Federal
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April 10, 2024
Pension Plan Segment Rates Increase In April
Segment rates for calculating pension plan funding rose in April, the Internal Revenue Service said Wednesday.
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April 10, 2024
Family's $25M Settlement Is Income, Tax Court Says
A $25 million settlement received by a family was not tied to personal injury damages, making it taxable, the U.S. Tax Court ruled Wednesday.
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April 10, 2024
Fla. Atty Gets 8 Years For Fraudulent Tax Shelter Scheme
A Florida attorney was sentenced Wednesday to eight years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to tax evasion and defrauding the U.S. government through a tax shelter scheme he pitched to clients that involved making purported charitable contributions so his clients could claim millions of dollars in tax deductions they weren't qualified to receive.
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April 10, 2024
IRS' DOJ Referral Rules 'A Disaster,' Sen. Whitehouse Says
The IRS protocols for referring cases to the U.S. Department of Justice are "a disaster" for enforcing laws against bankers and other actors who help U.S. taxpayers evade taxes, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said Wednesday during a hearing on offshore tax evasion before the Senate Budget Committee.
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April 10, 2024
Feds Cleared To Use Undercover Recording In Atty's Tax Trial
Federal prosecutors trying an attorney next week on charges he orchestrated a tax fraud scheme that spanned seven states will be allowed to play for the jury an audio recording made by an undercover agent, a North Carolina federal judge ruled.
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April 10, 2024
IRS Floats Alternative For Hydrogen Credit Emissions Value
The Internal Revenue Service released guidance Wednesday that would allow hydrogen producers to pursue another method to value their emissions output — which is critical in qualifying for the clean hydrogen production tax credit — if they can't get the information using the Argonne National Laboratory model.
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April 10, 2024
Senate Finance Panel Schedules Hearing On IRS Budget
The Senate Finance Committee will convene next week to discuss the Internal Revenue Service's budget for 2025, the committee said Wednesday.
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April 10, 2024
IRS Fixes Heading For Apprenticeship Credits, Deductions
The Internal Revenue Service issued a correction notice Wednesday to fix a heading related to increased tax relief for meeting certain wage and apprenticeship requirements.
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April 10, 2024
Ex-Trump Finance Chief Weisselberg Jailed For Perjury
A New York state judge on Wednesday sentenced former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg to five months in jail for lying under oath in the attorney general's civil fraud case against Donald Trump and his business associates, imprisoning a close ally of the former president on the eve of his hush-money trial.
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April 09, 2024
Treasury Proposes Long-Awaited Stock Buyback Tax Rules
The U.S. Treasury Department proposed a pair of long-awaited rules Tuesday that detail the calculation and reporting of a new excise tax assessed to publicly traded corporations that recently bought back their own shares of stock on the open market.
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April 09, 2024
Healthcare Co. Can't Sue Ex-Exec For Causing Canada Tax Hit
A Colorado federal judge shot down a pharmacy automation company's suit alleging its former chief commercial officer cost it nearly CA$1.2 million ($907,000) in Canadian taxes by not telling his employer he had moved out of the country, saying the company hasn't shown it suffered any damage as a result.
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April 09, 2024
10th Circ. Won't Allow Church To Skirt IRS Summons
The Tenth Circuit rejected a Kansas church's request to quash an Internal Revenue Service's third-party summons into the organization's bank records because the church does not hold the financial information and therefore is not subject to church tax inquiry restrictions, according to an opinion released Tuesday.
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April 09, 2024
Man's Unusual Filing Methods Led To Liability, 4th Circ. Told
The Fourth Circuit should uphold a U.S. Tax Court decision allowing the IRS to collect the tax liability of a technology consultant who for years used unusual filing methods, the government argued Tuesday, saying the court correctly noted he contributed to any confusion over his bill.
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April 09, 2024
Tax Court Rejects Pa. Man's Worked-For-Free Claim
A Pennsylvania man who claimed he worked for free is liable to pay more than $15,000 in unpaid income taxes, according to a ruling transcript published Tuesday by the U.S. Tax Court.
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April 09, 2024
Fund Managers Want Ga. Attys' Tax Shelter Fraud Suit Tossed
A fund manager accused of misleading investors into an illegal tax shelter want a Georgia federal court to throw out the proposed class action against them, claiming the facts alleged in an updated complaint still aren't specific enough for court.
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April 08, 2024
Tax Court Upholds $11M In Foreign Reporting Penalties
The U.S. Tax Court on Monday mostly upheld $11 million in foreign reporting penalties against a man who admitted he hid money overseas, but the court declined to overturn its ruling that the IRS lacks authority to assess certain foreign reporting penalties.
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April 08, 2024
Tax Court OKs Accuracy Penalties After 11th Circ. Reversal
A Florida man found to owe more than $9 million in taxes is liable to pay accuracy-related penalties, the U.S. Tax Court ruled Monday, after the Eleventh Circuit reversed a previous decision shielding him from the fines.
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April 08, 2024
CPAs Want Treasury To Delay Beneficial Ownership Registry
The U.S. Department of the Treasury should delay enforcement of beneficial ownership information reporting requirements while courts hear cases challenging the Corporate Transparency Act, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and 54 state CPA societies said.
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April 08, 2024
IRS Aptly Denied Man's Payment Proposal, Tax Court Says
The U.S. Tax Court sided with the Internal Revenue Service on Monday in finding there had been no abuse of discretion when the agency rejected a "partial pay" installment agreement from a Pennsylvania man.
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April 08, 2024
Tax Court Declines To Stop Clock For Woman's Petition
A Virginia woman who failed to timely dispute a collection action could not prove she was entitled to equitable tolling, the U.S. Tax Court ruled Monday.
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April 08, 2024
Ex-IRS Criminal Investigations Head Joins Crypto Data Firm
A newly retired chief of the Internal Revenue Service's law enforcement arm is taking his skills to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, where he'll help federal agencies and crypto firms leverage Chainalysis' data and solutions to combat financial crime.
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April 08, 2024
FTC Defends In-House Judges' Role In H&R Block Case
H&R Block wrongly claimed that the Federal Trade Commission's administrative law judges should be disqualified from overseeing an administrative proceeding accusing the tax preparation company of deceptive advertising, FTC lawyers told the agency, arguing the judges don't have illegal job protections.
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April 08, 2024
Mo. Atty Loses Last-Ditch Bid To Dodge NC Tax Fraud Trial
A St. Louis attorney lost a last-minute attempt to escape his upcoming tax fraud trial based on claims that the prosecution was never properly authorized, with a North Carolina federal judge finding that the government did mislead the court but nonetheless had the right stamp of approval.
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April 08, 2024
Jackson Hewitt Preparers Want First OK On $10.8M Deal
Former Jackson Hewitt Inc. workers have reached a $10.8 million settlement with their former employer over claims the company's franchisees entered into an anti-competitive no-poach agreement despite the provision being removed from the company's franchise agreements, according to a Friday motion.
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April 08, 2024
EU Expansion Question Shines Light On Tax Voting Procedure
The question of whether the European Union should expand beyond its current 27 member countries is putting the spotlight on the bloc's voting practices, raising concerns that the current unanimity requirement for tax policy changes would become unmanageable with a larger group.
Expert Analysis
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IRS Memo May Change IP Royalty Tax Prepayment Planning
A recent Internal Revenue Service advice memorandum finding a taxpayer was not permitted to prepay tax on contingent royalties after contributing intellectual property offshore is a noteworthy departure from earlier guidance that highlights potential differences between actual and deemed licenses, says William Skinner at Fenwick.
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What IRS Funding Increase Means For Taxpayers
The Internal Revenue Service will first use the influx of funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to address customer support and personnel issues, but with over half the money allocated to enforcement, corporations and high-net-worth individuals will face increased scrutiny, say Patrick McCann Jr. and Jasen Hanson at Chamberlain Hrdlicka.
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6 Tax Considerations For Life Sciences Collaboration Deals
Given recent IRS guidance and changes to certain tax rates and deductions, biotech and life sciences companies entering into collaboration agreements should assess several unique taxation issues affecting matters ranging from research and development expenditures to profit-sharing terms, say attorneys at Orrick and Andersen Tax.
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Rushed Multilateral Negotiations Caused Two-Pillar Tax Mess
Cracks appearing in the two pillars of the 2021 global tax plan stem from a multilateral tax policy process that rushed to issue rules without first resolving fundamental differences between countries or ensuring that the U.S., a key player, could implement them, says Jefferson VanderWolk at Squire Patton.
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Post-Litigation Refund Strategies To Defeat Class Certification
The Third Circuit's recent revival of the Duncan v. Governor of the Virgin Islands class action shows that defendants should strongly consider tendering refunds to class representatives — even after they file suit — to create a substantial obstacle to certification, say attorneys at Covington.
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Key Considerations For Seeking Relief From Double Taxation
Caroline Setliffe and E. Miller Williams at Eversheds Sutherland lay out the Organization for International Cooperation and Development’s mutual agreement procedure for settling double-taxation disputes, and discuss six factors U.S. taxpayers doing business in multiple countries should consider when determining the most advantageous form of relief.
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High Court Could Resolve Thorny Atty-Client Privilege Issue
The U.S. Supreme Court recently granted review in a federal grand jury proceeding that presents a rare opportunity to clarify — and possibly significantly expand — the scope of the attorney-client privilege for complex mixed-purpose communications with counsel, says David Greenwald at Jenner & Block.
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2 Tax Decisions Hold Key Transfer Pricing Takeaways
Richard Slowinski and Stefanie Kavanagh at Alston & Bird discuss two recent decisions in cases against the IRS — Eaton Corp. from the Sixth Circuit and Medtronic from the Tax Court — that may help clarify when the agency can cancel an advance pricing agreement, but leave unanswered questions about which pricing method applies to high-value intercompany licensing transactions.
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Patagonia's Succession Plan Is A Blueprint For Biz Owners
While not every business owner is interested in giving their company away to a charitable purpose like Patagonia's founder recently did, the outdoor apparel company's unique situation highlights the considerations that should go into any succession plan, says Abosede Odunsi at Freeborn & Peters.
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The CHIPS Act: Key Takeaways For Semiconductor Industry
The Biden administration’s recently signed CHIPS Act signals that the U.S. is making progress toward bolstering the domestic semiconductor industry, and manufacturers must prepare by understanding the requirements of the act and associated Department of Commerce guidance, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.
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Digital Taxation Is Necessary, But Tough To Manage
The U.S. government has started to tackle complex new tax laws as the digital economy continues to grow, but this demands guidelines that will facilitate the growth while protecting investors and the government's finances, say attorneys at Cadwalader.
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5 Considerations When Seeking Federal EV Funding
A recent White House fact sheet shows how federal efforts to support the full scope of the electric vehicle industry have moved the needle, but some details about how to use those funds are still being ironed out, and there are a few issues to watch, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Unpacking The Inflation Reduction Act's Energy Tax Credits
Provisions in the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act that affect how taxpayers can monetize clean energy tax credits will change how clean energy projects are financed, but taxpayers that may not be allowed multiple credits need to determine which type of credit will be the most advantageous, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.