One provision included in the fiscal cliff bill (aka the Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012), but seemingly unnoticed by the general press, was the unexpected renewal of the 100% tax exclusion for capital gains on Qualified Small Business Stock (“QSBS”). This QSBS tax exemption, which had previously expired at the end of 2011, would be extended for investments made through the end of calendar year 2013 (and would be retroactively effective for investments made in 2012). A summary of the QSBS renewal provisions covered in the fiscal cliff bill can be found on Joe Wallin’s blog here.

For more information on the other provisions of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, our colleagues prepared a great summary that can be found here.