Deferred Payment Sales: AMT Liability

Since enactment of the Installment Sales Revision Act of 1980, which permitted the installment sale of grain and livestock, questions have been raised regarding the continuing availability of the deferred payment procedure established by cases and rulings. In recent years, the importance of the question of whether both procedures can be used has been magnified by the 1986 enactment subjecting installment sales of inventory property to potential liability for alternative minimum tax.6 A recent IRS technical advice memorandum (TAM) has provided some insight to the IRS national office position on the two issues — (1) are installment sales of inventory property potentially subject to alternative minimum tax and (2) can taxpayers use the deferred payment procedure based upon pre-1980 authority and avoid the alternative minimum tax liability?