IRS

U.S. companies and their oversea affiliates are prohibited from certain interactions with countries that are listed as boycotted. In some cases, the United States Government may sanction a request. An understanding of the potential tax implications of these dealings is beneficial for any business operating in qualifying countries. What exactly is a qualifying boycott activity? […]

If you are a United States taxpayer with interest in a foreign asset, odds are high you know that you must report this interest to the government. A failure to do so can result in serious penalties, ranging from steep monetary fines to potential imprisonment. The severity of the penalties often hinges on one thing: […]

Congress is considering a new tax proposal that would result in a minimum tax applied to the foreign earnings made by U.S. companies’. The effort is viewed as an attempt to keep funds here in the United States as opposed to sending them overseas. How do these taxes currently work?Current law applies a 35 percent […]

As its customer service budget has shrunk in recent years, the IRS has pushed hard to get people to go online with tax questions. Online resources do not take the place of a phone conversation with a tax compliance professional. But the IRS website, IRS.gov, does generally have a lot of information. Is the information […]

Foreign financial institutions that provide financial accounts to U.S. taxpayers or foreign entities that have a substantial ownership interest by a U.S. taxpayer are generally required to report information to the IRS. In some cases, this requires completion of an FFI agreement. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently posted a reminder that foreign financial institutions […]

Tax law is a difficult area of law for many reasons. The law is often changing and, as highlighted in a recent decision by the Tax Court; unexpected interpretations of the law are not uncommon. Take the Citizens United case from 2010. Essentially, this case involved a question as to what protections are available for […]

Competing laws can make for confusing situations. For many people in the Washington, D.C., area, trying to find the balance becomes something of a way of life. This may be particularly true for green card holders who have financial ties that reach around the globe. On one hand, the current political turmoil over immigration makes […]

During the 2017 tax season, the MD Comptroller suspended a total of 54 tax preparers who have been involved in potentially fraudulent behavior. Among the suspicious activities are: Business income reported when taxpayers did not own a business. Refund amounts requested much higher than previous year tax returns. Inflated and / or undocumented business expenses. […]

U.S. taxpayers with more than $10,000 in a foreign financial account at any time during the calendar year are required to report foreign financial interests on Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Form 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR). Since the financial crisis in 2008, the government has increased its attention to overseas […]

A tax audit is essentially an accounting procedure that examines your financial records to ensure you filed your tax return accurately. If the IRS finds errors or purposeful mis-reportings, you’ll have to pay the recalculated return amount and any interest. The IRS can choose to audit your tax return for a number of reasons, including: […]