In declining markets, the issue of indebtedness forgiveness becomes an important one to consider. Owners of real estate, including holding companies or developers, may find themselves in a position to renegotiate their debt. For income tax purposes, forgiveness of debt is generally treated as income that must be added to taxable gross income. In the case of an insolvent taxpayer and some other exceptions, a thorough appraisal is necessary to prove insolvency or to otherwise quantify the amount that can be excluded from becoming taxable income.