Federal

  • August 01, 2024

    Feds Want Full Sentence Kept In Fla. Illegal Employment Case

    The U.S. urged a Florida federal court on Thursday to uphold the three-year prison sentence of a labor staffing company operator convicted in a conspiracy to hire migrants not authorized to work in the U.S., saying he's ineligible for a reduction because of his admitted role in the scheme.

  • August 01, 2024

    Divided Tax Court Says Treaty Bars Collections Hearing

    A divided U.S. Tax Court ruled Thursday that it lacked authority to review an Internal Revenue Service decision preventing a woman from challenging a federal tax lien the agency issued on behalf of the Canadian government to secure her tax debt to that country.

  • August 01, 2024

    TIGTA Says IRS Cybersecurity Program Still Not Fully Effective

    The Internal Revenue Service's cybersecurity program continues to not meet federal standards, potentially leaving taxpayer data vulnerable to inappropriate and undetected use, modification or disclosure, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said Thursday.

  • August 01, 2024

    Coca-Cola, IRS Enter $2.7B Tax Bill In Transfer Pricing Dispute

    Coca-Cola and the IRS submitted tax liability calculations totaling $2.73 billion to the U.S. Tax Court, reflecting the latest step in the company's long-running transfer pricing dispute over the agency's reallocation of the company's foreign affiliate income.

  • August 01, 2024

    Calif. Couple Ordered To Pay $1.5M Tax Bill

    A California couple must pay more than $1.5 million for three years' worth of unpaid tax liabilities, plus interest and any other additions, a federal district court ruled Thursday.

  • August 01, 2024

    Direct File Will Be Available In New Mexico, IRS Announces

    New Mexico will participate in the Internal Revenue Service's free electronic tax return filing program known as Direct File in the 2025 tax filing season, the agency and the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced Thursday.

  • August 01, 2024

    Airbnb's $1.3B Bill From IRS Overvalues IP, Tax Court Told

    Airbnb is challenging a $1.3 billion tax bill tied to income the IRS allocated from overseas, telling the U.S. Tax Court the agency overvalued intellectual property the home-rental giant licensed to its Irish affiliate before going public.

  • August 01, 2024

    Senate GOP Blocks House-Passed Tax Break Bill

    Republicans on Thursday blocked the Senate from considering a bipartisan tax bill negotiated by the chairmen of the House and Senate's tax-writing committees that would extend the full tax break for research and development costs and expand the child tax credit for multiple years.

  • August 01, 2024

    Court Won't Stop FTC Judges In H&R Block False Ad Fight

    The Federal Trade Commission can proceed with its hearing against H&R Block accusing the tax preparation firm of false advertising, a Missouri federal judge ruled Thursday, rejecting the company's argument that the agency's administrative law judges lack constitutional authority to preside.

  • August 01, 2024

    Senate Panel OKs Maintaining IRS Funding At $12.3B

    The Internal Revenue Service would receive $12.3 billion for the third straight year under legislation sent Thursday by the Senate Appropriations Committee to the full chamber for consideration.

  • August 01, 2024

    3rd Circ. Affirms Nix Of Discovery Ask On GM In Brazil Case

    A Delaware federal court didn't abuse its discretion by declining to begin discovery on General Motors to aid ongoing litigation in Brazil for a group that is entitled to receive dozens of car dealerships' tax credits from the early 1990s, the Third Circuit found.

  • August 01, 2024

    IRS Not Required To Disclose Summonses, 5th Circ. Affirms

    The Internal Revenue Service was not required to tell a Texas man with unpaid tax liabilities that it had demanded his financial information from third parties, the Fifth Circuit ruled, upholding a lower court's decision to toss his suit.

  • August 01, 2024

    Chiropractor Evaded $2.4M In Taxes, Fed. Indictment Says

    An Alabama chiropractor evaded $2.4 million in self-reported taxes, filed false tax returns and obstructed the Internal Revenue Service, according to a federal indictment.

  • July 31, 2024

    Treasury's New 'Killer B' Rules May Revive Controversies

    Recent U.S. Treasury Department regulations centered on contentious 2011 guidance aimed at so-called Killer B transactions have revived long-standing questions about how much authority rule writers have to target what they perceive as corporate tax avoidance in these maneuvers.

  • July 31, 2024

    Cos. Insist Chevron Ruling Doesn't Change Deduction Claims

    A medical device company and a food services firm that are each challenging Internal Revenue Service denials of dividend deduction claims told the U.S. Tax Court that the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Chevron deference doesn't change the validity of their arguments.

  • July 31, 2024

    Senate Dems Urge Passage Of House-Passed Tax Bill

    Senate Democrats urged their Republican counterparts Wednesday to pass legislation that would extend the full tax break for research and development costs and expand the child tax credit for multiple years.

  • July 31, 2024

    Separate Easement Contribution Docs Critical, IRS Atty Says

    Conservation easement donors must always keep separate documents from their donees that acknowledge the gifted property to qualify for a charitable tax deduction in the event the IRS requests such information during an audit, according to an agency counsel Wednesday.

  • July 31, 2024

    Wash. Cannabis Co. Sues Payroll Firm Over Back Taxes

    A Puget Sound-area dispensary is suing Greenleaf HR LLC, a payroll provider specializing in the cannabis industry, and another firm, claiming they failed to pay the IRS on its behalf resulting in a nearly $172,500 tax bill, according to a lawsuit removed to Washington federal court.

  • July 31, 2024

    GOP Sens. Say Direct File Wrongly Expanding IRS' Power

    The Internal Revenue Service "should not be focused on unilaterally expanding its own power" by making the free Direct File program permanent without the authorization of Congress, 19 Republican senators led by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said Wednesday.

  • July 31, 2024

    $1.1M Tax Refund Claim Needs More Time, Virgin Islands Says

    A man living on the island of St. Thomas who sued the U.S. Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue for a $1.1 million tax refund is being audited, the agency told a Virgin Islands federal court, urging it not to move forward with the case.

  • July 31, 2024

    Americans Overseas Launch Residence Taxation Lobby Group

    An advocacy group representing U.S. citizens living abroad announced it has officially registered as a lobbyist to continue to push Congress to pass residence-based taxation laws for the benefit of individuals comparable to those for corporations.

  • July 31, 2024

    Ex-Chicago Alderman Should Serve Full Supervision, Feds Say

    A former Chicago alderman and attorney convicted of tax crimes should not be allowed an early reprieve from his court-ordered supervision because it has become his main form of punishment following his compassionate release from prison, the government has told an Illinois federal court.

  • July 31, 2024

    TaxAct Customers' Attys Want $5.8M Fee For $23M Deal

    The attorneys for TaxAct Inc. customers who secured a $23 million deal to resolve claims that the company was secretly sharing confidential taxpayer information with Meta and Google asked a federal judge to award them more than $5.8 million in fees for their work.

  • July 31, 2024

    Senators Ask Treasury To Limit Biofuel Tax Credit Eligibility

    The U.S. Treasury Department shouldn't grant biofuel production tax credits to companies that use foreign-sourced feedstocks, a coalition of Republican and Democratic senators said in a letter published Wednesday.

  • July 31, 2024

    Judge Won't Undo IRS' Pause On Worker Retention Credits

    An Arizona federal judge rejected a tax advisory firm's request to lift the IRS' pause on processing claims for the pandemic-era employee retention credit, saying he wasn't eager to stop the agency from addressing the fraud it alleges has been widespread.

Expert Analysis

  • Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence

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    Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • 1st Tax Easement Convictions Will Likely Embolden DOJ, IRS

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    After recent convictions in the first criminal tax fraud trial over allegedly abusive syndicated conservation easements, the IRS and U.S. Department of Justice will likely pursue other promoters for similar alleged conspiracies — though one acquittal may help attorneys better evaluate their clients' exposure, say Bill Curtis and Lauren DeSantis-Then at Polsinelli.

  • Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes

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    Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.

  • Anticipating Intensified Partnership Enforcement From IRS

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    The Internal Revenue Service's decadeslong difficulties with partnership audits led to the recent announcement of a clear, well-funded, focused initiative, and businesses operating in the partnership form will feel the impact, with definite changes ahead, says Sharon Katz-Pearlman at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys

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    Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.

  • The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'

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    The murder trials in Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” illustrate the stark contrast between the ethical high ground that fosters and maintains the criminal justice system's integrity, and the ethical abyss that can undermine it, with an important reminder for all legal practitioners, say Judge Adam Espinosa and Andrew Howard at the Colorado 2nd Judicial District Court.

  • Newman Suspension Shows Need For Judicial Reform

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    The recent suspension of U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman following her alleged refusal to participate in a disability inquiry reveals the need for judicial misconduct reforms to ensure that judges step down when they can no longer serve effectively, says Aliza Shatzman at The Legal Accountability Project.

  • How And Why Your Firm Should Implement Fixed-Fee Billing

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    Amid rising burnout in the legal industry and client efforts to curtail spending, pivoting to a fixed-fee billing model may improve client-attorney relationships and offer lawyers financial, logistical and stress relief — while still maintaining profit margins, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.

  • How Law Firms Can Use Account-Based Marketing Strategies

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    Amid several evolving legal industry trends, account-based marketing can help law firms uncover additional revenue-generating opportunities with existing clients, with key considerations ranging from data analytics to relationship building, say Jennifer Ramsey at stage LLC and consultant Gina Sponzilli.

  • While Risks Exist, AI Could Transform IRS Enforcement

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    The Internal Revenue Service's recently announced use of artificial intelligence could revolutionize the agency's enforcement efforts, and transparency about its use and a forum for challenging AI findings could help mitigate fears that the technology will increase bias, say attorneys at Lewis Brisbois.

  • Strategic Succession Planning At Law Firms Is Crucial

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    Senior partners' reluctance to retire, the rise of the nonequity partner tier and generational differences in expectations are all contributing to an increasing number of departures from BigLaw, making it imperative for firms to encourage retirement among senior ranks and provide clearer leadership pathways to junior attorneys, says Laura Leopard at Leopard Solutions.

  • Maximizing Law Firm Profitability In Uncertain Times

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    As threats of an economic downturn loom, firms can boost profits by embracing the power of bottom-line management and creating an ecosystem where strategic financial oversight and robust timekeeping practices meet evolved client relations, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • Enforcement Of International Tax Reporting Is Heating Up

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s February decision in Bittner v. U.S. changed how penalties for failure to report offshore accounts are calculated, recent developments suggest the government is preparing to step up enforcement and vigorously pursue the collection of resulting penalties, say Daniel Silva and Agustin Ceballos at Buchalter.

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