In 1986, two years into Ronald Reagan's second term, the Democrats regained a Senate majority. David Pryor, a Democratic senator from Arkansas, used his new position as chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Oversight of the Internal Revenue Service, to launch an attack on what he called the IRS' … [Read more...]
Old School Rules Control Taxes on New Age Cryptocurrencies
Investing in cryptocurrency moved mainstream last year and now more people are staring down tax bills from their big gains. The only official IRS guidance about the tax consequences of your adventures in the Jurassic jungle of cryptocurrency trading is from 2014. And that four-year-old … [Read more...]
IRS to Enlist Debt Collectors to Recover Overdue Taxes
After several years of warning taxpayers of fraudulent telephone calls and e-mails from individuals posing as Internal Revenue Service debt collectors, the Internal Revenue Service has been instructed by Congress to contract with private collection agencies to attempt to collect the oldest and … [Read more...]
How Long Do I Need to Keep Tax Returns and Related Records?
One of the most frequently asked questions that we get from clients is “ How long do I have to keep all of my records and tax returns?”. The general rule for copies of tax returns is - indefinitely. With the advent of scanning and electronic storage programs, this is slightly less onerous than in … [Read more...]
New Tax Return Due Dates for 2016 Tax Returns
The Internal Revenue Service has made several changes in due dates for some Federal tax returns, effective for the filing of 2016 tax returns, due in 2017. The changes affect Partnership, LLC and C Corporation tax returns. The due dates for S Corporation returns, individual income tax returns and … [Read more...]
IRS Proposes New Regulations to Limit Discounts for Gifts Of Family Owned Entities
For the last few decades, one of the most popular methods for transferring assets to a next generation was the gifting or sale of partnership, LLC or closely held corporate interests, the valuation of which could take advantage of “discounts” due to “lack of marketability” and “lack of … [Read more...]
Fraudulent IRS “Collection Calls”
For the third newsletter in a row, we are including some old and some new information on a telephone scam which continues to be a problem, based on the increasing number of calls which we are receiving from our clients. Previously, the calls were made by a “live” person, claiming to represent … [Read more...]
Does Extending Your Personal Income Tax Return Increase the Odds of an IRS Audit?
Rumor has it among our clients that extending your tax returns may increase the likelihood of an IRS audit. Is there any truth behind it? The fact of the matter is, there’s really no way to know for sure. Although the IRS releases information on audit rates based on income levels and … [Read more...]
IRS Security Awareness Tax Tips
Following a number of high-profile security scares, the IRS has begun to publish tips for taxpayers to protect personal information from identity theft. One of the most helpful posts is “Seven Steps for Making Identity Protection Part of Your Routine,” published on IRS.gov. Be sure to monitor … [Read more...]
Mortgage Interest Deduction for Unmarried Couples
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has recently concluded that the $ 1.1 million home mortgage interest limitation for unmarried co-owners of a qualified residence applies on a per-taxpayer basis. This reverses an earlier tax court decision, in which the limitation was applied on a per-residence … [Read more...]
