Source: http://ecfr.io/Title-26/se26.9.1_1617_61
Timestamp: 2019-11-22 23:23:43
Document Index: 607929818

Matched Legal Cases: ['§1', 'art 1', '§1', 'art 1', '§1', 'art 1', '§1', '§1', '§1']

[26 CFR §1.617-1] Title 26 Part 1 → §1.617-1 : Code of Federal Regulations ';
Title 26 Part 1 → §1.617-1
Title 26 → Chapter I → Subchapter A → Part 1 → §1.617-1
§1.617-1 Exploration expenditures.
(a) General rule. Section 617 prescribes rules for the treatment of expenditures paid or incurred after September 12, 1966, for ascertaining the existence, location, extent, or quality of any deposit of ore or other mineral for which a deduction for depletion is allowable under section 613 (other than oil or gas) paid or incurred by the taxpayer before the beginning of the development stage of the mine or other natural deposit. Such expenditures hereinafter in the regulations under section 617 will be referred to as exploration expenditures. The development stage of the mine or other natural deposit will be deemed to begin at the time when, in consideration of all the facts and circumstances (including the actions of the taxpayer), deposits of ore or other mineral are disclosed in sufficient quantity and quality to reasonably justify commercial exploitation by the taxpayer. For example, core drilling expenditures paid or incurred by the taxpayer to ascertain the existence of commercially marketable ore are exploration expenditures within the meaning of this section. Also, expenditures for exploratory drilling from within a producing mine to ascertain the existence of what appears (on the basis of all of the facts and circumstances known at the time of the expenditures) to be a different ore deposit are exploration expenditures within the meaning of this section. Expenditures paid or incurred in connection with core drilling to further delineate the extent and location of an existing commercially marketable deposit to facilitate its development are development expenditures. Under section 617(a), a taxpayer may deduct exploration expenditures paid or incurred for the exploration of any deposit of ore or other mineral subject to the limitation of section 617(h). Under section 617(b), a taxpayer shall recapture the exploration expenditures previously deducted under section 617(a) either through including in income an amount equal to the amount of the adjusted exploration expenditures (as defined in section 617(f)) or through disallowance of the deduction for depletion under section 611. Certain rules are provided in section 617(c) for recapture of exploration expenditures made with respect to property for which the taxpayer later receives a bonus or royalty. Under section 617(d), gain from dispositions of mining property, with respect to which exploration expenditures have been previously deducted, is to be recognized notwithstanding certain other provisions of the Code.
(b) Expenditures to which section 617 is not applicable. (1) Section 617 is not applicable to expenditures which would be allowed as deductions for the taxable year without regard to section 617.
(3) Section 617 is applicable to exploration expenditures paid or incurred by a taxpayer in connection with the acquisition of a fractional share of the working or operating interest to the extent of the fractional interest so acquired by the taxpayer. The expenditures attributable to the remaining fractional share shall be considered as the cost of his acquired interest and shall be recovered through depletion allowances. For example, taxpayer A owns mineral leases on unexplored mineral lands and agrees to convey an undivided three-fourths ( 3⁄4 ) interest in such leases to taxpayer B provided B will pay all of the expenses for ascertaining the existence, location, extent, or quality of any deposit of ore or other mineral which will be incurred before the beginning of the development stage. B may elect to treat three-fourths of such amount under section 617. B must treat one-fourth of such amount as part of the cost of his interest, recoverable through depletion.
(c) Elections—(1) Election to deduct under section 617(a). (i) The election to deduct exploration expenditures under section 617(a) may be made by deducting such expenditures in the taxpayer's income tax return for his first taxable year ending after September 12, 1966, for which the taxpayer desires to deduct exploration expenditures which are paid or incurred by him during such taxable year and after September 12, 1966. This election may be exercised by deducting such exploration expenditures either in the taxpayer's return for such taxable year or in an amended return filed before the expiration of the period for filing a claim for credit or refund of income tax for such taxable year. Where the election is made in an amended return for a taxable year prior to the most recent year for which the taxpayer has filed a return, the taxpayer shall file amended income tax returns, reflecting any increase or decrease in tax attributable to the election, for all subsequent taxable years affected by the election for which he has filed income tax returns before making the election. See section 617(a)(2)(C) and subparagraph (4) of this paragraph for provisions relating to extension of the period of limitations for the assessment of any deficiency for any taxable year to the extent the deficiency is attributable to an election or revocation of an election under section 617(a). In applying the election to the years affected, there shall be taken into account the effect that any adjustments resulting from the election shall have on other items affected thereby (such as the deduction for charitable contributions, the foreign tax credit, net operating loss, and other deductions or credits the amount of which is limited by the taxpayer's income) and the effect that adjustments of any such items have on items of other taxable years. Amended returns filed for taxable years subsequent to the taxable year for which the election under section 617(a) is made by amended return shall, where appropriate, apply the recapture rules of subsections (b), (c), and (d) of section 617. See §§1.617-3 and 1.617-4.
(2) Time for making elections. The election under section 617(a) may be made at any time before the expiration of the period prescribed for filing a claim for credit or refund of the tax imposed by chapter 1 for the first taxable year for which the taxpayer desires to deduct exploration expenditures under section 617(a).
(3) Revocation of election to deduct. (i) A taxpayer may revoke an election made by him under section 617(a) by filing with the Internal Revenue service center with which the taxpayer's income tax return is required to be filed, within the period set forth in subdivision (ii) of this subparagraph, a statement, signed by the taxpayer or his authorized representative, which sets forth that the taxpayer is revoking the section 617(a) election previously made by him and states with whom and where the document making the election was filed. A taxpayer revoking a section 617(a) election shall file amended income tax returns which reflect any increase or decrease in tax attributable to the revocation of election for all taxable years affected by the revocation of election for which he has filed income tax returns before revoking the election. See section 617(a)(2)(C) and subparagraph (4) of this paragraph for provisions relating to extension of the period of limitations for the assessment of any deficiency attributable to an election or revocation of an election under section 617(a). In applying the revocation of election to the years affected, there shall be taken into account the effect that any adjustments resulting from the revocation of election shall have on other items affected thereby (such as the deduction for charitable contributions, the foreign tax credit, net operating loss, and other deductions or credits the amount of which is limited by the taxpayer's income) and the effect that adjustments of any such items have on items of other taxable years.
(4) Deficiency attributable to election or revocation of election. The statutory period for the assessment of any deficiency for any taxable year, to the extent such deficiency is attributable to an election or revocation of an election under section 617(a), shall not expire before the last day of the 2-year period which begins on the day after the date on which such election or revocation of election is made; and such deficiency may be assessed at any time before the expiration of such 2-year period, notwithstanding any law or rule which would otherwise prevent such assessment.