Tax practice

No states changed their sales tax rates in the fourth quarter of last year, but a number of cities and counties did, according to a new report.

The American Institute of CPAs has written to some of the top tax lawmakers in Congress asking them to grant relief to taxpayers in appropriate situations when they miss a statutory deadline or make an error in choosing an election.

Congressional Republicans who rewrote the rules on measuring the economic effects of legislation may be disappointed at some of the results.

Some of our favorite recent tax fraud cases.

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

The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department have issued a notice saying they anticipate issuing proposed regulations that would permit a state or local retirement system that is a governmental plan to cover public charter school employees if certain requirements are satisfied.

Real estate partnerships pool funds from various investor groups, family offices and public entities to invest in property platforms seeking high cap rates and strong yields. Even though the investors within each fund have different tax structures and tax needs, the goal of enhancing each investor’s rate of return can be accomplished through sophisticated tax planning strategies.

John Hewitt, the president, CEO and chairman of Liberty Tax Service, is anticipating increased business for preparers this tax season thanks to the Affordable Care Act and the boost in employment from the increasingly robust jobs market.

The Tax Court has held that an egg donor must include in income the compensation she received from an egg donation agency that matches egg donors with women and couples struggling to conceive on their own.

The owner of a New Jersey tax practice who primarily serviced expatriate clients has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for willfully preparing false tax returns for clients.

Beyond the expected calls for tax fairness and middle-class relief, the President’s State of the Union address touched on a number of other significant topics.

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said Wednesday that congressional Republicans and the Obama administration are too far apart on individual tax reform but could reach an agreement on business tax reform.

With the top income tax rate at 39.6 percent, advisors need to be savvy about the tax-saving strategies they utilize for their high net-worth clients.

The pervasive IRS impersonation phone scam has claimed nearly 3,000 victims who have collectively paid over $14 million, according to a new warning from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

Federal prosecutors have agreed to return nearly $447,000 to a small business whose assets had been seized by the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department agents as part of the controversial civil forfeiture program.

The latest attempt to make the biggest change to the U.S. tax code in 29 years isn’t just an exercise, the top Senate Republican tax-law writer said.

President Obama urged the Republican-dominated Congress to move ahead on tax reform to lower taxes on middle-class families during his State of the Union address on Tuesday evening.

Working together with a number of agencies, including Customs and Border Protection, the FBI, Interpol and local police departments, the IRS Criminal Investigation unit has helped bring to justice dozens of members of the Sinaloa Cartel.

The Internal Revenue Service began accepting electronically filed individual tax returns Tuesday, opening the tax season on time this year despite its latest budget crunch.

Three New York residents, including one former IRS employee, have been indicted in federal court for defrauding the U.S. government by filing false claims for millions in false refunds.