Tax practice

The Internal Revenue Service has released an updated Form 720, the Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return, to reflect the new 10 percent excise tax on indoor tanning salons in the health care reform bill.

Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., has introduced legislation that would provide additional assistance for workers who have exhausted their unemployment insurance and are living in states like Nevada with elevated unemployment rates.

A federal appeals court has ruled against New York City in its bid to collect about $47 million in property taxes from two foreign governments that have been using parts of their United Nations missions for non-diplomatic purposes.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., has proposed a set of tax breaks to encourage investment in the commercial space industry as a way to cushion the blow from recent cutbacks in the space program.

A former manager at Jackson Hewitt has admitted to falsifying more than 52 tax returns.

Senator Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., introduced a bill earlier this month that would cut taxes for businesses that hire new workers who have been looking for work the longest and provide emergency assistance for struggling families looking for work by creating an additional tier of benefits for those who have exhausted their unemployment insurance benefits.

The Internal Revenue Service has taken steps to prepare for procurements made under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, but lacked the necessary controls to ensure the procurements would comply with new requirements, according to a new government audit.

A group of Democratic senators has written to the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission urging the SEC to require more complete and accurate corporate accounting disclosures, especially of off-balance sheet transactions.

The Congressional Research Service recently commented in its report, "Tax Gap: Misclassification of Employees as Independent Contractors," that tackling the problem of misclassification of workers "would reduce federal, state and local tax gaps and provide other important benefits."

IRS WANTS INPUT ON NEW 1099

HOMEBUYER TAX CREDIT DEADLINE EXTENDED

Technology glitches with new software at the Internal Revenue Service caused it to initially reject nearly a quarter of the 127,105 tax returns it processed during its first three weeks of operation in February.

Although it¨s just one of many new taxes in the health care reform law, and its effective date is more than a year away, the new Form 1099 reporting requirements are suddenly on everyone's radar screen.

Henny Youngman, the aptly-named "King of the OneLiners," used to joke that his accountant recently had reviewed hisfinances and assured him that he had invested enough money to live comfortablyfor the rest of his life.

A federal court in Kansas City, Mo, has permanently barred Missouri lawyer A. Blair Stover Jr. from promoting a variety of improper tax schemes.

The Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act of 2010 is basically a bailout for states that are living beyond their means and have problems meeting their payrolls.

An IRS official repeatedly reassured an audience of tax preparers that the agency isn’t aiming to take away their livelihoods or weed out people when its new registration, testing, education and e-file requirements take effect next tax season.

The number of corporate returns processed annually by the Internal Revenue Service fell 7 percent between January 2005 and December 2009, from almost 2.2 million to approximately 2 million, according to a new government report.

IMGCAP(1)]It’s no secret that taxing jurisdictions across the country are suffering from the economic downturn, and are anxious to close the tax gap.

Dan Rostenkowski, the former chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, has died at the age of 82.