Washington D.C. Tax Law Blog

On January 9, 2020, honoring National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, Maryland Governor Hogan announced that he is introducing legislation to provide tax relief for police, firefighters, and first responders. He also urged lawmakers to pass his crime plan consisting of a series of initiatives and expanded legislation to address violent crime.[1] Specifically, Governor Hogan’s announcement […]

The “Gig Economy”-independent workers paid for a task or project (i.e., a “gig”)- isn’t new, but it has grown exponentially over the last decade, especially with the help of smartphone-based technology. Companies like Uber, Airbnb or TaskRabbit have made it very attractive and easy for independent workers to receive payment for performing a specific gig. […]

They cooperate. At least that is what happened when the Department of Justice (DOJ) recently went after a Swiss bank accused of helping United States citizens hide assets and avoid tax obligations. Details of the DOJ’s findings The DOJ recently announced it entered a deferred prosecution agreement with HSBC Private Bank, a bank that operates […]

Filing season in Virginia will begin January 21, 2020, and taxpayers should note a significant change regarding the Virginia standard deduction before they file their 2019 returns. On December 18, 2019, the Virginia Department of Taxation announced that “due to changes in federal tax laws,” the Virginia standard deduction is increased to $4,500 for taxpayers […]

Celebrations have finished. The new year is here. Now it is time to get back to business. One important consideration when transitioning back to work after the holiday season: tax dates. Due dates will vary depending on the tax form in question. This piece will focus on two of the more common forms, the individual […]

Running a small business is not an easy task. Business owners have full schedules-schedules that rarely include much downtime. Getting notification of a tax audit to add to the daily to-do-list can make an already full schedule seem unmanageable. Thankfully, there are some proactive steps you can take to reduce the risk of a small […]

On December 17, 2019, the Washington Post reported that a former senior investment manager for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ (the “church”) investment arm filed a whistleblower complaint with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The complaint alleges that the church has amassed and misused approximately $100 billion intended for charitable purposes. Specifically, […]

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) typically requires documents and payments to be filed or made within specific timeframes. For instance, it is well-known that individuals’ federal tax returns are generally due every April 15th. It is less commonly known that the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) and corresponding regulations, which provide the rules for determining when […]

According to a recent report by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS),[1]those charged with a tax crime face a high rate of conviction. The agency recently reported it brought 91.2% of all taxpayers charged with a tax crime in 2019 to conviction. Of these convictions, 79% resulted in imprisonment with an average of 43 months to […]

Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying that only two things are certain in life, death and taxes. Unfortunately, in some cases, it appears that in addition to being two certainties in life, the relationship can extend beyond death. How can tax obligations extend beyond death? Two recent court cases provide an example. The cases involve […]