IRS Pushes Land-Deal Investors to Settle, Citing More Court Wins

The IRS is pressuring investors in potentially abusive land conservation deals to settle pending cases before the U.S. Tax Court.

The agency in June announced a settlement offer for some cases involving syndicated conservation easements, a type of land transaction organized by sponsors who seek out multiple investors to buy interest in a property and qualify for a deduction under tax code Section 170(h).

• The Tax Court July 9 sided with the IRS in four separate conservation easement cases involving more than $20 million in disallowed deductions.
• The IRS, in a statement Monday, said that syndicated ...