Tax practice

Paid tax return preparers will need to file a due diligence checklist with all claims for the Earned Income Tax Credit starting January 1, the Internal Revenue Service said Tuesday.

The Internal Revenue Service saved about $14.19 million by not mailing out tax form packages this year, but the elimination of the mailings increased the burden on approximately 6 million taxpayers who needed to obtain the forms themselves, according to a new government report.

The Internal Revenue Service has approved the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy and NASBA’s National Registry of CPE Sponsors as the first organizations to receive qualified accrediting status to provide continuing education as part of the IRS’s Registered Tax Return Preparer program.

The Internal Revenue Service has made several important changes to its determination letter program for employee retirement plans.

The Senate has passed a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits, but House Republican leaders and some Democrats balked at the short-term extension.

The Internal Revenue Service has published a Candidate Information Bulletin to help those preparing to take the Registered Tax Return Preparer Test know what to expect on test day.

The Internal Revenue Service has given tax-exempt organizations with January and February filing due dates a temporary reprieve until March 30, 2012 to file their annual returns.

Congressional leaders in both parties signaled they were working on a deal to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits for at least two months, while also agreeing on a spending bill that would avert a government shutdown.

Just when you think you know all you need to know about FBAR (Foreign Bank Account Reporting), a product of the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, the impending FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) requirements loom.

The Internal Revenue Service reminded tax preparers to renew their Preparer Tax Identification Numbers before they expire at the end of the year.

The Internal Revenue Service plans to release a new information reporting form that taxpayers will need to use next tax season to report on certain types of foreign financial assets for tax year 2011.

New information released Wednesday on the holdings of U.S.-based multinational corporations is adding fresh ammunition to the dispute over whether companies should be given a tax holiday on repatriated foreign profits.

The tax plan advanced by Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich would have the effect of adding over $1 trillion to the federal deficit in a single year and give the overwhelming share of tax benefits to those at the upper end of the income scale.

House Republicans have passed an extension of the payroll tax cut for another year, but Senate Democrats have vowed to defeat the bill when it comes up for a vote Wednesday.

A new study has cast doubt on claims from legislators and lobbyists that a tax holiday for multinational corporations on their repatriated foreign earnings would spark an economic revival in the U.S.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers are seeking to make sure an extension of the deduction for state and local sales tax payments is included in the tax extenders package that is expected to come before Congress early next year.

The Internal Revenue Service has provided information to clarify the tax responsibilities of U.S. citizens and dual citizens living abroad in response to concerns from Canadians and expatriates from other countries about penalties that might be levied on their unpaid taxes and undeclared bank accounts.

The Internal Revenue Service released on Friday the optional standard mileage rates that business taxpayers can use in 2012 to figure the deductible costs of operating a vehicle for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes, and for the most part they have not changed a great deal.

House Republicans introduced their version of a payroll tax cut extension bill on Friday, a day after competing Republican and Democratic versions of payroll tax cut legislation failed for the second time to advance in the Senate.

A pro-business lobbying group is disputing the claims in a recently released report that found some of the most profitable corporations avoiding billions of dollars in state taxes.