The Internal Revenue Service says tax fraud, tax evasion and tax underpayment costs the federal government about $385 billion a year. With an ocean of red ink that deep it should come as no surprise that federal officials in Washington, D.C., and tax collectors at the state level have begun turning to computer software to […]

ne of the largest initiatives by the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Justice Department to enforce tax laws may be about to get a boost. According to recent reports, there are a number of large Swiss banks lining up to cooperate with U.S. efforts in identifying Americans who may hold funds in non-compliant foreign bank […]

One of the largest initiatives by the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Justice Department to enforce tax laws may be about to get a boost. According to recent reports, there are a number of large Swiss banks lining up to cooperate with U.S. efforts in identifying Americans who may hold funds in non-compliant foreign bank […]

When the federal government goes after an individual for tax crimes the process usually occurs in stages. Each stage represents an instance during which opportunities may exist for mitigating the effects and perhaps reducing the chances of a case coming to full prosecution. Whether the person under investigation is somewhere in the Washington, D.C., area […]

In January of 2012, the IRS began another Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) designed to collect taxes on unreported foreign assets. The OVDP was similar to those that the agency had announced in 2009 and 2011. The program offers individuals a chance to self-report income, which minimizes the potential criminal or civil penalties that they […]

The government recently announced the clampdown on three tax preparers in Prince George’s County, Maryland. By virtue of orders issued by two separate federal judges, a father, a son and the father’s ex-wife have been permanently scrubbed from the roles of individuals who can file tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service on behalf of […]

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., is pondering suggestions from the prosecution and the defense regarding sentencing in the cases of former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife, Sandra Jackson. Jackson, who is the son of the elder civil rights activist and politician of the same name, had served as a Democratic congressman from […]

Some call it corporate tax avoidance. Others call it strategic tax planning. Regardless of what one calls it, there’s no doubt that it’s been the focus of a lot of attention here in Washington, D.C. in recent months. But the U.S. isn’t the only country interested in making sure it’s getting its full share of […]

It’s hard to remember when the Internal Revenue Service has been so much in the spotlight of public scrutiny. And it appears that the likelihood is that it is only going to get more intense in the weeks and months ahead. The federal court in Washington, D.C., is beginning to see lawsuits coming through the […]

We who live in the Washington, D.C., area know it is a cosmopolitan place. There are many people who live throughout the District and suburban Maryland and Virginia who are new immigrants or first-generation citizens. Any who work and make a living here have the obligation of filing their yearly income tax returns. But there […]