Tax strategies

With the filing season well underway, the IRS is estimating that more than 144 million individual tax returns will be filed this year - some 4 million more than last year - and it expects to receive most of them by the April 17 deadline.

The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing Tuesday to examine the growing number of tax extenders in the Tax Code that need to be renewed every year or two, and how there could be greater predictability with overall tax reform.

President Obama encouraged Congress to act on a package of legislative proposals to expand tax breaks and financing for startups and small businesses.

The Internal Revenue Service has increased its forecasts for the number of information-reporting forms it expects to receive this year and in subsequent years as a result of increased reporting requirements.

The break-up of Switzerland's oldest bank Wegelin on Friday shows the need to settle a dispute with U.S. authorities over tax cheats hiding cash in secret Swiss accounts, the finance minister said on Saturday.

The Senate Finance Committee plans to hold a hearing Tuesday to discuss finding a long-term way to handle “tax extenders”—tax provisions that frequently require annual or biannual renewals—to provide more certainty for taxpayers, not to mention tax preparers.

The National Consumer Law Center and the Consumer Federation of America are predicting that this year’s tax season will be the final one that refund anticipation loans will be available on a large-scale, nationwide basis.

The President’s annual State of the Union speech is traditionally more than just a memo of the past or a blueprint for the future.

IMGCAP(1)]The impact of the financial crisis and resultant recession, even if now officially ended, continues to be felt.

President Obama’s State of the Union address gave a preview of several of the administration’s tax policies over the coming year, including tax incentives to encourage more U.S.-based multinational corporations to bring jobs back home.

President Barack Obama called for millionaires to shoulder a greater share of taxes, but also agreed to lower corporate taxes fpr companies that hire in the U.S., during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night.

The Internal Revenue Service plans to hold the second in a series of public meetings next Wednesday to get feedback on its plans to create a “real-time tax system” that would be able to catch incorrectly reported tax return information at the time it is filed.

Republican Presidential candidate Rick Santorum’s tax plan would reduce federal tax revenues substantially, according to a preliminary analysis by the Tax Policy Center.

Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., the ranking Democrat on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said Wednesday he would re-introduce legislation later this year to end the tax break on carried interest income.

A White House-appointed group of business, academic and labor leaders recommended corporate tax reforms and other measures to increase jobs and improve the economy.

CPAs are more optimistic about business growth predictions for 2012 in their respective states than the nation as a whole, according to a new survey of CPAs in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

President Barack Obama plans to include tax incentives in his fiscal 2013 budget to encourage more U.S.-based multinational companies to relocate jobs from foreign countries back home.

IMGCAP(1)]A new bill making its way through Congress has the potential to change the world of e-commerce quite drastically and hurt the viability of small businesses across the country to compete in a growing sector of our economy.

Ernst & Young and its affiliates have begun reimbursing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees for any additional federal and state taxes they incur for their same-sex domestic partners’ medical benefits in the U.S., starting Jan. 1, 2012.

With individual filing season underway, it’s questionable how many taxpayers are aware of their use tax obligations, and actually track their Internet purchases during the year in order to accurately report and pay them.