Statutory PILOT payments qualify as deductible real property taxes

Plain-English summary

A developer planned a leasehold condominium on land owned by a governmental school-construction fund and later reverting to a city. Because the government-owned land was exempt from property tax, the lease required payments in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, based on the taxes that otherwise would have applied. The payments would fund obligations used for public school construction. The IRS ruled that the PILOT payments qualified as deductible real property taxes under IRC § 164 because they matched ordinary tax rates, were imposed under state law through the lease, and served a public purpose. The taxpayer also could deduct the portion of condominium common charges that the board applied toward PILOT while the taxpayer owned units.

Ruling snapshot

• Question: Are the statutory PILOT payments, including amounts collected through condominium common charges, deductible as real property taxes?
• Outcome: Approved
• Key authorities: IRC § 164; Treas. Reg. §§ 1.164-2(g), 1.164-3(b), and 1.164-4; Rev. Rul. 71-49

Full text (IRS public release)

Internal Revenue Service Department of the Treasury
Washington, DC 20224

Number: 201452015 [Third Party Communication:
Release Date: 12/26/2014 Date of Communication: Month DD, YYYY]
Index Number: 164.00-00
Person To Contact:
---------------------- ----------------------, ID No. ------------
------------------------- Telephone Number:
--------------------------- --------------------
-------------------------------------- Refer Reply To:
------------------------------------ CC:ITA:B03
PLR-125129-14
Date:
September 16, 2014

Taxpayer =-----------------------------------------------------

Affiliate 1 =--------------------------------------------------------------

Affiliate 2 =-----------------------------------------------------------------

Property =---------------------------------------------------------

Adjacent Property = -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

State 1 = ------------

State 2 = -------------

Act = -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fund = ------------------------------------------------------------

City = ---------------------------

Date 1 = ------------------

Date 2 = --------------------------

Date 3 = ------------------

A = ---

PLR-125129-14 2

Dear ------------------:

This is in response to the letter sent by your attorneys dated June 13, 2014. In the
letter, your attorneys requested a private letter ruling that certain payments in lieu of
taxes (“PILOT”) are deductible under section 164 of the Internal Revenue Code as real
property taxes under the circumstances described below.

FACTS

Taxpayer is a limited liability company created and existing under the laws of State 1 to
consummate development of the Property. State 2 created the Fund, pursuant to the
Act, as a State 2 corporate governmental agency, constituting a political subdivision and
public benefit corporation for the benefit of the people of the City and State 2 and to
facilitate the timely construction of elementary and secondary school buildings in
combination with buildings of other compatible and lawful uses. The legislative purpose
of the Act is:

    the timely and responsive provision of such combined occupancy structures in
    accordance with the foreseeable needs of the [City] for additional or replacement
    elementary and secondary educational facilities and the desirability of facilitating
    maximum and appropriate utilization of available land.

As part of its program, the Fund contemplated the construction of high-rise structures on
air rights or air space above school structures. Some of these high-rise structures were
leased on a long-term basis to cooperative housing corporations and more recently, to
condominiums.

The Act provides in part that “the monies and properties of the [F]und, including all
properties constructed, acquired, reconstructed, rehabilitated or improved by it or on its
behalf and all properties under its jurisdiction, control or supervision, and all of its
operations and activities shall be exempt from taxation.” Thus, under the Fund's
originating legislation, the Fund’s real property is exempt from real property taxes.

The Act also provides that:

    Whenever the easements, space rights, air rights or other fee or leasehold
    interests held or retained by such owner or developer, if other than the [City]
    housing authority, and/or the non-school improvements constructed or erected
    therein or thereon, shall be exempt from real property taxes…, such lease,
    sublease or other agreement shall also provide for the payment to the fund of
    annual or other periodic amounts equal to the amount of real property taxes that
    would otherwise have been paid or payable with respect to such easements,

PLR-125129-14 3

   space rights, air rights or other fee or leasehold interests, and with respect to the
   non-school improvements constructed or erected therein or thereon, over the
   term of such lease, sublease or other agreement.

The foregoing provision of the Act was intended to furnish the Fund with the monies
necessary to meet debt service on obligations which it would issue for the purpose of
obtaining monies to pay the cost of construction of the school portion of the combined
occupancy structure. Therefore, instead of the City collecting the real estate taxes on
the space rights covered by the leasehold and then paying a rental to the Fund in an
amount sufficient for it to meet its obligations, the Act utilizes a direct tax equivalency
payment.

Taxpayer will be the tenant under a lease of the land underlying the Property upon
which the building will be constructed. The fee owner of the Property and the landlord
under the lease is the Fund, which acquired the land underlying the Property by deed
from the City on Date 1. Taxpayer plans to convert its leasehold interest in the Property
to a qualified leasehold condominium. The landlord of the leasehold condominium will
be the Fund as of the recording date of the condominium declaration, and after
approximately A years following the conveyance of the land to the Fund, the landlord’s
interest will revert to the City. The condominium will consist of three sections: a
residential section with apartments which will be sold to third parties, a rental unit with
rental apartments, and the retail section which will consist of several retail units.

Taxpayer intends to sell certain units in the condominium which are part of the
residential section to third parties pursuant to a leasehold condominium offering plan
approved by State 2’s Attorney General. Each purchaser of a condominium unit will
acquire from Taxpayer a qualified leasehold condominium interest in the condominium
unit and a proportionate undivided interest in the common elements of the condominium
for the balance of the leasehold term. Each owner of a condominium unit shall pay their
proportionate share of the common charges for the residential section of the
condominium to the condominium’s board of managers.

As of Date 2, Affiliate 1 is the tenant under a lease with the Fund, covering the Property
and Adjacent Property. Pursuant to the lease, upon receipt of the first temporary
certificate of occupancy for a condominium unit in the building and Affiliate 1’s delivery
to the landlord of a notice of its intention to create the condominium, the lease will be
severed into two leases, one covering the Adjacent Property, under which Affiliate 2 will
be the tenant, and one covering the condominium, under which Taxpayer will be the
tenant. Taxpayer will then submit the Property to condominium ownership by recording
a declaration and will immediately assign the Taxpayer’s interest in the lease covering
the condominium to the condominium’s board of managers which will thereafter become
the tenant under that lease. The Adjacent Property will not be part of the condominium.

PLR-125129-14 4

The Property is exempt from City real estate taxes because the Fund holds fee title to
the land underlying the Property, and after the reversion, the City will hold fee title to the
land. Similar to other qualified leasehold condominiums, the condominium lease
requires the Taxpayer, as tenant, to make PILOT in amounts similar to the amount of
real estate taxes that would otherwise by payable if the Property were not exempt from
real estate taxes. Unlike real estate taxes, PILOT is not separately billed to each unit
owner. Rather, PILOT is collected by the condominium’s board of managers from the
unit owners pro rata in accordance with their interest in the residential section and
included with their proportionate common charges for their condominium units and paid
to landlord under the condominium lease. The condominium lease specifies the amount
of PILOT payable by each of the three sections of the condominium for specific periods
of years during the term of the condominium lease. The amount of PILOT allocable to
the residential section is fixed until Date 3.

RULINGS REQUESTED

(1) The PILOT to be made pursuant to the Act and the condominium lease will
constitute real property taxes allowable as a deduction to the payor under section 164.

(2) After the Property is converted to a condominium form of ownership, the unit
owners will be entitled to deduct as real property taxes under section 164 that portion of
the common charges paid by the unit owners to the condominium board as applied by
the condominium board toward the PILOT.

A taxpayer may not rely on a private letter ruling that has been issued to another
taxpayer. Section 11.02 of Rev. Proc. 2012-1, 2012-1 I.R.B. 50. Therefore, a private
letter ruling addresses only the tax liability of taxpayers who are party to the ruling
request. However, Taxpayer will be the owner of units in the condominium until the
units are sold, and as such, will be liable for PILOT until the units are sold. We consider
Taxpayer's second ruling request in that context.

LAW AND ANALYSIS

Section 164 allows as a deduction the state, local and foreign real property taxes paid
or accrued in the taxable year. Section 1.164-3(b) of the Income Tax Regulations
defines real property taxes as taxes imposed on interests in real property that are levied
for the general public welfare. Assessments for local benefits are not treated as real
property taxes. See sections 1.164-2(g) and 1.164-4 of the regulations.

Whether a particular charge is a “tax” within the meaning of section 164 depends on its
true nature as determined under federal law. The designation given by local law is not
determinative. A charge will constitute a tax if it is an enforced contribution, exacted
pursuant to legislative authority in the exercise of taxing power, and imposed and
collected for the purpose of raising revenues to be used for public or governmental

PLR-125129-14 5

purposes. See Rev. Rul. 71-49, 1971-1 C.B. 103; Rev. Rul. 61-152, 1961-2 C.B. 42.

Rev. Rul. 71-49 involved tax equivalency payments to the New York City Educational
Construction Fund, a public benefit corporation, by a cooperative housing corporation.
The payments were applied to debt service on obligations funding public school
construction. The ruling holds that the cooperative housing corporation may deduct the
payments as real property taxes under section 164 because: (1) The payments are
measured by and are equal to the amounts imposed by the regular taxing statutes, (2)
the payments are imposed by a specific state statute (even though the vehicle of a
lease agreement is used), and (3) the proceeds are designated for a public purpose
rather than for some privilege, service, or regulatory function, or for some other local
benefit tending to increase the value of the property upon which the payments are
made. Accordingly, each tenant-stockholder of the cooperative housing corporation
may deduct the payments in the amount of the stockholder's proportionate share.

The PILOT obligations in this case will satisfy the three-prong test of Rev. Rul. 71-49
because they: (1) are imposed at the same general rate at which real property taxes are
imposed; (2) are imposed pursuant to the Act as implemented by the condominium
lease; and (3) may only be used for public purposes.

Accordingly, we hold as follows:

1. The PILOT payments to be made pursuant to the condominium lease to the Fund (or
   to City should it reacquire the Property) will constitute real property taxes allowable as a
   deduction to the payor under section 164.

2. Taxpayer as a unit owner will be entitled to deduct as real property taxes under
   section 164 that portion of the common charges paid by Taxpayer to the condominium
   board as applied by the condominium board towards the PILOT obligations.

This ruling is directed only to the taxpayer requesting it. Section 6110(k)(3) provides
that it may not be used or cited as precedent.

In accordance with the Power of Attorney on file with this office, a copy of this letter is
being sent to your authorized representative.

A copy of this letter must be attached to any income tax return to which it is relevant.
Alternatively, taxpayers filing their returns electronically may satisfy this requirement by
attaching a statement to their return that provides the date and control number of the
letter ruling.

PLR-125129-14 6

The rulings contained in this letter are based upon information and representations
submitted by the taxpayer and accompanied by a penalty of perjury statement executed
by an appropriate party. While this office has not verified any of the material submitted
in support of the request for rulings, it is subject to verification on examination.

                                 Sincerely,



                                 Christopher F. Kane
                                 Chief, Branch 3
                                 Office of Associate Chief Counsel
                                 (Income Tax & Accounting)

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