Recently, I have been asked for my thoughts on the IRS’ proposal to pre-filled tax returns. Under a proposed system, the IRS would pre-fill taxpayers’ returns with the data employers and financial institutions have already reported. I came across a Forbes article titled: “Are IRS Prepared Tax Returns the Solution to our Tax Woes?“ that presented a decent overview of what such a system would mean for taxpayers, tax preparers and
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Apparently, Lauryn Hill’s “Miseducation” may relate to how badly she handled her IRS tax problems. According to Accounting Today’s article titled: Fugees Singer Lauryn Hill Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion, Hill was sentenced Monday to three months in prison plus three months home confinement for failing to file tax returns for five years and not reporting more than $2.3 million in income. The article explains the terms of her
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Every year after the tax day, clients inquire as to what tax documents they need to keep and for how long. Last tax season I wrote a blog post on the subject, inspired by a Forbes article by Tax Girl, Kelly Phillips Erb titled: “How Long Should You Keep Records after Tax Day?” I thought the information would be helpful for those who may be wondering what documents to hold
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It’s the day after tax day and for those taxpayers who don’t intend on filing a tax return, you may want to reconsider. Not filing means you will be facing significant IRS tax issues. Failure to file is considered a misdemeanor that can be punishable up to $10,000 per year and one year in jail. In fact, IRS penalties are more severe for non-filing than for non-payment. If it sounds
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Happy Friday! Countdown to tax day: 4 days
Last minute tax filers take note: the most common reasons for refund delays are because of preventable mistakes on the tax return. I thought information from this previous post and interview archive from the Midday Sunday Fox 11 with host Tony Valdez program could provide some help for those still scrambling to finish their tax returns. The trick to avoiding errors on your
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Happy Friday! Tax Day Countdown: 24 days. If you are deciding to hire a tax professional at this stage, make sure you read the following seven tips for choosing a tax professional to help you make a more informed decision. It could help you decide your needs as well as avoid any future IRS tax problems.

Make sure the tax professional has a year round business – Some professionals only work on
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For some reason the IRS did not release an updated “Dirty Dozen Tax Scam List” for 2013. This annual list of tax scams and “phishing” expeditions warns taxpayers about scams that range from tax identity theft to tax evasion. As tax day draws near, scams and schemes tend to peak as people get their tax returns ready for the April 15th deadline. I updated information from the Tax Resolution University
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Donna Guerin, 52, former CPA and tax attorney for Jenkens and Gilchrist, received an 8 year prison sentence and will be required to pay $190 million in restitution for her participation in what the Treasury Department calls “the largest criminal tax fraud in history.” An Accounting Today article titled: “Tax Attorney CPA Sentenced to 8 Years for Massive Tax Fraud Scheme“ provides some details of this landmark case:

Guerin ran a massive
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Sometimes clients describe their tax situation as “Tax Armageddon.” That’s how our client Mike felt when he first came to Tax Resolution Services, Co. facing huge tax debt issues. While it may “feel” like Armageddon, it really isn’t because there is a solution to every problem even Mike’s. Here’s his story:
“I went through a divorce several years ago and found myself strapped for cash because all of a sudden there
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Client Mike’s case is a good example of when bad things happen to good people. Before he contacted Tax Resolution Services, Co., (TRS), Mike’s financial troubles included a massive tax bill assessed at over $100 thousand dollars. In a recent episode of the national network television show, TaxMan, I interviewed Mike several years after he first came to TRS for help with his IRS issues. Mike is a nice, honest
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Straight out of a soap opera script, the IRS appears to be facing its own public relations nightmare in the form of a sex scandal. A Huffington Post article titled “Vincent Burroughs Accuses IRS Agent Dora Abrahamson of Coercing Sex by Using Threat of Tax Penalty“ reveals the details of a salacious and inappropriate meeting between IRS agent and taxpayer under audit.
It appears agent Dora Abrahamson initially contacted Vincent Burroughs,
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The discussion of the tax code has been front and center especially since the National Taxpayer Advocate, Nina Olson released her annual report to Congress. In it, Olson suggested the need for tax reform and strongly urged lawmakers to take significant steps to simplify the way too complex tax code.
People often ask me what would happen if we just had a flat tax. I decided to answer that question in
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On the run up to tax day, I will continue posting client success stories and testimonials. The purpose is to remind taxpayers with IRS tax debt issues they are not alone. Often through these client’ stories, which may be similar to their own, struggling taxpayers will be inspired to take the first steps and get tax help.
It’s rewarding when we get the best IRS tax settlement for our clients that
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Positive changes to the Offer in Compromise Program (OIC) have resulted in an increase in acceptance rates according to a recent article by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) outlining the new Offer in Compromise guidelines.
The AICPA article titled: Significant Changes to the Offer in Compromise Program reports these changes to be a result of the expansion of the Fresh Start initiative first announced in 2011 by former
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The Tax Resolution University blog recently received a Wise Bread Wise Score of 69.03, nationally ranking our blog #107 among personal finance blogs!  Our Wise Score of 90 indicates that the blog is better than 90% of its peers “on average”.
The Tax Resolution University blog was created to give people facing IRS tax problems a place to go for resources, news and information so they could take the first steps
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