The current gloomy economy has put many ordinary law-abiding taxpayers in IRS trouble for unpaid taxes.
In response to this dire situation, Congress has been working steadfast to create a number of tax breaks for Americans who are struggling to make ends meet. In Feburary of 2009, Congress passed the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The nearly $800 billion economic stimulus package offers significant tax incentives.
However, due to the
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This year, Tax Resolution Services has been busier than the last few years. We have seen 30% more clients that are small businesses, sole proprietorship, and independent contractors who all gross less than $2 million; some with payroll problems and delinquent business tax problems. Payroll tax problems such as delinquent payroll tax deposits can result in severe IRS penalties, so it is important to stay informed and seek help when
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In the current environment of increasing IRS enforcement efforts, it is unwise for taxpayers to evade taxes and think that they can get away with it.
While it may be true that a small percentage of tax evaders could enjoy a few years of “freedom” from the IRS, the ones who do get caught could be served with debilitating bank levies and heavy wage garnishments for life. (And you never know
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In an effort to more aggressively pursue tax evaders who hide assets in overseas accounts, the US Department of Justice, UBS AG (Swiss Bank), and the Swiss government are working together to reveal the identities of US depositors who use secret offshore accounts.
In order to aid Obama’s latest efforts to bring out tax cheats who take advantage of offshore tax havens, the government of Switzerland filed a brief in the
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The Offer in Compromise (OIC) application process has been a challenging and burdensome process for many applicants. The privilege of being approved for a OIC closely resembles receiving amnesty from the IRS; you can save thousands of dollars in back taxes, IRS tax penalties and interest.
Recently, the IRS unveiled a simplified version of the OIC application form by splitting the original form into two parts: Form 656 and Form 656-B
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If you failed to file and pay taxes one year due to severe emotional or physical illness that disabled you from managing your finances, you may be able to escape paying the IRS tax penalties for that year–as long as you can prove the existence of a “reasonable cause” with strong evidence. If your illness incapacitated you from filing and paying taxes for multiple years, you may be eligible to
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When taxpayers file for bankruptcy, some taxes and penalties may be discharged–giving people a chance of obtaining tax relief.  When someone files for bankruptcy, the “automatic stay” stops taxing authorities from collection actions including seizures and wage garnishments. The extent of the tax relief from bankruptcy may depend on a few factors including: the kind of tax involved, the age of the tax, whether a return was filed, and the
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In economic times when people are strapped for cash, it is tempting to cut corners when filing taxes in order to save some of your disposable income. After all, small tax savings from many different areas can add up to a substantial amount of money. However, no matter how tempting tax evasion may seem - whether it is small or large in sum - it is a terrible financial strategy
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In an effort to bring more tax evaders to the surface, the IRS has issued a new voluntary offshore compliance initiative in March of 2009, which provides more lenient penalties for tax evaders who have placed their assets overseas. In this initiative, taxpayers who voluntarily disclose their wrongdoings will only be punished with paying back taxes, certain penalties, and interest. Those who come forward will not face criminal charges unless
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In an effort to curtail corporate financial irresponsibility, the Obama administration has been working fervently to control white-collar tax cheats. The media has successfully portrayed the businesses that have overseas bank accounts as “suspicious” and potentially guilty of tax evasion.  In 2001, there was a $345 billion tax gap–most of which can be accounted for by the underground economy of tax evaders who have strategically utilized foreign tax havens and
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In the current economy with people losing their jobs left and right, the one word we have not heard as frequently as “recession” is “bankruptcy.” There are more mentions of foreclosures in the aftermath of the credit crash than mentions of people filing for personal bankruptcies. When I was on the LA Talk Radio with TJ McCormack last month, we chatted about the possible boons of filing for bankruptcy and
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The IRS is the worst institution for taxpayers to owe money to. And no one should take comfort in knowing that the IRS clerks working for $9.75-$10.25 an hour have people’s financial fates in their hands, and by them flipping a switch, can generate a tax lien notice or a levy notice to any bank or employer. When I was on the LA Talk Radio show with TJ McCormack
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This is the second tax case I’m blogging about today that relates to taxability of canceled debt.
When a lender cannot collect debt and subsequently cancels the debt (which we are seeing alot of in the form of foreclosures in this struggling economy) -  the IRS considers the canceled debt as taxable income.
The IRS offers guidelines for exceptions or exclusions in which canceled debts are not taxable.
Additionally, the IRS may also
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In this weak economy, taxpayers have lots of questions about cancellation of debt and taxability.
According to the tax code, if a debt for which you are personally liable is canceled or forgiven, other than as a gift or bequest, you may have to include the canceled amount in gross income. While it’s important to know if your canceled debt qualifies for exclusion from your income,  it is also necessary to
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As you’ve no doubt read in the pages of IRS Times & Inquirer, there are a lot of scam artists out there who would like to take advantage of people with tax troubles. Many of these scam artists will make such claims.
That’s why it’s important to see a qualified tax professional; he or she may be able to in fact reduce your tax debt by pennies on the dollar.
A true
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