IRS Data Analytics

IRS Detection of Tax Fraud Proliferates

Data Analytics is the Key During the last decade, the Internal Revenue Service has been limited in its ability to ferret out tax cheats, due, in large part, to a 17% cut in its budget in 2010 as well as a 14% reduction in its labor force. Despite…
Tax bill
,

Residency Based Taxation Legislation Provides False Hope for U.S. Expats

 Citizen Based Taxation The origins of citizen based taxation can be traced back to the Civil War and the government’s struggle to raise revenue for the war effort. The predicate for imposing such a system was based upon the notion that…
estate appraisals

Substance trumps Name Recognition in Estate Appraisals

Valuation of two old world paintings in Kollsman v. Commissioner The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit  recently affirmed a 2017 Tax Court decision in Estate of Eva Franzen Kollsman v. Commissioner (T.C. Memo. 2017-40) in…
constructive dividents

 Personal Expenses paid by a Corporation are Constructive Dividends

Combs v. Commissioner Case Taxpayers who operate small closely held businesses using a corporate entity need to be mindful that personal expenses, paid from a corporate bank account or the use of a corporate credit card for personal reasons…
GSA US Tax Court bldg 450x450

Willful FBAR Penalty Moving Towards a Strict Liability Standard

Assessment of the “willful” FBAR penalty Courts have sustained FBAR penalties by reference to case law which is inconsistent with standards and principals applied in penalty cases under Title 26, despite the punitive nature of the willful…
fbar quiet disclosure
, ,

Offshore Disclosure of Foreign Financial Accounts: Deciding What Road to Take

Disclosing Offshore Bank Accounts Taxpayers who are considering coming out of the shadows to disclose their offshore accounts need to be extremely careful when deciding what road to take. Too often, taxpayers simply default to the cheapest…
Streamline
, ,

DOJ Announces Indictment of Taxpayer for Filing False Non-Willful Certification Under the Federal Streamlined Procedures

Case Background On August 27, 2019 the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a superseding indictment of a Florida business man and former Texas CPA for allegedly filing a false document. This was because he made an offshore disclosure using…
Fraudulent tax refunds
, ,

Remember the Large IRS Tax Refunds? You May Have To Pay Them Back.

Fraudulent IRS tax refunds Each year thousands of individuals flock to tax return preparation centers in anticipation of receiving a large income tax refund from Uncle Sam. For most, the money is already earmarked for a down payment on a new…