Economic substance is a doctrine in the tax law of the United States under which a transaction must have an economic purpose aside from reduction of tax liability in order to be considered valid. This doctrine is used to determine whether tax shelters, or strategies used to reduce tax liability, are considered "abusive" by the Internal Revenue Service.

External links

• The Economic Substance Doctrine in the Current Tax Shelter Environment: Remarks by Donald L. Korb, Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service