The Sixteenth Annual Institute on Current Issues in International Taxation jointly sponsored by the Internal Revenue Service and the George Washington University Law School, will be held on December 11 and 12, 2003, at the J. W. Marriott Hotel in Washington, DC.

This announcement delays the implementation of rolling renewals applicable to enrolled agents, whose social security numbers end with 0, 1, 2, or 3, under section 10.6(d)(1) of the Regulations Governing Practice Before the Internal Revenue Service, Treasury Department Circular No. 230, 31 CFR part 10.

2003 base period T-bill rate. The “base period T-bill rate” for the period ending September 30, 2003, is published as required by section 995(f) of the Code.

Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). This ruling concerns the eligibility criteria for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. The ruling clarifies that an individual whose family receives assistance for the requisite period meets the requirements to be certified as a qualified IV-A recipient under section 51(d)(2)(A) of the Code if the individual is included on the grant (and thus receives assistance) for some portion of the specified period.

Federal rates; adjusted federal rates; adjusted federal long-term rate and the long-term exempt rate. For purposes of sections 382, 1274, 1288, and other sections of the Code, tables set forth the rates for November 2003.

Retirement plans; year 2004 section 415(d) limitations. This notice sets forth certain cost-of-living adjustments effective January 1, 2004, applicable to the dollar limits on benefits under qualified defined benefit pension plans and to other provisions affecting (1) certain plans of deferred compensation and (2) “control employees.”

This procedure provides instructions for establishing exemption from the section 4371 foreign insurance excise tax under certain United States income tax treaties. Rev. Proc. 92-39 superseded in part.

Dutch agreement on MAP Administrative Arrangements. A copy of the news release issued by the Director, International (U.S. Competent Authority), on October 7, 2003 (IR-2003-116), is set forth.

Automobile owners and lessees. This procedure provides owners and lessees of passenger automobiles (including trucks, vans, and electric automobiles) with tables detailing the limitations on depreciation deductions for passenger automobiles first placed in service during calendar year 2003 and the amounts to be included in income for passenger automobiles first leased during calendar year 2003. Separate tables are provided for passenger automobiles qualifying for additional first-year bonus depreciation under section 168(k). In addition, this procedure provides the maximum allowable value of employer-provided automobiles first made available to employees for personal use in calendar year 2003 for which the vehicle cents-per-mile valuation rule provided under section 1.61-21(e) of the regulations may be applicable. Rev. Procs. 2001-19 and 2002-14 amplified.

Annual accounting periods; partnerships; S corporations. Procedures are provided under which partners or shareholders of S corporations may elect, under certain circumstances, to take into account ratably over four taxable years the partner's or S corporation shareholder's share of income from the partnership or S corporation that is attributable to a short taxable year ending on or after May 10, 2002, but before June 1, 2004. Rev. Procs. 2002-38 and 2002-39 modified.

Per diem allowances. This procedure provides rules for deeming substantiated the amount of certain reimbursed traveling expenses of an employee as well as optional rules for determining the amount of deductible meals and incidental expenses while traveling away from home. Rev. Proc. 2002-63 superseded.

This procedure provides issuers of qualified mortgage bonds, as defined in section 143(a) of the Code, and issuers of mortgage credit certificates, as defined in section 25(c), with a list of qualified census tracts for the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and Guam. The qualified census tracts are based on data from the 2000 census. Rev. Proc. 2003-49 supplemented.

This document contains corrections to final regulations (T.D. 9083, 2003-40 I.R.B. 700) that relate to the treatment of golden parachute payments under section 280G of the Code.