Alex Szilvas is a tax partner who has practiced law at BakerHostetler for more than 30 years. He has significant experience dealing with the tax aspects of real property transactions and is co-chair of the firm's Tax Credit Finance and Economic Development Incentives team. Alex advises regularly on the tax considerations and structuring of transactions involving real estate, as well as on partnerships and other legal entities that own, operate, develop, lease and manage real estate.
Alex works extensively in the areas of tax planning and structuring for projects seeking to utilize federal and state tax credits, especially historic tax credits and new markets tax credits, and other nontraditional funding sources. He assists a wide range of clients with their tax planning, from major public corporations to closely held developers and other businesses and their owners to investors and nonprofit organizations.
Alex is a frequent speaker on tax-related topics at numerous accredited continuing legal education (CLE) programs, including national conferences on historic and new markets tax credits. He also has spoken on a variety of tax subjects at the Cleveland Tax Institute, the Ohio State Bar Association Annual Convention and the Ohio CLE Institute. Alex is a past chairman of the Cleveland Tax Institute and a recent past president of the Tax Club of Cleveland, which is the premier tax industry association in northeast Ohio whose membership is composed of leading legal, accounting and corporate tax practitioners in the area. Alex also has published outlines and articles on various tax topics, such as an article that he co-authored on like-kind exchanges under Internal Revenue Code Section 1031, which was featured in the prestigious national BNA Daily Tax Report, and an article on the Final Opportunity Zone Regulations that was published in the Journal of Taxation of Investments.
Real Estate Tax Credit Financing Transactions
- Has done significant work involving the tax planning, structuring and financing of projects utilizing federal and state tax credits throughout the United States, especially historic tax credits and new markets tax credits, with particular experience advising on sophisticated joint ventures and leasing arrangements in the context of facilitating project financing and achieving tax efficiencies.
Real Estate Section 1031 Transactions
- Has worked extensively in the area of tax-free like-kind exchanges of real estate under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code, including complex planning under the deferred exchange, multiple property exchange and reverse exchange rules, as well as in the areas of tenancy in common structuring and installment sale transactions.
Real Estate Tax Planning and Structuring
- Has substantial experience in advising on the tax planning and structuring of acquisitions, dispositions, mergers, split-ups, financings, refinancings, leases, exchanges and other transactions involving real property.
Tax Controversy
- Has significant experience in tax controversy work and the successful resolution of such matters. Has represented clients in a variety of tax controversies in the federal court system, including the U.S. Tax Court, U.S. Federal District Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, as well as at the IRS audit and appeals levels. These cases have involved many diverse substantive areas of tax law, including debt/equity classification, employee/independent contractor characterization, amortization of intangible assets and accumulated earnings tax application.