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• An Alternative Approach to Regulating Tax Preparers

  November 6, 2009

  A letter to IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman may hold the key to the shape of the recommendations to be proposed before the end of the year on tax preparer registration.

• IRS Has $123.5 Million in Undeliverable Refunds

  November 5, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service is looking for taxpayers who are due to receive a combined $123.5 million from 107,831 refund checks that were returned to the IRS by the U.S. Postal Service due to mailing address errors.

• Report Finds $1.8M in Erroneous Health Tax Credits

  November 5, 2009

  At least 1,260 individuals appear to have erroneously claimed about $1.8 million in Health Coverage Tax Credits on their 2007 returns.

• IRS Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing Mail

  November 4, 2009

  An IRS employee has admitted to stealing money from the mail that had been sent to the facility where she worked.

• IRS High-Income Audits Could Bring in More Clients

  November 4, 2009

  The IRS’s plans to create a new unit to examine high-income taxpayers with complex offshore tax structures could prove to be a boon to both accounting firms and tax attorneys.

• IRS Issues Guidance on Minimum Distribution Waiver

  November 3, 2009

  Congress decided last year to waive required minimum distributions from retirement savings plans for 2009, but there is still some confusion about how to apply the waiver.

• Tax Return Transcripts Expose Personal Information

  November 3, 2009

  Forty-three percent of taxpayer requests for copies of tax returns or transcripts were processed incorrectly or not in accordance with IRS guidelines, according to a new report.

• IRS Won’t Assess Extra ’02 Taxes on FedEx

  November 2, 2009

  FedEx said the IRS’s audit team has decided not to assess federal employment taxes on FedEx Ground’s home delivery drivers, whom the company considers to be independent contractors.

• Two-Thirds of Individual Taxpayers Now E-file

  November 2, 2009

  Electronic tax filing set a new record this year, with 95 million individual federal income tax returns e-filed, up nearly 6 percent from last year’s total of nearly 90 million.

• TAX NEWS

  November 2, 2009

  TIGTA says the IRS is mostly accurate on the recovery rebate

• Preparing for the inevitable

  November 2, 2009

  Tax preparer registration looms on the horizon

• TAX NEWS

  November 2, 2009

  IRS drops ACORN and Minnesota ends tax reciprocity with Wisconsin

• Inspector General Cites Costs, Delays in IRS Systems Modernization

  October 30, 2009

  The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has concluded that cost overruns and schedule delays with the Internal Revenue Service’s Business Systems Modernization Program have increased during 2009.

• IRS Has Trouble Tracking Debt Collection Notices

  October 30, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service needs to better manage the collection notices it sends to individuals, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

• Inspector General Calls for Better Oversight of IRS Contracts

  October 29, 2009

  The Treasury Department’s Inspector General for Tax Administration said the Internal Revenue Service should increase the effectiveness of its contract oversight, in a new report.

• IRS Advisory Committee Issues Recommendations

  October 28, 2009

  The IRS’s Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee has released a report outlining recommendations on a wide range of tax administration issues, including creating new forms and instructions, and reporting of a customer’s basis in securities transactions.

• IRS Steps Up Enforcement on the Rich

  October 28, 2009

  IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman had some news for CPAs gathered to hear him speak at an AICPA conference on Monday: high-income individuals are going to be in the agency’s cross-hairs now.

• Congress Clamps Down on Foreign Tax Evasion

  October 27, 2009

  Democratic leaders of key House and Senate committees have introduced legislation to force foreign financial institutions, trusts and corporations to provide information about their U.S. account holders, grantors and owners.

• Shulman Has ‘Some Sympathy’ for CPA Concerns

  October 26, 2009

  IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman told a gathering of CPAs that he had heard their concerns about the IRS requiring extra testing of CPAs who prepare taxes, and announced that the IRS would be expanding its probe of overseas income while targeting new enforcement efforts at high-wealth individuals.

• New Form Helps with Ordering Tax Transcripts

  October 23, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service has issued a new form that will make it easier to order tax transcripts and help process mortgage modification applications.

• Audit Finds $636M in Bogus Homebuyer Credits

  October 22, 2009

  The First-Time Homebuyer Credit program that kept the housing industry afloat this year also led to hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent or erroneous claims.

• IRS's Shulman Warns Board Directors on Compliance

  October 20, 2009

  IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman told a group of board directors attending a business conference that they need to hire outside tax advisors to help with tax risks and FIN 48 compliance.

• IRS Issued over $20 Million in Erroneous Refunds

  October 20, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service has inadequate controls over dishonored checks from taxpayers, putting millions of dollars at risk, according to a new report.

• IRS Employees Took Unauthorized First-Class Flights

  October 16, 2009

  Nearly a dozen IRS employees took unauthorized first-class and business-class flights in the past two years that cost taxpayers over $50,000, according to a new report.

• Low Inflation Eases Tax Bracket Changes for 2010

  October 15, 2009

  Tax rate brackets and various tax benefits will remain unchanged or change only slightly in 2010 due to low inflation, and many pension plan limitations will remain unchanged, according to the IRS.

• First-Time Homebuyer Credit Challenged IRS

  October 15, 2009

  The IRS had a successful filing season this year, according to a new report, despite the challenges of dealing with economic stimulus provisions passed in the midst of tax season, such as an expanded First-Time Homebuyer Credit.

• IRS Employee Indicted in Bribery Case

  October 15, 2009

  An Internal Revenue Service employee was arrested at the IRS offices in Dallas after a grand jury indicted him on a felony bribery charge.

• IRS Mulls Limiting Sole-Proprietor Loss Deductions

  October 13, 2009

  About a quarter of all sole-proprietor businesses report losses on their tax returns, but many are doing so by understating their income or overstating their expenses, leading to billions of dollars in lost tax revenue, according to a new government report.

• IRS Creates Retirement Plan Tool for Small Business

  October 13, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service has created a new Web-based tool to help small-business owners determine which tax-favored pension plan best suits their needs and how to keep their plans in compliance.

• IRS Identity Theft Prevention Efforts Fall Short

  October 8, 2009

  The IRS’s ability to detect identity theft-related refund and employment fraud is limited, but by the end of 2008, the IRS had cataloged over 50,000 incidents, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.

• Manual Tax Refunds Prone to Error

  October 8, 2009

  The IRS is unable to determine if it is issuing erroneous or fraudulent manual refunds to taxpayers, according to a new report.

• Tax Whistleblowers Encounter Obstacles at IRS

  October 7, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service’s Whistleblower Office is having trouble managing the growing number of claims it has been receiving from informants telling the IRS about tax dodgers.

• Hold Times Get Longer for IRS Callers

  October 7, 2009

  Taxpayers calling the IRS for help last tax season endured longer hold times and more disconnected phone calls than in the past, according to a new report.

• IRS Gets Recovery Rebate Credit Right Most of the Time

  October 6, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service correctly calculated the recovery rebate credit on the vast majority of tax returns it processed this year, but it still missed out on tens of millions of dollars.

• Informant Program Spurs IRS Whistleblower Tips

  October 2, 2009

  The IRS’s paid informant program yielded 476 tips last fiscal year about 1,246 tax evaders after Congress substantially revamped the program in 2006.

• IRS Warns Tax Procrastinators

  October 1, 2009

  The time is nigh, saith the IRS, for millions of taxpayers who have filed for extensions to send in their 2008 returns by Oct. 15.

• IRS Revamps Travel Expense Rules

  October 1, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service has issued new rules for travel, lodging, meals and other expenses, including a new optional method for computing the deductible costs.

• IRS Offers Options on Retirement Plan Distributions

  September 30, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service has provided guidance for retirement plan administrators, plan participants and retirees on some recent changes from legislation affecting required minimum distributions.

• IRS Extends Moratorium on Small Business Tax Shelter Penalties

  September 25, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service has agreed to extend until the end of the year a grace period for collecting penalties from small businesses accused of engaging in certain types of tax shelters.

• IRS Drops ACORN

  September 24, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service has severed ties with ACORN, the controversial community-organizing group that was recently the subject of a series of hidden camera videos.

• IRS to Require 1040 E-filing by Tax Preparers

  September 22, 2009

  The Treasury Department’s Inspector General for Tax Administration has released a report recommending that the IRS seek mandatory electronic filing of individual tax returns by paid preparers, and legislation is being readied to write such a requirement into law.

• IRS Extends Offshore Account Disclosure Deadline for the Last Time

  September 21, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service has again extended the deadline for taxpayers to make voluntary disclosures of the unreported income they have stashed in hidden offshore accounts, but warned this would be the final extension.

• Tax Preparer Registration is Inevitable

  September 18, 2009

  In recent months, the IRS has taken a more serious look at the long- talked-about subject of professional tax preparer registration.

• CCH Sees Little Help from 2010 Tax Inflation Adjustments

  September 17, 2009

  Taxpayers will reap little benefit next year from the indexing of many features of the Tax Code, according to CCH, which released estimated income ranges for each 2010 tax bracket.

• IRS Pays Millions in Interest on Frozen Tax Refunds

  September 17, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service is spending millions of dollars in interest on tax refunds that have been improperly frozen, according to a new report.

• IRS Eases Rules on Commercial Mortgage Loan Modifications

  September 16, 2009

  The IRS has issued a new tax rule that will allow commercial real estate borrowers to proactively discuss possible modifications to securitized loans that are at risk of default without triggering tax penalties.

• IRS Plans Final Forum on Tax Preparer Standards

  September 14, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service plans to hold the last of its public forums on improving tax preparer standards at the end of the month, featuring panelists from the tax software industry and unenrolled preparers.

• Linda Stiff Retires from IRS

  September 11, 2009

  Linda Stiff, the former acting commissioner of the IRS, plans to retire this fall.

• IRS Site Highlights Education Tax Breaks

  September 10, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service has opened a new section of its Web site dedicated to various back-to-school tax breaks for college savings and tuition credits.

• Computer Formulas Help IRS Find Fishy Returns

  September 10, 2009

  The IRS’s use of computer formulas is paying off for the agency, improving productivity and picking out returns that taxpayers agree to settle for the recommended additional amounts.

• IRS to Focus on Filling Vacancies

  September 8, 2009

  The IRS faces challenges in recruitment, training and retention of employees to replace the increasing number of employees who are eligible to retire, according to a new report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

• Wireless Industry Wants Cell Phone Tax Rules Ended

  September 3, 2009

  The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association has asked the IRS to repeal an old tax rule that required employees to maintain logs detailing their business usage of mobile phones.

• Tax Preparer Said IRS ‘Pre-Audited’ Clients’ Returns

  September 3, 2009

  A Florida tax preparer has been barred by a federal judge after he falsely told clients he was a former IRS employee and that the IRS had “pre-audited” their tax returns.

• AICPA Advises IRS to Stick to Circular 230 for CPAs

  September 1, 2009

  The American Institute of CPAs has written to the IRS asking the service to rely on the existing Circular 230 penalty structure for regulating CPA tax preparers rather than impose a new one.

• IRS to Assign Corporate Auditors to Swiss Bank Cases

  September 1, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service plans to reassign many of the auditors from its corporate division to a newly created office that will deal with wealthy tax evaders, including those with UBS bank accounts.

• IRS Managers to Get More Involved in Tax Audits

  August 31, 2009

  IRS managers may start supervising tax audits more closely to help resolve disputes between taxpayers and tax examiners.

• IRS Could Use Mortgage Data to Pursue Tax Evaders

  August 31, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service should check Form 1098 mortgage interest statements to catch tax dodgers, recommended a new report.

• AICPA Complains to Washington about Tax Penalties

  August 31, 2009

  The American Institute of CPAs criticized overly broad and disproportionate tax penalties levied on both tax preparers and taxpayers in a report submitted to Congress’s tax-writing committees, the Treasury Department and the IRS.

• Taxpayer Advocates Recommend IRS Improvements

  August 27, 2009

  The Taxpayer Advocacy Panel, a federal advisory committee of 99 citizen volunteers, made a series of recommendations to the IRS on improving payment installment agreements, the scheduling of audits, fixing problems in 1009 forms and other areas.

• Sole Proprietorships on the Rise

  August 26, 2009

  IRS data shows an increase in the number of sole proprietorships and S corporations in recent years.

• Report Faults IRS Research Efforts

  August 20, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service does not have a standardized process for monitoring the progress of its research projects, nor a way to validate the results or measure the impact of its research efforts on tax administration.

• Deadline Nears for Small Biz Stimulus Tax Breaks

  August 19, 2009

  The IRS said that time is running out for many small businesses that wish to take advantage of the tax breaks in the stimulus bill.

• IRS Plans Next Forum on Tax Preparer Standards

  August 18, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service has set Wednesday, Sept. 2, as the second date in a series of public forums to discuss performance standards for tax preparers.

• Shulman to Chair International Tax Forum

  August 17, 2009

  IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman has been chosen as the new chairman of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Forum on Tax Administration.

• Shulman to Chair International Tax Forum

  August 17, 2009

  IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman has been chosen as the new chairman of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Forum on Tax Administration.

• Tax Preparer Regulation Stirs Up Hornets’ Nest

  August 17, 2009

  With trillion-dollar deficits, cap-and-trade and nationalized health care on the horizon, the issues involving the possible registering and licensing of tax preparers seem trivial.

• Offshore Accounts and Payments Gain IRS Attention

  August 11, 2009

  The IRS is increasing its audit activity involving payments to foreign persons and U.S. taxpayers' offshore financial accounts.

• IRS to Step Up Tax-Exempt Fraud Enforcement

  August 10, 2009

  A report from the Treasury Department’s Inspector General for Tax Administration recommends that the IRS adopt a centralized approach to crack down on fraud at nonprofit organizations.

• IRS Extends FBAR Filing Deadline Again

  August 7, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service has extended the filing deadline yet again for people to report on foreign tax accounts, giving them until June 30 of next year, but only under certain circumstances.

• IRS Warns of New ID Theft Scams

  August 4, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service issued an alert about new identity theft scams from fraudsters using the IRS’s name, logo and Web address.

• IRS Looks for Issues to Resolve

  August 3, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service wants to hear from taxpayers, associations and other interested parties about any business tax controversies or disputes that its Industry Issue Resolution program can resolve.

• NSA Supports Tax Preparer Registration

  July 30, 2009

  National Society of Accountants president James H. Nolen testified at an Internal Revenue Service hearing that his group supports the registration of tax preparers, penalties for non-registrants and continuing education requirements.

• IRS to Issue Guidance on Failed Treasury Trades

  July 29, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service plans to issue guidance on the taxation of “fails charges” for failed deliveries of U.S. Treasuries.

• Contractor Billed IRS for Questionable Charges

  July 27, 2009

  An IRS contractor billed the agency $782,000 in dubious labor and travel charges between 2001 and 2006, according to a report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

• IRS Asks Public for Ideas on Tax Preparer Standards

  July 27, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service wants ordinary taxpayers to offer suggestions on how to improve tax preparer performance.

• Jury Indicts IRS Officer in Mortgage Refi Scheme

  July 24, 2009

  A federal grand jury has indicted an IRS revenue officer for pressuring delinquent taxpayers to refinance their mortages with a company for which he worked on the side so they could pay their outstanding tax debts.

• IRS Publishes Final e-Postcard Regulations

  July 23, 2009

  The IRS and the Treasury Department have issued final regulations clarifying how and when certain small tax-exempt organizations must file an annual electronic notice.

• IRS Revises Offer-in-Compromise Forms

  July 23, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service has released a new version of Form 656-B, “Offer in Compromise Booklet,” and a revised Form 656, “Offer in Compromise.”

• TIGTA Wants Tips on Rogue Tax Preparers

  July 22, 2009

  Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George asked tax professionals to provide his office with information on other preparers who are acting unethically or illegally as the IRS prepares to overhaul regulations for practitioners.

• IRS Has Trouble Tracking Paid Tax Preparers

  July 20, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service cannot easily keep track of the activities of paid tax preparers, nor of their compliance with tax laws, according to a new report by the Treasury Inspector of Tax Administration.

• IRS Agent: ‘I’m Going to Kill All of You!’

  July 17, 2009

  IRS agent Albert Bront threatened to kill a group of U.S. Treasury agents when they tried to search his home earlier this week.

• State Licenses May Hinge on Federal Tax Compliance

  July 16, 2009

  Many businesses may soon find they cannot obtain or renew a license unless they are current with both their state and federal taxes.

• IRS Adds to ‘Transactions of Interest’ List

  July 15, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service has expanded its lists of “transactions of interest” and “listed transactions” that taxpayers must disclose if they are participating in any of them.

• IRS Schedules Tax Preparer Regulation Forums

  July 14, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service plans to hold a series of public forums this summer to get input on regulating tax preparers.

• IRS Overlooks Hundreds of Big Overdue Accounts

  July 9, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service has shelved hundreds of balance-due accounts for taxpayers who owe more than $1 million.

• IRS Suspends Some Small Biz Tax Shelter Penalties

  July 7, 2009

  Under pressure from Congress, the Internal Revenue Service has agreed to temporarily suspend until Sept. 30 its efforts to collect penalties for some listed tax shelter transactions.

• IRS Offers Guidance on Not Claiming Depreciation

  July 6, 2009

  The IRS recently issued a revenue procedure to help companies that don’t want to claim the 50 percent depreciation deduction on new property included in the stimulus bill.

• IRS Provides Criteria on Donor-Advised Funds

  July 6, 2009

  A new IRS revenue procedure offers reliance criteria for private foundations and sponsoring organizations that maintain donor-advised funds to use in determining whether a potential grantee qualifies as a public charity.

• GAO Says IRS Should Re-evaluate Taxpayer Penalties

  July 6, 2009

  The IRS needs to create a plan to comprehensively evaluate the administration of civil tax penalties and their impact on voluntary compliance, recommended a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

• Block Sees Tax Audits Doubling

  July 6, 2009

  H&R Block is stepping up its tax audit support services as the tax prep chain sees the IRS audit rate doubling.

• Taxpayer Advocate to Focus on Tax Preparer Regulation

  June 30, 2009

  National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson plans to make oversight of tax return preparers one of her office’s main priorities in the coming fiscal year.

• IRS Excludes Mortgage Modification Payments

  June 29, 2009

  The IRS has excluded pay-for-performance success payments made under the federal government’s new Home Affordable Modification Program from counting as income.

• IRS Offers Disaster Relief in Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma

  June 29, 2009

  Victims of recent storms in Alabama and Missouri and wildfires in Oklahoma may qualify for tax relief from the IRS.

• Taxpayer Representatives Often Not Notified of Liens

  June 26, 2009

  The IRS often fails to send notices of federal tax liens to taxpayer representatives such as accountants, according to a new report.

• IRS Extends Deadline for Filing FBAR

  June 26, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service has extended the deadline for filing a report on foreign bank accounts to Sept. 23 from the original June 30 deadline as it seeks to crack down on offshore tax havens.

• IRS Will Help Streamline Student Aid Applications

  June 25, 2009

  The Obama administration is introducing a shorter and simpler Free Application for Federal Student Aid form that takes advantage of information from the IRS to streamline the application process for college financial aid.

• IRS Lax in Monitoring ITIN Acceptance Agents

  June 25, 2009

  The IRS has not been doing an adequate job of overseeing the acceptance agents who assign Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers to foreign nationals, increasing the risk of tax fraud.

• IRS Committee Recommends Mandatory E-filing

  June 24, 2009

  An IRS advisory committee has recommended that the IRS require all tax preparers who file at least 200 returns a year to use electronic filing.

• Can Jon & Kate Split 8?

  June 24, 2009

  Just in time for Jon and Kate Gosselin’s impending divorce, the IRS has released a very helpful form.

• IRS Updates 1040 for 2009

  June 23, 2009

  The IRS has posted a preview of the 1040 for 2009, along with the latest rules for electronically filing the returns.

• IRS Tax Compliance Efforts Show Mixed Results

  June 22, 2009

  Despite some decreases in 2008, the IRS’s overall level of compliance activities remains higher than in the years immediately after implementation of the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998.

• Lawmakers Ask IRS for Chinese Drywall Deduction

  June 22, 2009

  Four Southern congressmen have written to the IRS asking for casualty loss deductions for homeowners whose property has been damaged by installations of defective Chinese drywall.

• IRS Collectors Not Aggressive Enough, Says Report

  June 18, 2009

  The IRS is not using collection tools, including tax liens, levies and property seizures, soon enough in many instances, according to a new report from a Treasury Department watchdog.

• Search Engine Aims to Make IRS Site More Usable

  June 18, 2009

  A new search engine developed by a California CPA tries to make it easier to find relevant documents on the IRS’s Web site.

• Shulman, Geithner Call for End to Cell Phone Use Tax

  June 16, 2009

  IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner want Congress to pass legislation ending the tax on personal use of employer-provided cell phones.

• Charitable Donation Reporting Abuse Hard to Solve

  June 16, 2009

  A new report from the Government Accountability Office blames misreporting of charitable donation deductions as a major factor behind the tax gap, but said that requiring more information reporting might not improve compliance.

• IRS Considers Changing Cell Phone Requirements

  June 15, 2009

  The IRS is asking the public to weigh in on the question of how to track cell phone usage when employers provide the phones to employees.

• 1040 Forms Could Get Bolder and More Colorful

  June 15, 2009

  Changes should be made in the layout and typeface of 1040 individual tax forms, including more use of boldface, colors and explanations, to help reduce taxpayer errors, recommends a new government report.

• Real Estate Deduction Vexes Taxpayers and IRS

  June 12, 2009

  The IRS needs to do a better job of providing guidance on the real estate tax deduction so taxpayers can properly comply, recommends a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

• IRS Offers Tax Break for Cars Bought in States with No Sales Tax

  June 11, 2009

  The IRS said a tax break is now available to purchase new motor vehicles in states that do not have a sales tax.

• IRS Could License Tax Preparers

  June 10, 2009

  What can we expect from IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman’s proposal to set higher standards of conduct for tax preparers?

• Inspector General Finds Errors in IRS Property Seizures

  June 8, 2009

  The Treasury Department’s Inspector General for Tax Administration found errors and legal violations in nearly half the IRS taxpayer property seizures it studied for a new report.

• International Speedway Wins $97M IRS Settlement

  June 5, 2009

  Motor sports promoter International Speedway Corp. will get back $97 million of the $118 million it deposited with the IRS as part of a tax dispute, plus another $14 million in interest.

• IRS Backtracks on Foreign Bank Account Change

  June 5, 2009

  Amid complaints and confusion, the IRS is temporarily suspending a new reporting requirement for foreign bank accounts that would have extended the mandate to people who are not citizens or residents of the U.S.

• House Committee Blasts IRS over Busy Signals

  June 4, 2009

  House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman John Lewis (D-Ga.), criticized the IRS’s handling of taxpayer phone calls at a hearing that reviewed IRS operations and budget proposals, with IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman in attendance.

• Kerry Blames $820K IRS Tax Lien on Clerical Error

  June 4, 2009

  The IRS has filed a tax lien of $819,848 on the 2004 presidential campaign of Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., but his office claims the debt has long been paid.

• IRS Plans to Step Up Tax Preparer Regulation

  June 4, 2009

  IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman intends to propose a comprehensive set of recommendations by the end of 2009 to ensure “uniform and high ethical standards of conduct for tax preparers” in order to increase taxpayer compliance.

• IRS Commish Details Global Tax Enforcement Plans

  June 2, 2009

  IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman laid out the Obama administration’s plans for cracking down on offshore tax evasion, including extending the statute of limitations.

• Judge Blasts Tax Defier During Sentencing

  June 1, 2009

  A California businessman was sentenced to a five-year jail term for tax evasion and ordered to pay a $75,000 fine, as well as given a tongue lashing by the judge, after he failed to report the profits from his marble tile company on his personal income tax return, claiming the business was owned by a “pure trust.”

• IRS Tracks Middle East Boycott Requests

  May 29, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service said that 112 U.S. companies, partnerships, individuals and other entities reported receiving almost 2,300 requests to participate in boycotts unsanctioned in the U.S. in 2005 and 2006.

• IRS Wins Transfer Pricing Tax Dispute Against Chip Maker

  May 29, 2009

  Silicon Valley chip manufacturer Xilinx has lost an appeals court ruling in a tax dispute with the IRS that could have implications for other multinational companies that use transfer pricing.

• IRS Provides Guidance on Tax Credits for New Hires

  May 28, 2009

  The IRS offered guidance to businesses that plan to claim a newly expanded work opportunity tax credit for eligible unemployed veterans and unskilled younger workers.

• Tax Revenues Take a Dive

  May 27, 2009

  Federal tax revenues plunged 34 percent in April to $266 billion, compared to $404 billion in April of last year, according to a new study.

• IRS Contractor Accused of Elevator Urination

  May 27, 2009

  A contractor for the IRS has been charged with repeatedly urinating in a freight elevator in the IRS’s office building in Detroit, causing an unpleasant aroma.

• IRS Agent Refuses Pizza Bribe

  May 26, 2009

  A Texas restaurant owner has been sentenced to two years in jail after he was convicted of trying to bribe an IRS agent by offering her free pizza and a job.

• IRS Scraps $19.5 Million Web Portal

  May 22, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service spent nearly two years and $19.5 million to develop its new web portal, but canceled the project six months before its scheduled completion date, according to a new report.

• Treasury to Simplify Tax Code

  May 21, 2009

  Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told a House subcommittee that he intends to simplify the Tax Code and devote more money to IRS enforcement.

• IRS Needs to Protect Sensitive Documents Better

  May 21, 2009

  The IRS should be doing a better job of ensuring that the sensitive personal and financial information on taxpayers’ paper documents doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, according to a new report.

• IRS Marks Small Business Week with Tax Breaks

  May 20, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service commemorated Small Business Week this week by calling attention to some recently enacted tax breaks for small businesses.

• IRS Audits Target Wealthier People and Companies

  May 20, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service has increased its audit rates of the wealthiest individuals and corporations, according to testimony by IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman.

• Marks Paneth Helps U.S. Taxpayers with Swiss Accounts

  May 20, 2009

  Accounting firm Marks Paneth & Shron has assembled a team to help clients with holdings in Swiss bank accounts comply with the IRS’s stepped-up enforcement efforts.

• Improper ITINs generate billions in refunds

  May 18, 2009

• Tax Strategy: Making the Making Work Pay Credit work

  May 18, 2009

• IRS Tries to Fix Withholding Problems

  May 14, 2009

  The IRS is providing a new withholding adjustment option for pension plans as a way to get around some of the glitches that have developed with the new Making Work Pay tax credit.

• IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers Need Help

  May 14, 2009

  The IRS should follow the lead of state motor vehicle bureaus to improve customer service, according to a new report from an IRS watchdog.

• Life Settlement Supporters Relieved by IRS Rulings

  May 13, 2009

  Financial professionals gathered at a recent life insurance conference expressed relief about two revenue rulings issued by the IRS this month.

• Pastor Group Wins IRS Nonprofit Ruling

  May 13, 2009

  The IRS has found that a nonprofit foundation that gathered a group of pastors in 2006 for a series of public conferences in advance of a Texas gubernatorial campaign did not violate the tax laws governing nonprofits.

• Tax Preparer Proposals in Budget Greenbook

  May 11, 2009

  The “greenbook” released by the Obama administration on Monday includes a number of proposals of special interest to tax preparers.

• Obama Proposes Billions in Tax Cuts and Tax Hikes

  May 11, 2009

  The Obama administration released detailed plans to cut $800 billion in taxes on small businesses and middle-class families over the next 10 years, while raising $122.5 billion in corporate taxes.

• IRS Reminds Small Charities to File e-Postcards

  May 8, 2009

  The Internal Revenue Service is asking small tax-exempt organizations to remember to file their annual electronic informational return by the May 15 deadline.

• Oh No! Mr. Bill’s Tax Office Raided by Feds

  May 7, 2009

  Internal Revenue Service agents raided a local tax practice in Central Florida known as Taxes by Mr. Bill and accused the firm of stealing its clients’ tax refunds.

• Obama Working for the Clampdown

  May 6, 2009

  Some of the president’s staunchest supporters in Congress and the tech business seemed taken aback by his plans to crack down on offshore corporate tax havens, but they shouldn’t have been surprised.

• From bad to worse: Besides economy, small biz faces rising IRS audits

  May 4, 2009

  During a recent hearing of the House Small Business Committee, lawmakers questioned the Internal Revenue Service as to why small business audits are on the rise as corporate audits fall, and urged them to do more to help entrepreneurs struggling to comply with the complex tax system.

• Obama Seeks to Close Multinational Tax Loopholes

  May 4, 2009

  President Barack Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner outlined a series of moves aimed at closing corporate tax loopholes that encourage U.S. companies to shift income and jobs to other countries.

• Proposed Law Would Reduce Tax Shelter Penalties

  April 29, 2009

  Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., has introduced a bill to lessen the heavy penalties imposed by the Internal Revenue Service on taxpayers who use so-called “listed” tax shelter transactions.

• Tax Preparers Arrested for Cashing Clients’ Refunds

  April 29, 2009

  A tax preparer couple has been arrested for filing false tax returns and diverting their clients’ refund money to their own bank accounts.

• IRS Names Two Commissioners

  April 27, 2009

  Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Douglas Shulman has selected Sarah Hall Ingram as commissioner of the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division and Steven T. Miller as commissioner of the Large and Midsize Business Division.

• Economy, legislation threaten to impact S corps

  April 19, 2009

• IRS issues guidance for Ponzi victims

  April 19, 2009

  In the wake of several high-profile Ponzi schemes - most notably, the $65 billion fraud perpetrated by the now-jailed Bernard Madoff - the Internal Revenue Service has issued new guidance for victims of these types of schemes and their tax preparers.

• In brief

  April 19, 2009

Related Articles

• IRS Has $123.5 Million in Undeliverable Refunds

• Report Finds $1.8M in Erroneous Health Tax Credits

• IRS High-Income Audits Could Bring in More Clients

• IRS Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing Mail

• IRS Issues Guidance on Minimum Distribution Waiver

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