Former IRS Investigator Joe Banister Loses Appeal Of Aiding And Abetting Penalties
Back in 2003, the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility revoked Banister’s right to represent clients before the IRS. He had that right as a CPA. A follow on to the OPR ruling would be revocation of his CPA license, but that is neither here nor there. The revocation was appealed to the Ninth Circuit where it was sustained. Among the things involved in the revocation was his raising the 861 argument. He should have known better so he can no longer represent taxpayers. Since the issue of him making a bad argument has been litigated once with respect to the revocation, he does not get to fight it again with respect to the penalty. That was the District Court ruling.
Former IRS Investigator Joe Banister Loses Appeal Of Aiding And Abetting Penalties
Originally published on Forbes.com December 10, 2017. Joseph Banister, a former KPMG accountant turned IRS investigator turned anti-tax activist , has lost another...
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Over and over again courts have said that there is nothing sinister in so arranging one’s affairs as to keep taxes as low as possible. Everybody does so, rich or poor; and all do right, for nobody owes any public duty to pay more than the law demands: taxes are enforced exactions, not voluntary contributions. To demand more in the name of morals is mere cant.