§ 1.1298-4 Rules for certain foreign corporations owning stock in 25-percent-owned domestic corporations. ( a ) *Overview.* This section provides rules under section 1298(b)(7) that apply to certain foreign corporations that own stock in 25-percent-owned domestic corporations (as defined in paragraph (b) of this section) for purposes of determining whether a foreign corporation is a passive foreign investment company (PFIC). Paragraph (b) of this section provides the general rule. Paragraph (c) of this section provides rules concerning ownership of 25-percent-owned domestic corporations or qualified stock (as defined in paragraph (b)(2) of this section) through partnerships. Paragraph (d) of this section provides rules for determining whether a foreign corporation is subject to the tax imposed by section 531 (the section 531 tax) and for waiving treaty benefits that would prevent the imposition of such tax. Paragraph (e) of this section provides an anti-abuse rule for the application of section 1298(b)(7). Paragraph (f) provides the applicability date for this section.
( b ) *Treatment of certain foreign corporations owning stock in a 25-percent-owned domestic corporation* — ( 1 ) *General rule.* Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (e) of this section, when a tested foreign corporation (as defined in § 1.1297-1(f)) is subject to the section 531 tax (or waives any benefit under any treaty that would otherwise prevent the imposition of the tax), and owns (directly or indirectly under the rules in paragraph (c) of this section) at least 25 percent (by value) of the stock of a domestic corporation (a *25-percent-owned domestic corporation*), for purposes of determining whether the foreign corporation is a PFIC, any qualified stock held directly or indirectly under the rules in paragraph (c) of this section by the 25-percent-owned domestic corporation is treated as an asset that does not produce passive income (and is not held for the production of passive income), and any amount included in gross income with respect to the qualified stock is not treated as passive income.
( 2 ) *Qualified stock and second-tier domestic corporation.* For purposes of this section, the term *qualified stock* means any stock in a C corporation that is a domestic corporation and that is not a regulated investment company or real estate investment trust and the term *second-tier corporation* means the corporation.
( c ) *Indirect ownership of stock through a partnership.* For purposes of paragraph (b)(1) of this section, a tested foreign corporation that is a partner in a partnership is considered to own its proportionate share of any stock of a domestic corporation held by the partnership, and a domestic corporation that is a partner in a partnership is considered to own its proportionate share of any qualified stock held by the partnership. An upper-tier partnership's attributable share of the stock of a domestic corporation or of qualified stock held by a lower-tier partnership is treated as held by the upper-tier partnership for purposes of applying the rule in this paragraph (c).
( d ) *Section 531 tax* — ( 1 ) *Subject to section 531 tax.* For purposes of paragraph (b) of this section, a tested foreign corporation is considered subject to the section 531 tax regardless of whether the tax is imposed on the corporation and of whether the requirements of § 1.532-1(c) are met.
( 2 ) *Waiver of treaty benefits* — ( i ) *Tested foreign corporation that files, or is required to file, a Federal income tax return.* For purposes of paragraph (b) of this section, a tested foreign corporation that files, or is required to file, a Federal income tax return waives the benefit under a treaty that would otherwise prevent the imposition of the section 531 tax by attaching to its original or amended return for the taxable year for which section 1298(b)(7) and paragraph (b)(1) of this section are applied or any prior taxable year a statement that it irrevocably waives treaty protection against the imposition of the section 531 tax, effective for all prior, current, and future taxable years, provided the taxable year for which the return is filed and all subsequent taxable years are not closed by the period of limitations on assessments under section 6501.
( ii ) *Tested foreign corporation that is not required to file a Federal income tax return.* For purposes of paragraph (b) of this section, a tested foreign corporation that is not required to file a Federal income tax return waives the benefit under a treaty that would otherwise prevent the imposition of the section 531 tax by a date no later than nine months following the close of the taxable year for which section 1298(b)(7) and paragraph (b)(1) of this section are applied by— ( A ) Adopting a resolution or similar governance document that confirms that it has irrevocably waived any treaty protection against the imposition of the section 531 tax, effective for all prior, current, and future taxable years, and maintaining a copy of the resolution (or other governance document) in its records; or
( B ) In the case of a tested foreign corporation described in section 1297(e)(3), including in its public filings a statement that it irrevocably waives treaty protection against the imposition of the section 531 tax, effective for all prior, current, and future taxable years.
( e ) *Anti-abuse rule* — ( 1 ) *General rule.* Paragraph (b) of this section does not apply with respect to qualified stock in a second-tier domestic corporation owned by a 25-percent-owned domestic corporation if a principal purpose for the formation of, acquisition of, or holding of stock of the 25-percent-owned domestic corporation or the second-tier domestic corporation, or for the capitalization or other funding of the second-tier domestic corporation, is to hold passive assets (as defined in § 1.1297-1(f)(5)) through the second-tier domestic corporation to avoid classification of the tested foreign corporation as a PFIC.
( 2 ) [Reserved]
( 3 ) [Reserved]
( f ) *Applicability date.* The rules of this section apply to taxable years of shareholders beginning on or after January 14, 2021. A shareholder may choose to apply such rules for any open taxable year beginning before January 14, 2021, provided that, with respect to a tested foreign corporation, the shareholder consistently applies the provisions of this section and § 1.1291-1(b)(8)(iv) and (b)(8)(v)(A), (B), (C), and (D) and §§ 1.1297-1 *(*except that consistent treatment is not required with respect to § 1.1297-1(c)(1)(i)(A)), 1.1297-2, and 1.1298-2 for such year and all subsequent years.
[T.D. 9936, 86 FR 4578, Jan. 15, 2021, as amended at 86 FR 13648, Mar. 10, 2021]