Tax practice

Legislation to provide tax credits for small businesses that hire new workers has made progress in the Senate, with lawmakers voting 80 to 14 to advance the bill past a procedural hurdle Tuesday, but Senate Democrats blocked an attempt Wednesday by Republicans to add an amendment that would extend the Bush tax cuts for another year.

An eye-opening report sheds a harsh light on the growing trend of sales of property tax liens to unscrupulous profiteers, all too often forcing the elderly and impoverished out of their homes due to outstanding tax debts.

The top Senate tax writer predicted Democrats in the chamber will back President Barack Obama’s latest push to extend part of the Bush-era tax cuts, calling talk of Democratic dissension “background noise.”

A former Internal Revenue Service employee has been indicted and arrested for allegedly stealing a taxpayer’s identity.

Thomson Reuters said Tuesday that it plans to offer a number of tax and accounting reference handbooks for its Thomson Reuters ProView e-reader software.

Tascet has released technology that it said tax preparers can use to prevent multiple filings of tax returns by fraudsters.

The Internal Revenue Service is disputing a recent report that its agents have been told to ignore signs of fraudulent use of Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers.

President Barack Obama pushed for a one-year extension of the current tax rates, but only for taxpayers making under $250,000 a year.

The Internal Revenue Service reminded taxpayers and tax preparers Monday that it is now offering more flexible terms for its offer-in-compromise program as part of its expanded Fresh Start initiative.

The decision of the Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is not going to make our conversations with our clients any simpler, even if it resolves some of the overall economic uncertainty that has made these conversations so difficult of late.

The IRS has announced that victims of Tropical Storm Debby may qualify for relief from certain deadlines.

The IRS is reminding taxpayers to keep in mind the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to help them offset some day camp expenses.

When a taxpayer receives a notice of intent to levy, the taxpayer can pay the amount due and file a claim for refund, request an audit reconsideration, file for an offer in compromise or request a collection due process hearing.

The Internal Revenue Service has released new information on the difference between tips and service charges.

The Internal Revenue Service’s art appraisal experts are not subject to either a comprehensive quality review program or continuing education requirements specifically devoted to appraising art, according to a new government report.

An Oregon tax preparer has been sentenced to six months in prison for using his clients’ personal information to defraud them and the Internal Revenue Service.

The Taxpayer Advocate Service does not have a formal process for tracking or analyzing the calls it receives from taxpayers calling its toll-free phone line for help with their IRS problems, according to a new report.

Three overseas advocacy organizations are responding positively to the Internal Revenue Service’s recent move to help dual citizens living abroad.

Former NFL wide receiver Johnnie Morton Jr., who used to play for the Detroit Lions, the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, was sentenced Monday to two years’ probation for lying to a federal grand jury during an Internal Revenue Service criminal investigation.

The Internal Revenue Service does not always control or quickly process referrals alleging that tax-exempt organizations are potentially violating federal tax law, according to a new report.