(a) General rules for conduit entities. Sections 1.58-3 through 1.58-6 provide rules under which items of tax preference of an estate, trust, electing small business corporation, common trust fund, regulated investment company, or real estate investment trust (referred to in this paragraph as the “conduit entity”) are treated as items of tax preference of the beneficiaries, shareholders, participants, etc. (referred to in this paragraph as the “distributees”). Where an item of tax preference of a conduit entity is so apportioned to a distributee, the item of tax preference retains its character in the hands of the distributee and is adjusted to reflect:

(1) The separate items of income and deduction of the distributee and (2) the tax status of the distributee as an individual, corporation, etc. For example, if a trust has $100,000 of capital gains for the taxable year, all of which are distributed to A, an individual, the item of tax preference apportioned to A under section 57(a)(9) (and § 1.57-1(i)(1)) is $50,000. If, however, A had a net capital loss for the taxable year of $60,000 without regard to the distribution from the trust, the trust tax preference would be adjusted in the hands of A to reflect the separate items of income and deduction passed through to the distributee, or, in this case, to reflect the net section 1201 gain to A of $40,000. Thus, A's capital gains items of tax preference would be $20,000. By application of this rule, A, in effect, treats capital gains distributed to him from the trust the same as his other capital gains in computing his capital gains item of tax preference. If A had been a corporation, the trust tax preference would be adjusted both to reflect the capital loss and to reflect A's tax status by recomputing the capital gains item of tax preference (after adjustment for the capital loss) under section 57(a)(9)(B) and § 1.57-1(i)(2). Similarly, if depreciation on section 1245 property subject to a net lease (as defined in section 57(a)(3) and § 1.57-1(c)) is apportioned from a conduit entity to a corporation (other than a personal holding company or electing small business corporation), the amount so apportioned to the corporation is not treated as an item of tax preference to such corporation since such item is not an item of tax preference in the case of a corporation (other than a personal holding company or an electing small business corporation).

(b) Partnerships and partners. (1) Section 701 provides that a partnership as such is not subject to the income tax imposed by chapter 1. Thus, a partnership as such is not subject to the minimum tax for tax preferences. Section 702 provides that, in determining his income tax, each partner is to take into account separately his distributive share of certain items of income, deductions, etc. of the partnership and other items of income, gain, loss, deduction, or credit of the partnership to the extent provided by regulations prescribed by the Secretary or his delegate. Accordingly, each partner, in computing his items of tax preference, must take into account separately those items of income and deduction of the partnership which enter into the computation of the items of tax preference in accordance with subparagraph (2) of this paragraph.

(2) Pursuant to section 702, each partner must, solely for purposes of the minimum tax for tax preferences (to the extent not otherwise required to be taken into account separately under section 702 and the regulations thereunder), take into account separately in the manner provided in subchapter K and the regulations thereunder those items of income and deduction of the partnership which enter into the computation of the items of tax preference specified in section 57 and the regulations thereunder. A partner must, for this purpose, take into account separately his distributive share of:

(i) Investment interest expense (as defined in section 57(b)(2)(D) determined at the partnership level;

(ii) Investment income (as defined in section 57(b)(2)(B) determined at the partnership level;

(iii) Investment expenses (as defined in section 57(b)(2)(C)) determined at the partnership level;

(iv) With respect to each section 1250 property (as defined in section 1250(c)), the amount of the deduction allowable for the taxable year for exhaustion, wear and tear, obsolescence, or amortization and the deduction which would have been allowable for the taxable year had the property been depreciated under the straight line method each taxable year of its useful life (determined without regard to section 167(k)) for which the partnership has held the property;

(v) With respect to each item of section 1245 property (as defined in section 1245(a)(3)) which is subject to a net lease, the amount of the deduction allowable for exhaustion, wear and tear, obsolescence, or amortization and the deduction which would have been allowable for the taxable year had the property been depreciated under the straight line method for each taxable year of its useful life for which the partnership has held the property;

(vi) With respect to each certified pollution control facility for which an election is in effect under section 169, the amount of the deduction allowable for the taxable year under such section and the deduction which would have been allowable under section 167 had no election been in effect under section 169;

(vii) With respect to each unit of railroad rolling stock for which an election is in effect under section 184, the amount of the deduction allowable for the taxable year under such section and the deduction which would have been allowable under section 167 had no election been in effect under section 184;

(viii) In the case of a partnership which is a financial institution to which section 585 or 593 applies, the amount of the deduction allowable for the taxable year for a reasonable addition to a reserve for bad debts and the amount of the deduction that would have been allowable for the taxable year had the institution maintained its bad debt reserve for all taxable years on the basis of actual experience; and

(ix) With respect to each mineral property, the deduction for depletion allowable under section 611 for the taxable year and the adjusted basis of the property at the end of the taxable year (determined without regard to the depreciation deduction for the taxable year).

If, pursuant to section 743 (relating to optional adjustment to basis), the basis of partnership property is adjusted with respect to a transferee partner due to an election being in effect under section 754 (relating to manner of electing optional adjustment), items representing amortization, depreciation, depletion, gain or loss, and the adjusted basis of property subject to depletion, described above, shall be adjusted to reflect the basis adjustment under section 743.

(3) The minimum tax is effective for taxable years ending after December 31, 1969. Thus, subparagraph (2) of this paragraph is inapplicable in the case of items of income or deduction paid or accrued in a partnership's taxable year ending on or before December 31, 1969.

[T.D. 7564, 43 FR 40481, Sept. 12, 1978]