of such United States shareholder for the year or years with respect to which the incorrect amount was taken into account. The amount of tax, if any, due upon such redetermination shall be paid by the United States shareholder upon notice and demand by the district director. The amount of tax, if any, shown by such redetermination to have been overpaid shall be credited or refunded to the United States shareholder in accordance with the provisions of sections 6402 and 6511 and the regulations thereunder.
(3) Revocation. Upon application by the United States shareholder, the election made under this section may, subject to the approval of the Commissioner, be revoked. Approval will not be granted unless the United States shareholder and the Commissioner agree to the terms, conditions, and adjustments under which the revocation will be effected. Unless such agreement provides otherwise, the change in the controlled foreign corporation's qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations for its first taxable year for which income is computed without regard to the election previously made will be considered to be zero for purposes of effectuating the revocation. The application for consent to revocation shall be made by the United States shareholder's mailing a letter for such purpose to the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Washington, DC 20224. The application shall be mailed before the close of the first taxable year of the controlled foreign corporation with respect to which the shareholder desires to compute the amounts described in section 954(b)(2) or 955(a) without regard to the election provided in this section. The application shall include the following information:
(i) The name, address, and taxpayer identification number of the United States shareholder:
(ii) The name and address of the controlled foreign corporation;
(iii) The taxable year of the controlled foreign corporation for which such amounts are to be computed;
(iv) The amount of the controlled foreign corporation's qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations at the close of its preceding taxable year;
(v) The sum of the amounts excluded under section 954(b)(2) and § 1.954-1(b)(1) from the foreign base company income of the controlled foreign corporation for all prior taxable years during which such shareholder was a United States shareholder of such corporation and the sum of the amounts of its previously excluded subpart F income withdrawn from investment in foreign base company shipping operations for all prior taxable years during which such shareholder was a United States shareholder of such corporation; and
(vi) The reasons for the request for consent to revocation.
(4) Transfer of stock. If during any taxable year of a controlled foreign corporation—
(i) A United States shareholder who has made an election under this section with respect to such controlled foreign corporation sells, exchanges, or otherwise disposes of all or part of his stock in such controlled foreign corporation, and
(ii) The foreign corporation is a controlled foreign corporation immediately after the sale, exchange, or other disposition,
(d) Illustrations. The application of this section may be illustrated by the following examples:
Foreign corporation A is a wholly owned subsidiary of domestic corporation M. Both corporations use the calendar year as a taxable year. In a statement filed with its return for 1977, M makes an election under section 955(b)(3) and the election remains in force for the taxable year 1978. At December 31, 1978, A's qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations amount to $100,000; and, at December 31, 1979, to $80,000. For purposes of paragraph (a)(1) of this section, A Corporation's decrease in qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations for the taxable year 1978 is $20,000 and is determined by ascertaining the amount by which A Corporation's qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations at December 31, 1978 ($100,000) exceed its qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations at December 31, 1979 ($80,000).
The facts are the same as in example 1 except that A experiences no changes in qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations during its taxable years 1980 and 1981. If M's election were to remain in force, A's acquisitions and dispositions of qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations during A's taxable year 1982 would be taken into account in determining whether A has experienced an increase or a decrease in qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations for its taxable year 1981. However, M duly files before the close of A's taxable year 1981 as application for consent to revocation of M Corporation's election under section 955(b)(3), and, pursuant to an agreement between the Commissioner and M, consent is granted by the Commissioner. Assuming such agreement does not provide otherwise, A's change in qualifed investments in foreign base company shipping operations for its taxable year 1981 is zero because the effect of the revocation of the election is to treat acquisitions and dispositions of qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations actually occurring in 1982 as having occurred in such year rather than in 1981.
The facts are the same as in example 2 except that A's qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations at December 31, 1982, amount to $70,000. For purposes of paragraph (b)(1)(i) of § 1.955A-1, the decrease in A's qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations for the taxable year 1982 is $10,000 and is determined by ascertaining the amount by which A's qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations at December 31, 1981 ($80,000) exceed its qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations at December 31, 1982 ($70,000).
The facts are the same as in example 1. Assume further that on September 30, 1979, M sells 40 percent of the only class of stock of A to N Corporation, a domestic corporation. N uses the calendar year as a taxable year. A remains a controlled foreign corporation immediately after such sale of its stock. A's qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations at December 31, 1980, amount to $90,000. The changes in A Corporation's qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations occurring in its taxable year 1979 are considered to be zero with respect to the 40-percent stock interest acquired by N Corporation. The entire $20,000 reduction in A Corporation's qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations which occurs during the taxable year 1979 is taken into account by M for purposes of paragraph (c)(1) of this section in determining its tax liability for the taxable year 1978. A's increase in qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations for the taxable year 1979 with respect to the 60-percent stock interest retained by M is $6,000 and is determined by ascertaining M's pro rata share (60 percent) of the amount by which A's qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations at December 31, 1980 ($90,000) exceed its qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations at December 31, 1979 ($80,000). N does not make an election under section 955(b)(3) in its return for its taxable year 1980. Corporation A's increase in qualified investments in foreign base company shipping operations for the taxable year 1980 with respect to the 40-percent stock interest acquired by N is $4,000.
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