[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 26, Volume 9]
[Revised as of April 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 26CFR1.904(b)-3]

[Page 709-711]
 
                       TITLE 26--INTERNAL REVENUE
 
    CHAPTER I--INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 
                               (CONTINUED)
 
PART 1--INCOME TAXES--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 1.904(b)-3  Sale of personal property.

    (a) General rule. For purposes of section 904 and the regulations 
thereunder, there shall be included as gain from sources within the 
United States any gain from sources without the United States arising 
from the sale or exchange of a capital asset which is personal property 
(as defined in Sec. 1.1245-3(b)). For purposes of this paragraph, gain 
from the sale or exchange of a capital asset shall include net section 
1231 gain, but shall not include gain from the sale or exchange of a 
capital asset which is not treated as capital gain. However, gains and 
losses which are not from the sale or exchange of capital assets but 
which are treated as capital gains and losses under the Internal Revenue 
Code are included. The special source rules provided under this section 
shall be applied on an item by item basis with respect to the sale of 
personal property within any taxable year, except that if

[[Page 710]]

substantially all the assets of a trade or business (within the meaning 
of section 368(a)(1)(C) are sold within any one country within any 
taxable year, the gains and losses from such sales of such assets shall 
be netted before applying the source rules under this section.
    (b) Special rules. Paragraph (a) of this section shall not apply in 
each of the following cases:
    (1) In the case of an individual, if the property is sold or 
exchanged within the country or possession of the individual's 
residence.
    (2) In the case of a corporation if the property is stock in a 
second corporation, and is sold in a country or possession in which the 
second corporation derived more than 50 percent of its gross income for 
the 3-year period ending with the close of such second corporation's 
taxable year immediately preceding the year during which the sale or 
exchange occurred (or for such part of such period as the corporation 
has been in existence, but in no event less than a 12-month period). For 
purposes of this paragraph (b)(2) of this section the gross income of 
any foreign corporation shall be computed in the same manner as if the 
foreign corporation were a domestic corporation. Thus, the gross income 
of a foreign corporation for this purpose includes income from all 
sources, which is not specifically excluded from gross income under any 
other provisions of the Code.
    (3) In the case of any taxpayer, if the property is personal 
property (other than stock in a corporation) which is sold or exchanged 
in a country or possession in which the property is used in a trade or 
business of the taxpayer, or in which the taxpayer derived more than 50 
percent of its gross income for the 3-year period ending with the close 
of its taxable year immediately preceding the year during which the sale 
or exchange occurred (or, in case of a taxpayer other than an 
individual, for such part of such period as the taxpayer has been in 
existence, but in no event less than a 12-month period). In the case of 
property sold or exchanged by a partnership, trust, or estate, the 
determination required by the preceding sentence shall be made at the 
level of the partnership, trust (other than a grantor trust), or estate. 
For purposes of this paragraph (b)(3) of this section, the gross income 
of any foreign corporation (or other entity) shall be computed in the 
same manner as if the foreign corporation were a domestic corporation 
(or a domestic entity).
    (c) Exception. Paragraph (a) of this section shall not apply to a 
sale of personal property if the gain (determined under chapter 1 of the 
Internal Revenue Code and computed on an item by item basis as provided 
under paragraph (a) of this section) from the sale or exchange of the 
personal property is subject to an income, war profits, or excess 
profits tax (including a tax withheld with respect to nonresident aliens 
or foreign corporations) with respect to a foreign country or a 
possession of the United States in which the sale or exchange occurs, 
and the rate of tax imposed by such country or possession applicable to 
such gain is 10 percent or more. For purposes of this paragraph, the tax 
must be 10 percent or more of the total amount of gain (whether ordinary 
or capital) arising from the sale or exchange of the item of personal 
property.
    (d) Application of source rules. In determining the foreign country 
or possession where property is sold or exchanged for purposes of 
paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, and the foreign country or 
possession where gross income is derived for purposes of paragraphs 
(b)(2), (3) and (e) of this section, the source of any gain or income 
shall be determined by applying the principles under sections 861, 862, 
and 863 and the regulations thereunder.
    (e) Gain from liquidation of certain foreign corporations. Paragraph 
(a) shall not apply with respect to a distribution in liquidation of a 
foreign corporation to which part II of subchapter C applies, if such 
corporation derived less than 50 percent of its gross income from 
sources within the United States for the 3-year period ending with the 
close of such corporation's taxable year immediately preceding the year 
during which the distribution occurred (or for such part of such period 
as the corporation has been in existence, but in no event less than a 
12-month period). For purposes of paragraph (e) of this section, the 
gross income of the foreign

[[Page 711]]

corporation shall be computed in the same manner as if the foreign 
corporation were a domestic corporation.
    (f) Residence defined. For purposes of paragraph (b)(1) of this 
section, the country of an individual's residence is to be determined by 
applying the rules under Secs. 301.7701(b)-1 through 301.7701(b)-9 of 
this chapter.
    (g) Tax rate applicable to gain. For purposes of paragraph (c) of 
this section, the tax rate applicable to the gain on the sale or 
exchange of personal property (as determined under chapter 1 of the 
Internal Revenue Code 1954) shall be determined by applying the tax laws 
of the foreign country or possession (and any applicable reduction under 
a tax treaty) to such gain and by treating the gain from such 
transaction as if such gain were the only income derived by the taxpayer 
during the taxable year (and the only deductions allowed are deductions 
directly attributable to such gain).
    (h) Country in which gross income derived. Notwithstanding paragraph 
(d) of this section, for purposes of this section, dividends received by 
a shareholder who is not a U.S. person from a foreign corporation shall 
be deemed to be derived from sources within the foreign country under 
the laws of which the foreign corporation is created or organized.

[T.D. 7914, 48 FR 44524, Sept. 29, 1983, as amended by T.D. 8411, 57 FR 
15241, Apr. 27, 1992]