THE TAX APPEALS TRIBUNAL’S DETERMINATION THAT PETITIONERS CANNOT REDUCE THEIR NEW YORK ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME BY THE AMORTIZED PREMIUMS ON THEIR OUT-STATE-BONDS UPHELD (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Fisher, upheld the Tax Appeals Tribunal’s determination that petitioners can not reduce their New York adjusted gross income by amortized premiums on their out-of-state bonds:

Petitioners are married and residents of New York. During the years 2012 through 2016 (hereinafter the years at issue), they engaged in an investment strategy that included purchasing out-of-state bonds on the secondary market. Due to the initial interest rate of the bonds being higher than the prevailing market rate at the time of purchase, petitioners also paid an additional premium to acquire the bonds. Where the duration of a bond exceeded one year, petitioners further made an upfront premium payment for each remaining year until the bond’s maturity. As relevant here, the amount of the premium paid for each year of the bond is called the amortized premium.

On their respective tax returns for the years at issue, petitioners sought to reduce their New York adjusted gross income by the amortized premiums on their out-of-state bonds. Following an audit, notices of deficiency were issued to petitioners by the Department of Taxation and Finance (hereinafter the Department) stating that they owed additional income taxes for the years at issue, plus interest and penalties. Thereafter, the Department determined that petitioners could not subtract the premiums directly from their interest income, but rather may only report such premiums as part of their itemized deduction, and ultimately issued notices of disallowance. Matter of Ciardullo v McDonnell, 2025 NY Slip Op 03365, Third Dept 6-5-25