Federal

  • May 01, 2024

    Tax Credit Transfer Regs Show IRS Caution In Rulemaking

    The IRS and Treasury's final rules on the sale and transfer of green energy credits maintained a strict reading of the statute while making few changes, a sign of caution by regulators amid judicial scrutiny of the government's rulemaking authority.

  • May 01, 2024

    Celeb Charity Says Law Firm Partner Went Rogue, Leaked Info

    The nonprofit responsible for handling more than $8 million donated to NFL safety Damar Hamlin following his on-field cardiac arrest has lodged a suit in Illinois federal court against its former counsel, claiming a lawyer leaked private documents to the press as retribution for his firing after publicizing faulty information.

  • April 30, 2024

    Ex-Autonomy VP Says CEO Lynch Told Him To Lie To Investors

    A former Autonomy business development executive testified Tuesday that CEO Mike Lynch directed him to lie to a hedge fund investor about prepaid royalty deals that boosted the company's upfront revenue numbers, saying at Lynch's criminal fraud trial that it was hard to say no to the "big boss."

  • April 30, 2024

    'Bitcoin Jesus' Dodged Nearly $50M In Taxes, Feds Say

    The U.S. has charged an early bitcoin investor dubbed "Bitcoin Jesus" over allegations that he dodged approximately $48 million in taxes by filing false tax returns and concealing how much of the cryptocurrency he owned, according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday.

  • April 30, 2024

    TCJA Expiration Would Lead To Tax Hikes, GOP Reps. Say

    House Ways and Means Committee Republicans pressed Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday on whether President Joe Biden would support the extension of the 2017 tax law's expiring provisions, saying allowing them to end would cause tax hikes for low- and middle-income taxpayers.

  • April 30, 2024

    Crypto Exec Denies $2B Laundering Charges, Is Out On Bail

    The CEO of crypto mixer Samourai Wallet has pled not guilty to charges he helped facilitate over $2 billion in illegal transactions and was released on $1 million bail after surrendering to federal authorities voluntarily.

  • April 30, 2024

    Yellen Says US Pushing To Protect R&D Credit Under Pillar 2

    U.S. Treasury Department negotiators are continuing to advocate for more favorable treatment of the country's research and development tax credit under the Pillar Two global minimum tax rules, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday.

  • April 30, 2024

    IRS Issues Automatic Changes To Tax Code Procedures

    The Internal Revenue Service issued Tuesday its annual list of automatic changes to Internal Revenue Code procedures, including provisions for gross income, trade or business expenses and capital expenditures, among others.

  • April 30, 2024

    IRS Rejects Arizona's Effort To Exempt State Tax Rebates

    The state of Arizona can't sue the federal government to litigate the personal claims of its taxpayers, the Internal Revenue Service told a federal court in an effort to dismiss a bid by the state to exempt state tax rebates from federal income taxes.

  • April 30, 2024

    Attys, Broker Can't Escape $4M Tax Fraud Convictions

    A North Carolina federal judge has denied acquittal requests from two tax attorneys and an insurance agent who were convicted for their roles in a $4 million tax avoidance scheme, saying he agreed with federal prosecutors who argued there was sufficient evidence for the underlying charges.

  • April 30, 2024

    Feds Endorse Easing Marijuana Status In Big Policy Shift

    Federal drug enforcers will recommend loosening restrictions on cannabis for the first time since the drug was made federally illegal decades ago, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

  • April 30, 2024

    IRS Updates Guidance For Clean Jet Fuel Tax Credits

    The Internal Revenue Service released guidance Tuesday that updated an environmental model that manufacturers of a low-carbon alternative to conventional jet fuel, such as ethanol, can use to qualify for a new tax credit and provided a safe harbor for producers to meet the incentive's requirements.

  • April 30, 2024

    The Tax Angle: TCJA Teams, Dear Colleague Letters

    From a look at House GOP efforts to prepare for next year's expiration of their 2017 tax overhaul to ongoing attempts by lawmakers to draw attention and support for their own tax legislation, here's a peek into a reporter's notebook on a few of the week's developing tax stories.

  • April 30, 2024

    Ex-Mass. Pol Can't Sink Fraud Case With 'Imaginative' Attacks

    A Boston federal judge on Tuesday rejected what he called an "imaginative and novel" effort by a former Massachusetts politician to dismiss charges of lying to get COVID-19 relief funds and underreporting income on his taxes.

  • April 30, 2024

    Taxpayer Advocacy Panel Schedules May Meeting

    The Internal Revenue Service's Taxpayer Advocacy Panel has scheduled its next meeting for May 23, the agency said Tuesday.

  • April 30, 2024

    IRS Tax Prep Assistance Grants Open May 1

    The Internal Revenue Service will begin accepting applications for certain tax preparation assistance grants May 1, the agency said Tuesday.

  • April 29, 2024

    Hunter Biden Threatens To Sue Fox News For 'Revenge Porn'

    An attorney representing Hunter Biden threatened Fox News with a lawsuit over allegations it violated New York's "revenge porn" law by publishing nude pictures of him taken off his notorious laptop, according a letter obtained Monday by Law360.

  • April 29, 2024

    Drop In Giving Fuels Push To Restore Above-Line Deduction

    Advocates for nonprofits want Congress to revive an above-the-line charitable contribution deduction this year in order to reverse a continuing drop in donations, but prospects for enactment appear limited until an end-of-year tax package.

  • April 29, 2024

    Ex-COO Of Mo. Charity Gets 3 Years For Bribing Officials

    The former chief operating officer of a Missouri-based healthcare charity was sentenced to three years in prison Monday after admitting she and her husband, the charity's ex-chief financial officer, conspired to bribe elected officials in Arkansas, according to Missouri federal court documents.

  • April 29, 2024

    Court Can Make Widow Pull $2.5M From Swiss Bank, US Says

    A Colorado federal court can force a widow to send $2.5 million from a Swiss bank to the U.S. to repay her late husband's penalties and interest for failing to report his foreign accounts, the U.S. told the court.

  • April 29, 2024

    AICPA Seeks Clarity On IRS' 401(k) Proposal

    The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants asked the Internal Revenue Service to clarify regulations impacting the treatment of employees under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code, according to a letter made public Monday.

  • April 29, 2024

    IRS Rightly Denied Md. Woman's Meeting Request, Court Says

    A Maryland woman's request for a face-to-face meeting with the Internal Revenue Service was properly rejected after she failed to meet the proper prerequisites, the U.S. Tax Court ruled Monday.

  • April 29, 2024

    11th Circ. Should Nix Tax Court Judges' Shield, Widow Says

    The widow of a supermarket butcher told the Eleventh Circuit that the U.S. Tax Court not only wrongly upheld tax liabilities against her stemming from her husband's tax filings but also erroneously affirmed unconstitutional job protections for its judges. 

  • April 29, 2024

    IRS Botching Noncompliant Biofuel Credit Claims, TIGTA Says

    The Internal Revenue Service must take additional steps to address noncompliant claims for biodiesel-related tax credits that resulted in the agency wrongly issuing more than $30 million in credits, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said in a report released Monday.

  • April 29, 2024

    IRS To Open $6B 2nd Round Of Advanced Energy Tax Credits

    The IRS will start taking applications May 28 from project owners seeking to get part of a $6 billion second round of tax credits for developments that will support the clean energy industry, such as solar glass manufacturing and metal recycling facilities, the agency said Monday.

Expert Analysis

  • Why Biz Groups Disagree On Ending Chevron Deference

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    Two amicus briefs filed in advance of last month's U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo highlight contrasting views on whether the doctrine of Chevron deference promotes or undermines the stable regulatory environment that businesses require, say Wyatt Kendall and Sydney Brogden at Morris Manning.

  • US-Chile Tax Treaty May Encourage Cross-Border Investment

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    Provisions in the recently effective U.S.-Chile bilateral income tax treaty should encourage business between the two countries, as they reduce U.S. withholding tax on investment income for Chilean taxpayers, exempt certain U.S. taxpayers from Chilean capital gains tax, and clarify U.S. foreign tax credit rules, say attorneys at Kramer Levin.

  • A Look Ahead For The Electric Vehicle Charging Industry

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    This will likely be an eventful year for the electric vehicle market as government efforts to accelerate their adoption inevitably clash with backlash from supporters of the petroleum industry, say Rue Phillips at SkillFusion and Enid Joffe at Green Paradigm Consulting.

  • A Post-Mortem Analysis Of Stroock's Demise

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    After the dissolution of 147-year-old firm Stroock late last year shook up the legal world, a post-mortem analysis of the data reveals a long list of warning signs preceding the firm’s collapse — and provides some insight into how other firms might avoid the same disastrous fate, says Craig Savitzky at Leopard Solutions.

  • SG's Office Is Case Study To Help Close Legal Gender Gap

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    As women continue to be underrepresented in the upper echelons of the legal profession, law firms could learn from the example set by the Office of the Solicitor General, where culture and workplace policies have helped foster greater gender equality, say attorneys at Ocean Tomo.

  • Planning A Defense As IRS Kicks Off Sports Losses Campaign

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    Sports team owners and partnerships face potential examination under the Internal Revenue Service’s recently announced sports industry losses campaign, and should be preparing to explain what drove their reported losses and assembling documentation to support their tax return positions and accounting methods, say Sheri Dillon and Jennifer Breen at Morgan Lewis.

  • What New Calif. Strike Force Means For White Collar Crimes

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    The recently announced Central District of California strike force targeting complex corporate and securities fraud — following the Northern District of California's model — combines experienced prosecutorial leadership and partnerships with federal agencies like the IRS and FBI, and could result in an uptick in the number of cases and speed of proceedings, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • Reimagining Law Firm Culture To Break The Cycle Of Burnout

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    While attorney burnout remains a perennial issue in the legal profession, shifting post-pandemic expectations mean that law firms must adapt their office cultures to retain talent, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.

  • The Legal Industry Needs A Cybersecurity Paradigm Shift

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    As law firms face ever-increasing risks of cyberattacks and ransomware incidents, the legal industry must implement robust cybersecurity measures and privacy-centric practices to preserve attorney-client privilege, safeguard client trust and uphold the profession’s integrity, says Ryan Paterson at Unplugged.

  • As Promised, IRS Is Coming For Crypto Tax Evaders

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    The IRS is fulfilling its promise to crack down on those who have neglected to pay taxes on cryptocurrency earnings, as demonstrated by recently imposed prison sentences, enforcement initiatives and meetings with international counterparts — suggesting a few key takeaways for taxpayer compliance, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • 5 Reasons Associates Shouldn't Take A Job Just For Money

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    As a number of BigLaw firms increase salary scales for early-career attorneys, law students and lateral associates considering new job offers should weigh several key factors that may matter more than financial compensation, say Albert Tawil at Lateral Hub and Ruvin Levavi at Power Forward.

  • The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Djerassi On Super Bowl 52

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    Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Ramy Djerassi discusses how Super Bowl 52, in which the Philadelphia Eagles prevailed over the New England Patriots, provides an apt metaphor for alternative dispute resolution processes in commercial business cases.

  • Parsing Treasury's Proposed Clean Hydrogen Tax Credit Rules

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    Regulations recently proposed by the IRS and the U.S. Department of the Treasury concerning two types of tax credits for clean hydrogen production facilities should resolve many of the most pressing questions around qualification for the credits — albeit in a relatively stringent manner, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

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