Washington D.C. Tax Law Blog

The IRS has recently been cracking down on corporate entities that try to dodge taxes by moving assets offshore. But a new IRS ruling opened the door to a different kind of tax savings vehicle that some corporations may find to be a better alternative. A real estate investment trust, known as an REIT for […]

There is no doubt that tax evasion can be severely punished. If you are lucky, a tax evasion conviction will result in only fines and penalties. If you are unlikely, it could mean time behind bars. In a recent tax evasion case involving two brothers, the Securities and Exchange Commission is trying to send a […]

These days, it is increasingly rare to find a business partnership that consists of two doctors, lawyers or financial professionals setting up shop together. The Government Accountability Office defines a large partnership as having at least $100 million in assets and at least 100 direct and indirect partners. Over the last few years, the number […]

It seems that just about anyone can get into tax trouble, including religious leaders. Late this July, a prominent Rabbi involved in a number of charitable organizations was convicted on charges of tax evasion. As it turns out, many of the charitable endeavors operated by the Rabbi were actually ghost entities. In a guilty plea, […]

Starting on July 1 a new policy went into effect for organizations seeking tax-exempt status as a charity. Previously, groups pursuing this designation had to complete a detailed 26-page form, provide reams of supporting documentation and describe their intended activities in narrative form. To obtain tax-exempt status as a nonprofit now, many groups will simply […]

In recent years, the IRS has been forced to operate with a significantly lower budget. Since 2010, IRS funding has been cut by nearly $1 billion. And, after a recent meeting of the House Appropriations Committee, everyone’s favorite tax collection agency could be on the chopping block once again. On June 25, a bill was […]

Whether you know it or not (and you probably don’t), you have a variety of rights when it comes to paying your taxes and contesting any IRS assertion that you didn’t pay your taxes. But there are few things more unwieldy than the U.S. tax code, and rights afforded to you by law in the […]

Washington, D.C., loves acronyms. Nearly everything has one and they are so widespread that a Google search of “government acronyms” delivers a whole slew of sites that offer guides to help people decipher who’s who and what’s what. In the tax realm, the Internal Revenue Service provides a list of about 80 different acronyms. The […]

If you are an American citizen, you must file a U.S. tax return, even if you live abroad and keep all your money overseas. If you are a U.S. citizen living in American, you must inform the IRS of any foreign accounts. Despite these requirements, foreign assets often go overlooked by the IRS — for […]

When dealing with the Internal Revenue Service, it would probably be fair to say that the phrase, “It’s a pleasure doing business with you,” does not gets used much. The controversies the IRS raises tend to be focused on extracting money that individual taxpayers don’t believe they owe. They can involve disputed tax issues such […]