General Utilities Doctrine investment & finance definition

An Internal Revenue Service provision that permits a firm to liquidate its assets at more than book value and to pass the proceeds of the liquidation through to stockholders without making the firm pay income taxes on the gains. Rather, stockholders receiving the distribution are required to report the gain (but not the entire liquidation) as income. The General Utilities Doctrine was repealed in 1986 tax reform. As a result of the repeal, any gain from liquidation is taxed twice: once to the liquidating firm and again to the stockholders.