Tax practice

A California man appeared in a federal court Monday morning to answer charges that he promoted a fraudulent tax return filing scheme that also involved fraudulent vehicle registration titles.

The Internal Revenue Service, along with the Labor Department and the Department of Health and Human Services, are looking into the use of stop-loss insurance, particularly by companies that self-insure their health insurance plans.

The Internal Revenue Service said Monday it is accepting applications for the Tax Counseling for the Elderly and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance grant programs, which will allow some organizations to apply for annual funding for up to three years.

BNA Software, a Bloomberg BNA business, has launched BNA Income Tax Planner Web, an online version of the company’s income tax software that provides several new features and lower maintenance costs.

Julie and Brett Redden are in a hurry for the paperwork to go through for the six-year-old girl they are planning to adopt from China.

The House voted Friday to extend the current 3.4 percent interest rate on subsidized student loans for one more year.

A group of 63 Republican members in the House have written a letter to Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Doug Shulman urging him to stop the agency from requesting extensive information from Tea Party groups and other conservative organizations applying for tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)4 of the Tax Code.

The number of indirect tax increases fell from 154 in the first quarter of 2011 to 107 in the first quarter of this year.

The Internal Revenue Service has increased the tax-deductible annual contribution limitation for health savings accounts.

The Internal Revenue Service issued a trio of notices Thursday related to the health care reform law, including how one might determine whether a health insurance plan provides “minimum value.”

On a unanimous voice vote, the House has approved the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act, with the goal of establishing strong reporting standards for federal spending information.

In a decision that could have far-reaching impact, an Illinois state court judge has ruled that the state’s Amazon law, passed to tax online sales of instate affiliates, is unconstitutional.

Taxpayers who have been victimized by identity thieves who stole their tax refunds have become a major concern for local taxpayer advocates.

H&R Block announced plans to reorganize the company, laying off 350 full-time employees in its Kansas City, Mo., headquarters and closing approximately 200 of its underperforming company-owned offices.

The House held a hearing Wednesday on the use of tax-advantaged health insurance accounts such as flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts for purchasing over-the-counter medications in the wake of the health care reform law.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a company in a significant tax-related ruling that limited the ability of the Internal Revenue Service to pursue taxpayers over tax shelter cases for more than three years, as opposed to six.

The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing Monday on tax reform and its impact on state and local tax and fiscal policy.

In case your clients missed a pivotal tax deduction that could have saved them some serious cash, or you need to fix something on an old return to make sure your clients are in compliance with the IRS, filling out the Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return (Form 1040X) gives taxpayers and preparers another opportunity for an additional refund and potentially avoid headaches triggered by omissions and mistakes.

The U.S. Tax Court is a powerful but obscure institution that has been opening itself up to the public, but only very slowly, and it still lags behind other courts on access.

The Internal Revenue Service has proposed regulations relating to the deductibility of lodging expenses when not traveling away from home.