It's been awhile since we last discussed the rights that taxpayers have to challenge the IRS through appeals.In our concluding post of last year, we noted that bringing an action in U.S. Tax Court is not the only way to appeal an IRS action. There are also numerous...
Month: June 2015
Civil forfeiture, part 2: What is being done to address the problem?
Let's pick up the thread of our discussion of civil forfeiture from last month. In recent years, the IRS and other government agencies have often been quick to seize assets for suspected violations of the Bank Secrecy Act or other laws - even in cases where no...
What a difference intent makes!
When it comes to tax noncompliance, intent can make a significant difference in terms of the penalties a taxpayer faces. When the Internal Revenue Service investigates noncompliance, there are certain things auditors will investigate to get a better handle on the...
Foreign account reporting, pt 2: FBAR penalties and ‘willfulness’
For taxpayers without foreign bank accounts, filing season comes only once a year, in April. But if you have reporting obligations for a non-U.S. account, there is a second filing deadline that comes at the end of June. The applicable form for this second filing is...
Foreign account reporting, part 1: Who is required to file?
The filing deadline for foreign bank accounts that meet certain monetary thresholds is only a few weeks away. As in past years, the deadline is June 30.The form used for filing is now called FinCEN Form 114, but it is still often referred to as the FBAR. In this...