To comply with changing international privacy requirements, ICI informs its visitors that we use cookies on our web site. ICI only uses cookies to allow subscribers and members to more easily use our site and to record site utilization. No personal or private information is gathered or stored. More details, including how to disable cookies, can be found on our privacy and cookie policy page. If you disable cookies, you will see this message on future visits to our site. Please click the enable button to consent to accepting cookies.
  • ICI Global
  • Independent Director's Council
Sign In  |  Forgot Password?
Advanced | Tips
  • Home
  • Policy Priorities
    • Fund Regulation
    • Retirement Security
    • Trading & Markets
    • Fund Governance
    • Taxes
    • ICI Comment Letters
  • Research & Statistics
    • Industry Research
    • Investor Research
    • Retirement Research
    • Statistics
  • Government Affairs
    • Financial Services
    • Retirement Security
    • Tax
    • Testimony
  • Industry Operations
    • Fund Accounting, Financial Reporting, and Valuation
    • Fund Distribution, Fund Clearance, and Settlement
    • Operations, Transfer Agent Servicing, and Recordkeeping
    • Portfolio Security Operations
    • Resource Centers
    • Technology, Business Continuity, and Information Security
  • News & Media
    • Media Contacts
    • News Releases
    • Blog: ICI Viewpoints
    • Speeches & Commentaries
    • Opinions & Responses
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
  • Publications & Resources
    • Resource Centers
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Fact Books
    • Research Publications
    • White Papers
    • Annual Reports
  • Events
    • ICI Events
    • ICI Global Events
    • IDC Events
    • Past Event Highlights
    • Sponsorship Opportunities
    • Event Contacts
  • About ICI
    • Mission & History
    • Board & Leadership
    • Membership
    • Annual Reports
    • ICI Education Foundation
    • Business Continuity
    • Careers
    • Contact Us

TOPICS

401(k)
Bond Fund
Bonds
COVID-19
Commodity Investments
Corporate Bonds
Cybersecurity
Equity Fund
Equity Investing
Europe
Events
Exchange-Traded Funds
Federal Reserve
Financial Markets
Financial Stability
Fixed Income
Fund Governance
Fund Regulation
GMM
Global
Government Affairs
ICI Global
IDC
IRA
Index Fund
Interest Rate
International
Investment Education
Investor Research
Money Market Funds
Mutual Fund
Operations and Technology
Policy Research
Proxy Voting
Retirement Policy
Retirement Research
Savings
Shareholder
Target Date Funds
Taxes
Trading
Treasury

ARCHIVE

  • 2021
    • January
  • 2020
    • December
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2019
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • February
    • January
  • 2018
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • June
    • May
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2017
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2016
    • December
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2015
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2014
    • December
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2013
    • December
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2012
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2011
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2010
    • December
    • November

Home Viewpoints

Print this page

ICI Urges Change in Cost Basis Rules to Avoid Harm to Fund Investors

By Karen Lau Gibian

January 13, 2011

A provision in the new cost basis rules could hurt fund investors. We recently contacted the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, urging them to amend the rules to avoid this outcome.

Here’s the situation. The final regulations on cost basis reporting effectively require shareholders to choose a method for calculating cost basis immediately upon opening a new account or acquiring securities in an existing account, if the broker or fund’s default method is average cost. If the taxpayer doesn’t choose another method at that time, he or she can later make that choice prospectively only (even they haven’t yet redeemed any securities from the account). Thus, the provision eliminates that taxpayer’s opportunity, when he or she redeems shares, to choose which cost basis method to use—and consequently which shares to redeem. (Note: this rule only applies to fund shares acquired on or after January 1, 2012.)

For example, suppose a taxpayer purchases 100 shares in Fund A in 2012 for $10.00 per share. The broker’s default method is average cost, and the shareholder does not affirmatively elect a method at that time. In 2013, the taxpayer buys an additional 100 shares in Fund A for $15 per share. In 2014, the taxpayer informs his broker that he wishes to sell 50 of the shares purchased in 2013 at $15 per share. Under this rule, however, the broker must use the average cost method, selling 50 shares at $12.50 per share.

Because this provision was not included in the proposed regulations, we had no chance to comment on it earlier. Given the detrimental effect on fund investors, we’re urging the IRS and the Treasury Department to announce promptly that brokers and funds that choose average cost as their default method may allow their customers to select any other basis method for existing shares until the time of the first redemption from that account.

Karen Lau Gibian, ICI Associate Counsel, is responsible for legal and regulatory issues relating to taxes.

  • Read ICI’s letter.
  • Learn more about ICI’s tax policy work.
  • Browse more recent ICI comment letters.

TOPICS: Taxes


top
  • About ICI
  • About IDC
  • About ICI Global
  • Privacy and Cookie Policy
  • Apply for User Account
  • Business Continuity
  • Contact ICI

Copyright © 2021 by the Investment Company Institute