Archive for December, 2008
Sunday, December 21st, 2008
Every month I choose a very special Client Of The Month. It’s my way of acknowledging good friends and saying “thanks” to those who support me and my expert team of tax attorneys, CPAs and enrolled agents. This month’s Client Of The Month is Ronald Darnell.
Mr. Darnell’s debt to the California Franchise Tax Board was over $27K. After several months of negotiations, we were able to settle his tax debt
Tags: IRS help, tax attorney, tax attorneys, tax debt, tax debt reduced, tax relief
Posted in IRS Times and Inquirer, Tax Client of the Month | No Comments »
Saturday, December 20th, 2008
A revenue agent with the Internal Revenue Service has been arrested in connection with a scheme to defraud the government by claiming he suffered a loss when he sold his real estate when, in fact, he realized a substantial profit.
Jim H. Liu, 42, of Diamond Bar, Calif., is an IRS revenue agent who conducts audits of taxpayers. He was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport. Liu was indicted by a
Tags: filing false federal tax return, IRS audits, obstructing IRS investigation, tax cheats, tax evasion
Posted in IRS Tax Cases, IRS Times and Inquirer | No Comments »
Thursday, December 18th, 2008
The list of investors reportedly defrauded by Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme continues to grow. Victims of the $50 billion scam include banking institutions, various charities and a long list of celebrities including Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and screenwriter Eric Roth.
Experts are saying it’s one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in the history of Wall Street. But what many people may not know is that these victims of investment fraud can
Tags: Bernard Madoff, Bernie Madoff, fraud loss, investment fraud, IRC 165, IRS 165, Jeffrey Katzenbery, loss deduction, Michael Rozbruch, ordinary loss deduction, Ponzi, pyramid scheme, Steven Spielberg, tax expert, tax resolution expert, tax resolution services, tax settlement, Tax Tips
Posted in Tax news and tips | 7 Comments »
Thursday, December 18th, 2008
The former owner of Lucky Chances Casino in Colma, Calif., was sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to pay $973,841 in income taxes.
Rene Medina had previously pleaded guilty to tax evasion.
According to the plea agreement, Medina admitted that from July 1999 to June 2007, he was the sole shareholder of Lucky Chances, a casino/card club.
Lucky Chances filed U.S. Income Tax Returns for a Subchapter S Corporation (Form 1120S)
Tags: tax evasion
Posted in IRS Tax Cases, IRS Times and Inquirer | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, December 17th, 2008
After 30 years of working in business and finance, I have developed a reputation for being a go-to IRS problem solver for businesses and individuals. Then earlier this year, I decided to start blogging so I could help even more people with tax relief tips and advise. I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for their readership, support and feedback!
Additionally, here are some tax blogs that I like
Tags: irs problems, Michael Rozbruch, tax blog, tax bloggers, tax expert, tax information, tax insight
Posted in Tax news and tips | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, December 16th, 2008
I’ve been talking about how we’re sure to see another surge in IRS enforcement with the growing government deficit. With audits on the rise, the most important thing to remember this year is to make sure your tax return is accurate because you don’t want to take any chances with the IRS.
A recent article on bloomberg.com talked about how the IRS will be looking for every dime it can get
Tags: 2008 taxes, alternative minimum tax, AMT, filing tax returns, IRS audits, IRS enforcement, IRS help, Michael Rozbruch, preparing tax returns, tax audit, tax expert, tax returns, Tax Tips, wash rule
Posted in Tax news and tips | 2 Comments »
Monday, December 15th, 2008
Start getting your 2008 taxes ready now with these year-end tax tips! Don’t wait till April to start thinking about your taxes. With the sluggish economy, you have to get started on trimming your taxes now, before the end of the year!
For 2008, savvy income and deduction management can help taxpayers make the most of a bad year. Knowing your rights as a taxpayer and how to avoid filing penalties
Tags: 2008 taxes, accelerate deductions, defer income, filing tax returns, filing taxes, IRS bill, IRS tax problems, Michael Rozbruch, reduce taxes, tax attorney, tax breaks, tax debt, tax debt relief, tax deductions, tax expert, tax planning, tax resolution, Tax Tips, tax write offs
Posted in Tax news and tips | 5 Comments »
Sunday, December 14th, 2008
Please join me on Wednesday, December 31 at 10:00 AM (PST) on Blog Talk Radio for a live 1-hour installment of Business Matters - Where Your Small Business Matters. I will be discussing more year-end tax tips for small businesses with host Regina McRae, owner of Grandma’s Secrets, New York’s only dessert delivery company. This is a great show for anyone who runs their own company because Regina discusses important
Tags: blogtalkradio, irs problems, Michael Rozbruch, Payroll Taxes, small business, tax advice, tax expert, tax help, tax resolution, year-end tax tips
Posted in Tax news and tips | No Comments »
Friday, December 12th, 2008
We get a lot of great emails from our tax resolution clients (long after we help them get tax relief, they stay in touch!) One email received today made it around the office, so we had to share it on our blog. Enjoy!
Your House As Seen By:
Yourself…
Your Buyer…
Your Lender…
Your Appraiser…
Your County’ s Tax Assessor…
Happy Friday!
Tags: funny tax jokes, IRS Humor, irs tax relief, Tax Humor, tax relief, tax resolution
Posted in IRS Humor, Tax Humor | No Comments »
Thursday, December 11th, 2008
In this troubled economy, tax planning has never been more important, and small businesses and individuals can get started on trimming taxes now, before the end of the year.
I recently blogged about the things taxpayers can do before December 31, 2008 to reduce the tax bill due on April 15, 2009.
It has been a bad year for many, so it’s crucial to employ financial strategies that can help alleviate potential
Tags: irs problems, Michael Rozbruch, reduce tax bill, tax advice, tax expert, tax help, tax planning, tax relief, year-end tax tips
Posted in Tax news and tips | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, December 10th, 2008
Please tune in to KTLA’s Pacesetters on Sunday, December 14 at 6:00 am. I will be discussing How To Prepare Your 2008 Tax Returns with host Ray Gonzales. I will be sharing my expert tax strategies to help you minimize your tax liability.
I will share advice for taking advantage of popular tax breaks and knowing whether to take standard or itemized deductions. Additionally, we’ll talk about how charitable giving, capital
Tags: 2008 tax returns, alternative minimum tax, KTLA pacesetters, Michael Rozbruch, preparing tax returns, tax expert, tax liability, Tax Tips
Posted in Tax news and tips | No Comments »
Monday, December 8th, 2008
I want to warn everyone about a new email tax scam that has been circulating. It is targeted at “non-resident aliens” who are asked to fill out 2 official-looking IRS forms that are attached and fax them back to a 646 area code number.
The email header reads:
From: Internal Revenue Service [mailto:nonereply@irs.gov]
Subject: please see the attachment
According to the IRS web site:
A bogus IRS letter and Form W-8BEN (Certificate of Foreign
Tags: Identity Theft, phishing, tax expert, tax help, Tax Scams
Posted in Identity Theft, Tax Scams | No Comments »
Friday, December 5th, 2008
Brazilian race-car driver and “Dancing with the Stars” winner Helio Castroneves faces a tax-evasion trial in March 2009 in a Miami federal courtroom.
Castroneves, 33, a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, pleaded not guilty in October and is free on $10 million bail.
Federal prosecutors charged the driver-turned-dancer with one count of conspiracy and six counts of tax evasion, alleging he failed to report $5.5 million in income from 1999 to
Tags: Failing to file tax return, tax evasion, tax shelters
Posted in IRS Tax Cases, IRS Times and Inquirer | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008
Have you been naughty or nice? Uncle Sam wants to know — and he’s doing a lot to find out!
By Michael Rozbruch
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For U.S. taxpayers cheating here and there — or maybe just about everywhere — on their taxes, this news should send a chill up the spine.
Federal prosecutors in Miami have indicted not Joe Six-Pack for tax evasion — but Joe Six-Pack’s boss’ boss’ boss.
Raoul Weil, a senior executive of
Tags: failing to file taxes, tax evasion, tax fraud
Posted in IRS Tax Cases, IRS Times and Inquirer | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008
Fayez Damra, aka Alex Damra, was sentenced to 21 months custody and three years supervised release. He was also fined $50,000 and ordered to pay $274,389 in restitution to the IRS.
Damra, 43, who resides in Henderson, Nev., was convicted by a jury of conspiring to defraud the United States in connection with an alleged conspiracy in which Fayez distributed funds from his computer software design corporation, known as Applied Innovation
Tags: Tax Conspiracy, tax evasion
Posted in IRS Tax Cases, IRS Times and Inquirer, Tax Scams | No Comments »