Mike Wieber Comments on Implications of IRS Scrutiny of ESOPs for Financial Advisor Article
As the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) places more scrutiny on potential tax schemes by the wealthy, one area they’re watching to ensure proper use is employee stock ownership plans (ESOP). A Financial Advisor article delved into what this could mean for ESOPs and included insight from Mike Wieber, a Milwaukee-based Quarles & Brady partner in the labor, Employment & Benefits Practice Group.
Wieber explained the challenges associated with executing ESOPs properly and the importance of taking the proper precautions when executing an ESOP.
An excerpt from the article:
For wealthy taxpayers who have considered or have already completed creation of an ESOP, “the best thing they can do is seek the assistance of qualified advisors—legal and tax, in particular,” Wieber said. “For those who have not yet sold their company to an ESOP, advice from advisors whose compensation does not depend on the exit strategy selected ... will help dispel the negative headlines. For those who have already sold to an ESOP, retaining good records of the terms of the sale and hiring strong counsel, valuation specialists and third-party administrators to carry out the ESOP pays off.”
Specialists who work regularly with ESOPs know the structure isn’t for everyone, “but also [we] have too often seen companies that are great candidates for an ESOP go another direction due to misinformation and unfounded concerns,” Wieber said.