Section 265(a)(2); expenses and interest relating to tax-exempt income. This ruling deals with the application of section 265 of the Code to affiliated corporate groups when one member of the group borrows from outside the group and makes funds available to another member of the group that is a dealer in tax-exempt securities.

LIFO; price indexes; department stores. The March 2004 Bureau of Labor Statistics price indexes are accepted for use by department stores employing the retail inventory and last-in, first-out inventory methods for valuing inventories for tax years ended on, or with reference to, March 31, 2004.

Final regulations under sections 446, 860G, and 863 of the Code set out rules relating to the proper timing and source of income from fees received to induce taxpayers to become the holders of noneconomic residual interests in Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduits (REMICs).

Proposed regulations under section 265 of the Code provide guidance regarding the consolidated return treatment of intercompany obligations that are treated as financing tax-exempt obligations. These regulations provide that, if a member of a consolidated group incurs or continues debt to a nonmember that is directly traceable to an intercompany obligation extended to a member of the group (the borrowing member) by another member of the group (the lending member), and section 265(a)(2) applies to disallow a deduction for the borrowing member’s interest expense incurred with respect to the intercompany obligation, then the lending member’s corresponding interest income will not be excluded under the intercompany transaction regulations.

This notice announces that the Service and the Treasury Department will issue temporary and proposed regulations that will modify the definition of “qualified amended return” in regulations section 1.6664-2(c)(3).

This procedure provides automatic consent procedures for taxpayers to change their method of accounting for income from REMIC inducement fees to a safe harbor method set forth in T.D. 9128. Rev. Proc. 2002-9 modified and amplified.

This announcement solicits comments and suggestions regarding the scope and details of regulations that may be proposed under section 7701(f) of the Code that will address the application of sections 265(a)(2) and 246A in transactions involving related parties, pass-through entities, or other intermediaries.

This announcement is a settlement initiative for taxpayers to resolve transactions described in Notice 2000-44, 2000-2 C.B. 255, and substantially similar transactions (Son of Boss transactions).