Jeff Stimpson

A roundup of our favorite recent tax fraud cases.

Highlights of some of our favorite tax-related blogs from the past week.

IRS issues 2017 optional standard mileage rates for deductible costs of operating an automobile.

Tax prep chain giants Liberty Tax and H&R Block separately released their financials from the second quarter of fiscal 2017, which ended on Oct. 31.

The IRS and state tax agencies are warning tax professionals of the continuing threat from cybercriminals.

The IRS and its Security Summit partners have declared the week of Dec. 5-9 “National Tax Security Awareness Week.”

Aggressive use of technology, including social networks, in recruiting no longer begins and ends with a firm’s Web site. But it sure plays a major role.

A survey by the consultancy Rosenberg Associates has turned up some surprising, and some not-so-surprising, information on the economic downturn’s effect on accounting firms.

“Some Americans are learning a jarring lesson about unemployment as they prepare their tax returns,” reads a recent story from the Associated Press. “Jobless benefits are taxed as income.”

Three-quarters of accountants say the financial crisis has changed their on-the-job responsibilities.