Sketchy operations target tax debtors for offers in compromise, and preparers who remain anonymous on returns generally have something to hide, the IRS says in its ongoing series.
News
More ‘Dirty Dozen’: Tax refund theft and fake charity appeals
The IRS continued its annual series, highlighting threats to ordinary taxpayers from would-be thieves.
Abusive CRATs and Maltese IRAs among ‘Dirty Dozen’ tax scams
The first installment of the Internal Revenue Service’s annual feature focuses on four abusive transactions and arrangements.
Senators request details on IRS info return destruction
The inquiry posed seven specific questions to the IRS concerning the decision, how it was arrived at, its potential effects and whether the Service has destroyed such documents before processing them at any other time.
Senators urge 2-D barcoding of paper-filed tax returns in 2023
Fourteen GOP members of the Senate Finance Committee added their voices to National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins’s recent directive to the Internal Revenue Service relating to processing of paper-filed returns.
IRS mostly correct on recovery rebate credits, TIGTA says
The IRS administered the recovery rebate credit correctly for all but 0.7% of returns in the 2021 filing season, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration found.
Ukraine aid eligible for leave-based donations programs
Employees may exclude from gross income the value of leave donated to their employers funding payments to relieve victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Tax equity research lacks demographic data, GAO reports
The US Government Accountability Office found disparities in the distribution of some tax items, but notes impediments to knowing taxpayers’ race, ethnicity, and sex.
House subcommittee queries audit rates, IRS resources
Officials from the IRS and the US Government Accountability Office address legislators’ questions on taxpayer service and enforcement across income levels.
IRS audit rates decreased most for wealthy, GAO finds
In a study, the US Government Accountability Office finds that the Internal Revenue Service’s individual tax audit rates decreased by 72% during 2010–2019, and by a greater percentage for higher-income taxpayers than for lower-income ones.
IRS blames old tech in destruction of information returns
The IRS responds to a report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration that pointed to the March 2021 incident as one example demonstrating a need for the Service to increase e-filing options.
TIGTA: IRS should work to expand e-filing
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration finds a lack of coordinated effort across the IRS to fulfill opportunities for wider electronic return filing.
Procedures for Puerto Rico residents to claim a 2021 child tax credit
The IRS provides two simplified filing methods for bona fide residents of Puerto Rico to claim the child tax credit.
Staffing shortages, backlog hampered IRS in 2022 filing season, TIGTA says
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration issues a preliminary assessment of the IRS’s performance in the recently concluded period for income tax filings.
Inflation boosts HSA amounts for 2023
Health savings account maximum contributions, along with minimum deductibles and maximum out-of-pocket expenses of accompanying high-deductible health plans, will be higher next year.
Schedules K-2 and K-3 e-file capability postponed for S corporations
The IRS delays e-filing capability for schedules reporting S shareholders’ items of international tax relevance, earlier forecast for mid-June, to July 24.
Invitation issued for IRS Priority Guidance Plan recommendations
The IRS opened its annual to-do list for drafting regulations and other formal guidance to public suggestions of priority tax issues.
IRS proposes to amend estate and gift tax basic exclusion regs.
Exceptions to the special rule allowing the temporarily higher basic exclusion amount to apply to gifts credited against estate tax.
Supreme Court holds Tax Court not bound by petition filing deadline
The 30-day limit under Sec. 6330(d) for petitioning the Tax Court to review an IRS determination is nonjurisdictional and can be equitably tolled, the Court holds in the case of a taxpayer whose petition was one day late.
IRS funding, technology assessed in House hearing
IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig and National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins testify to the House Oversight and Reform Committee.
employee benefits & pensions
Profits interests: The most tax-efficient equity grant to employees
By granting them a profits interest, entities taxed as partnerships can reward employees with equity. Mistakes, however, could cause challenges from taxing authorities.