Tax practice

This year, we not only have to contend with Tax Day on April 15, but also with Tax Freedom Day and Tax Tea Parties this week.

Amended returns are available for taxpayers who forget toclaim extra tax benefits and can bring in extra money later, CCH noted.

The Treasury Department hopes to convince more recipientsof federal benefits such as Social Security payments to sign up for directdeposit, instead of waiting for the check to arrive.

The Internal Revenue Service paid out $16.3 million in false refunds and 2,071 false stimulus payments totaling $1.2 million last year.

Newly released data indicates that last year the InternalRevenue Service audited only about 15 percent of large financial servicescompanies - those with $250 million or more in assets - compared with 64percent of corporations of similar sizes.

Neither the Internal Revenue Service nor the FederalHighway Administration knows how much money in excise taxes for motor fuel goesuncollected every year, according to a new report.

The Internal Revenue Service said that it would make some credit and debit card convenience fees tax-deductible, but only under certain circumstances.

This year, the Internal Revenue Service is offering a new way to file an extension request for free.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, has commended the Internal Revenue Service for hiring more than 1,000 veterans last year.

The Internal Revenue Service has made slow progress in implementing federally required security settings on nearly 100,000 desktop and laptop computers, said a newly released report.

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging a BDO Seidman partner with tax charges for attempting to help one of his clients evade income taxes.

The Justice Department has filed suit against four CPAs, 27 tax preparers and another individual, accusing them of promoting a tax scam that claimed bogus income tax credits for sham sales of methane from landfills.

With the repeal of the federal estate tax set for 2010 and its reinstatement scheduled just one year later, estate tax planning has become more complicated than ever. Wealthy clients need to incorporate flexibility into their current plans while taking advantage of favorable planning opportunities.

The U.S. Treasury Department said that it plans to begin negotiating a protocol with the government of Switzerland to exchange more tax information, opening a window on formerly secret Swiss bank accounts.

The Internal Revenue Service has suspended an enrolled agent from practicing before the agency after his clients complained that he did little to help them settle their tax disputes.

Many are surprised to learn that while it sometimes appears that the Internal Revenue Code reaches into every aspect of our lives, it lacks focus in addressing the complex tax consequences that face the unfortunate victims of Ponzi schemes.Of course, if the reports are true, there may have never before been a Ponzi scheme like Bernard Madoff's, so it is time to take a fresh look at things.

MORE TAXPAYERS TO FILE ONLINENew York - Approximately 40 percent of online households plan to file their federal taxes via the Internet this year, up from under 34 percent four years ago, according to a report by researchers at the Conference Board and TNS, which surveyed 10,000 households and found that consumers' concerns about conducting financial transactions online have been easing over the last few years.

The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5, Feb. 17, 2009) provides almost $300 billion in tax relief. As a stimulus package, the bill makes available over $280 billion in tax relief in the short term in 2009 and 2010. For business, over $75 million in tax benefits are provided for 2009 and 2010. Although most of that is accelerated depreciation, which, over a 10-year period when tax bills are "scored," almost evens out, the immediate benefits to business taxpayers are substantial. What's more, to avoid discouraging taxpayers from making investments and purchases before the act was passed, most of the tax incentives are retroactive to Jan. 1, 2009.While some of the business benefits can help businesses of any size, the act targets significant benefits at small businesses in particular. This is consistent with the Obama administration's view that small business is the principal engine for jobs growth. Notably, the act seeks to encourage spending for major purchases of capital equipment by extending enhanced small-business expensing and 50 percent first-year bonus depreciation. Small businesses that are incurring losses now but made profits within the last five years can take advantage of enhanced net operating loss carrybacks. S corporations and owners of qualified small-business stock also received benefits that can reduce their taxes.

Despite all the tax changes in the past year to stimulate the economy, the Internal Revenue Service appears to be weathering the tax season well so far.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board has issued a “plain English” summary of the board’s actions when it modified the standards for fair value and mark-to-market accounting in response to congressional demands.