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Most Recent Posts

Auditing The IRS: What Is Coming In 2020

Auditing The IRS: What Is Coming In 2020

Determine whether the IRS has implemented policies, procedures, and practices to ensure that compensation is considered in examinations of closely held S Corporations and their shareholders.

TIGTA 2020 Audit Plan

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Beto O’Rourke, IRS And The Constitution

Beto O’Rourke, IRS And The Constitution

States tend to have the Attorney General’s office regulate not-for-profits not their revenue departments. For some reason at the federal level it falls to the IRS, which is actually a bad choice particularly in its current beleaguered states, but politicians and activists of all sorts are quick to call the IRS to step in to effectively shut down groups by revoking their exemptions for matters that have nothing to do with taxation.

It’s silly. As we saw with the interminable scandal, the IRS is terrible at it and it detracts from its very important core function of collecting revenue.

It’s also bipartisan. Ben Carson reflexively called for the revocation of the exemption of an Islamic group that was critical when he was running for the Republican nomination in 2015.

Just stop it. Have the IRS bring in the money. That’s a big enough job for them.

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Grassley To IRS On NRA – Fight Crime Someplace Else

As a raw junior accountant doing line-ups (Copying the account number and names on thirteen column worksheets and preparing depreciation and prepaid insurance schedules to make life easier “in the field”), I would observe a lofty senior packing his audit bag.

If Herb was nearby, the routine was always the same. “Where are you going?” Herb would ask. The senior would respond with a client name. Herb would invariably say “Bring back a check”.

And if the IRS is going to help with the deficit that is what the Commissioner should be thinking when he sends out his dwindling supply of auditors. Will they be bringing back a check? (Technically they bring back assessments and it is the collection people who bring back the checks, but that is neither here nor there.)

Investigating the NRA will not bring in any revenue to speak of, so leave it to the FBI or whoever should be looking into the matter.

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GAO Reports On Charity Tax Abuse

If the IRS only has enough staff to do a hundred audits of abusive transactions involving tax-exempts, it’s hard to see how better analysis will help all that much.

“As we discussed earlier in this report, IRS’s Research, Analysis and Statistics office also has developed the capability to analyze narrative information, which it has tested on the Form 8886. However, this analytical tool is not being used operationally to review the Form 8886 or any other disclosure report. Our analysis shows that the tool has the potential to help IRS better search disclosure reports for additional information about transactions that could help IRS identify potentially abusive schemes involving tax-exempt entities.”

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Expats Need Expert Tax Advice

Expats Need Expert Tax Advice

Given their jobs as intelligence analysts Elena and Federick are probably smarter than most CPAs and EAs, myself certainly included. Nonetheless, hiring someone with some specialized tax knowledge would have been money well spent. The Tax Court sustained deficiencies of nearly $90k and penalties close to $40k. And those are from the years 2004-2006, meaning the interest will be, as we say, “a number

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Partnership Tax Returns – Why Do We Even Bother?

Partnership Tax Returns – Why Do We Even Bother?

Sorting out the types of discrepancies that TIGTA is highlighting requires people. And the IRS has fewer and fewer people every year. According to the IRS data book, the head count in 1999 was 98,730. In 2018, it was 73,519. Now if you believe as some do, that “taxation is theft”, that is 73,519 too many, but those of us who believe that taxation is the price we pay for civilization, it is crazy to keep gutting enforcement.

Gutting tax enforcement, however, is perfectly consistent with the libertarian drive to starve the beast outlined in Christopher Leonard’s – Kochland: The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power in America, which is a really good read by the way.

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Tax Court Can’t Order IRS To Not Jerk People Around

Tax Court Can’t Order IRS To Not Jerk People Around

Whatever the merits of such a rule might be, it will not be coming from the Tax Court, because of its oft mention “limited jurisdiction”. Congress has not given it the authority to create operating rules for the IRS. It’s too bad, but I have to congratulate Mr. Davis on the effort. Thinking about how to help the next person avoid the aggravation you have experienced is one of the things that helps make the world a better place.

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Maker Of Greatest Shot In March Madness History Misses In Tax Court

Besides his 108 month sentence, Mr. George has a restitution amount of over $2 million to deal with. I think there is a strong possibility that the deficiency will be classified as “currently not collectible” and the ten-year clock will run it out. If that is the case, bringing this action was probably a mistake, since there will be more time for the IRS to attempt collection after his release.

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Tax Court Allows Oil And Coal Magnate Over $10M In Golf Course Losses

Tax Court Allows Oil And Coal Magnate Over $10M In Golf Course Losses

Also connected operationally is Camp Olympia, an overnight camp for inner-city youth founded by Robertson in 1968.  They also offer golf.  Personally, I am grateful for not having been exposed to golf, other than the miniature sort, at an early age, counting that as an advantage of a modest upbringing , but that’s probably just me.

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Wealth Tax – Constitutional Probably – Good Idea Not So Much

Whatever else a wealth tax accomplished, it would be a significant transfer from the upper-upper class to the upper-middle class.  I would think that in some of the larger law and accounting firms, there are already people pitching planning techniques to beat the entirely hypothetical tax.

And if it does pass, the resulting regulations will be of mind-numbing complexity.  Just for starters.  What do you do about trusts?  Do trusts pay the tax themselves with beneficiaries allowed to apportion their unused exemption to the trust?  Or is the trust wealth somehow apportioned among the beneficiaries?  However it is done, let the games begin.

And then there is valuation.  Don’t get me started.  And if it is a net wealth tax, what counts as a liability?  Think that is easy.  Read about partnership taxation.

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