Federal
-
October 03, 2024
Assisted Living Owner Can't Deduct Losses, Tax Court Says
The owner of an assisted living company may not deduct passive losses for a group home he renovated because he spent too few hours working on repairs to qualify as a real estate professional, the U.S. Tax Court ruled Thursday.
-
October 03, 2024
TIGTA Says $12.9B In Early Distributions Missing Added Tax
Roughly 2.8 million taxpayers in 2021 received early retirement distributions totaling $12.9 billion but did not pay the additional 10% tax or file for an exception, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said Thursday.
-
October 03, 2024
Bankruptcy Doesn't Pause Tipster's Case, Tax Court Says
A tax tipster's bankruptcy filing doesn't pause his U.S. Tax Court case challenging the Internal Revenue Service's denial of his request for a whistleblower award, the Tax Court ruled Thursday, saying the award case doesn't concern his tax liability.
-
October 03, 2024
IRS Expanding Scope Of Free Online Tax-Filing Program
The Internal Revenue Service will expand its free online tax-filing program to accommodate more types of income, credits and deductions in 2025, Commissioner Daniel Werfel said Thursday.
-
October 03, 2024
3M Tells 8th Circ. Chevron's End Dooms IRS In $24M Dispute
Multinational conglomerate 3M said Thursday that the U.S. Supreme Court's striking down of Chevron deference dictates that the Eighth Circuit overturn a U.S. Tax Court decision that supported the IRS' reallocation of $24 million from the company's Brazilian affiliate.
-
October 03, 2024
IRS Used $2B Of Funding Boost For Operating Expenses
The IRS has used $2 billion of the funding boost it received under the Inflation Reduction Act to supplement its annual funding, according to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
-
October 03, 2024
IRS Missing Out On $1.4B In Taxes On Gambling Winnings
The Internal Revenue Service's failure to enforce income tax filing requirements for recipients of a form to report gambling winnings has cost it an estimated roughly $1.4 billion in additional tax revenue, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said Thursday.
-
October 03, 2024
IRS Issues Part-Time Worker 403(b) Retirement Plan Guidance
The Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Treasury Department published guidance Thursday on how long-term, part-time employees' Internal Revenue Code Section 403(b) retirement plans will be affected by the Secure 2.0 Act of 2022, which will apply to such plans starting in 2025.
-
October 03, 2024
K&L Gates Boosts Houston Shop With Ernst & Young Tax Ace
K&L Gates LLP strengthened its Houston office this week with the hire of a tax partner with nearly three decades of expertise in advising multinational corporations on U.S. taxation on cross-border acquisitions and other transactions.
-
October 03, 2024
Calif. Can't Delay Bank's $20.7M Tax Refund, FDIC Tells Court
A California tax collection agency shouldn't be allowed to delay a $20.7 million tax refund it owes the shuttered Signature Bank, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. told a New York federal court, saying that as the bank's receiver, it's entitled to the money now.
-
October 03, 2024
Tax Deadlines Delayed For Victims Of Wash. Reservation Fires
Taxpayers on the Yakama Nation's reservation in Washington state will have until Feb. 3 to file individual and business tax returns and make payments following wildfires, the Internal Revenue Service said Thursday.
-
October 03, 2024
Ch. 7 Invalidates $4M Worker Retention Credit Suit, Gov't Says
A road construction company can't sue the Internal Revenue Service for a tax refund for pandemic-era worker credits because its claims stemmed from Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings, the federal government told a Florida federal court.
-
October 02, 2024
NY Man Posed As Exec To Steal $810K Tax Refund, Feds Say
A New York man has been charged with intercepting an unnamed Connecticut investment firm's $810,337 tax refund and then impersonating an executive of the company to steal most of it.
-
October 02, 2024
IRS Makes Progress On Retention Credit Fraud, TIGTA Says
The IRS has made multiple improvements to address false claims for the COVID-19-era employee retention credit, including updating messaging and beefing up certain tax return filters to identify problematic claims, but there is still room for improvement, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said Wednesday.
-
October 02, 2024
Stopgap Gov't Funding Law May Hinder IRS Improvements
The IRS may need to redirect funds from its 2022 funding boost intended for agency improvements in order to cover routine operations, reducing funds available for planned upgrade projects, due to the stopgap appropriations bill Congress passed last week.
-
October 02, 2024
9th Circ. Upholds 14 Years For Ex-Deputy's Tax, Fraud Crimes
A former sheriff's deputy who was ordered to pay $7.6 million in restitution and sentenced to 14 years in prison for tax crimes and wire fraud lost his bid to vacate his sentence Wednesday when the Ninth Circuit decided he wasn't unfairly denied a new attorney.
-
October 02, 2024
IRS Says European Energy Exchange Is A Qualified Exchange
The European Energy Exchange is a qualified board or exchange for purposes of mark-to-market contracts under Internal Revenue Code Section 1256(g)(7)(C), the Internal Revenue Service said Wednesday.
-
October 02, 2024
IRS Too Lax On Tax Prep Partners' Data Practices, TIGTA Says
The IRS isn't doing enough to oversee the data protection practices of the tax preparation businesses in its Free File program and has never removed a partner from the program despite some having been sanctioned for unauthorized disclosures of taxpayer information, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said Wednesday.
-
October 02, 2024
US Seeks To Drop $1M Tax Suit Against Sleep Clinic Founder
The U.S. government seeks to drop its case against a sleep clinic founder and his wife, whom it had accused of hiding assets, after the couple agreed to pay their tax liabilities in full, according to a filing in California federal court Wednesday.
-
October 01, 2024
VP Nominees Vance, Walz Spar Over Tax Cuts
Vice presidential candidates Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, and Gov. Tim Walz, D-Mich., laid out their plans for federal tax cuts to create affordable housing and child care, spark new business growth and increase manufacturing during a nationally televised debate Tuesday night.
-
October 01, 2024
IRS Delays Deadlines, Grants Other Relief Following Helene
Taxpayers in all or part of seven states will have until May 1 to file individual and business tax returns and make payments after Hurricane Helene hit the area, the Internal Revenue Service said Tuesday, while also granting dyed diesel penalty relief as well.
-
October 01, 2024
Tax Deadlines Extended For Victims Of Israel-Hamas War
The Internal Revenue Service said Tuesday that it will postpone tax return and payment deadlines to Sept. 30, 2025, for those affected by the Israel-Hamas war across 2023 and 2024.
-
October 01, 2024
Amgen Must Face Suit It Misled Investors On $10.7B Tax Bill
Amgen lost an attempt to escape a potential class action claiming the pharmaceutical giant hid a $10.7 billion tax bill from investors after a New York federal court ruled there was sufficient evidence for the action to proceed.
-
October 01, 2024
Ex-USTR Official Sees Possible Path Forward For Digital Taxes
The U.S. may withhold trade threats if it believes countries are having good-faith conversations about concerns that their digital services taxes discriminate against U.S. businesses, including in current talks with Canada, the former general counsel for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative told Law360.
-
October 01, 2024
Tax Court Upholds Man's Penalty For Frivolous Return
The Internal Revenue Service did not abuse its discretion when it determined a California man was liable for a $5,000 penalty for filing a frivolous tax return and sustained a levy against him to collect the penalty, the U.S. Tax Court said Tuesday.
Expert Analysis
-
Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles
Volunteering and nonprofit board service are complementary to, but distinct from, traditional pro bono work, and taking on these community leadership roles can produce dividends for lawyers, their firms and the nonprofit causes they support, says Katie Beacham at Kilpatrick.
-
Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.
-
5 Tips To Succeed In A Master Of Laws Program And Beyond
As lawyers and recent law school graduates begin their Master of Laws coursework across the country, they should keep a few pointers in mind to get the most out of their programs and kick-start successful careers in their practice areas, says Kelley Miller at Reed Smith.
-
Pros, Cons Of Disclosing Improper Employee Retention Credit
Employers considering the Internal Revenue Service’s second voluntary disclosure program, which allows companies to avoid penalties for erroneously claiming employee retention credits for the 2021 tax year by repaying the credits and naming the tax advisers who encouraged these abusive practices, should carefully weigh the program’s benefits against its potential drawbacks, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.
-
How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'
Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.
-
Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process
Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.
-
Whistleblowers Must Note 5 Key Differences Of DOJ Program
The U.S. Department of Justice’s recently unveiled whistleblower awards program diverges in key ways from similar programs at other agencies, and individuals must weigh these differences and look first to programs with stronger, proven protections before blowing the whistle, say Stephen Kohn and Geoff Schweller at Kohn Kohn.
-
What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires
Nearly half of law firm lateral hires leave within a few years — a failure rate that is strikingly similar to the performance of NFL quarterbacks drafted in the first round — in part because evaluators focus too heavily on quantifiable metrics and not enough on a prospect's character traits, says Howard Rosenberg at Baretz+Brunelle.
-
Replacing The Stigma Of Menopause With Law Firm Support
A large proportion of the workforce is forced to pull the brakes on their career aspirations because of the taboo surrounding menopause and a lack of consistent support, but law firms can initiate the cultural shift needed by formulating thoughtful workplace policies, says Barbara Hamilton-Bruce at Simmons & Simmons.
-
Planning Law Firm Content Calendars: What, When, Where
During the slower month of August, law firms should begin working on their 2025 content calendars, planning out a content creation and distribution framework that aligns with the firm’s objectives and maintains audience engagement throughout the year, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
-
Brownfield Questions Surround IRS Tax Credit Bonus
Though the IRS has published guidance regarding the Inflation Reduction Act's 10% adder for tax credits generated by renewable energy projects constructed on brownfield sites, considerable guesswork remains as potential implications seem contrary to IRS intentions, say Megan Caldwell and Jon Micah Goeller at Husch Blackwell.
-
Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing
Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
-
The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address
A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.