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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If you receive income but file a zero tax return for that year, you will be liable for IRS tax penalties for tax deficiency.
In addition, if you argue that you are (for unqualified reasons) exempt from income tax, you will be charged with the frivolous position penalty in addition to the IRS tax penalties that you would incur from unpaid taxes.
CCH (http://tax.cchgroup.com) reports:
Individual Subject to Tax on Income, Additions to
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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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A recent report released by Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) found that taxpayers may be getting their statutory rights violated by the IRS’s improper adherence to tax lien notification requirements. The report released on June 25 revealed that the IRS failed to take the necessary actions when notifying taxpayers and their tax representatives of liens. Procedurally, the IRS is required to mail written notification of the lien to
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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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President Obama has been working hard to ensure that American taxpayers are held more financially accountable. I recently blogged about how new tax enforcement regulations have been put in place in order to make it more difficult for business owners and wealthy people who put their assets overseas to escape taxes. In my recent interview with Mike Jaxson on KSVP, I discussed with him some important new changes to tax
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The IRS just released its strategic plan for fiscal years 2009-2013. The plan outlines how the agency will improve service to taxpayers and enforcement of the law over the next five years.
According to IRS Commissioner Douglas H. Shulman, the agency’s first goal is to make voluntary compliance easier in an effort to maintain the fairest and most effective system of voluntary compliance in the world.
In other words, their goal is
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It’s the morning after April 15… Did you file your taxes?
Every year, millions of taxpayers fail to file legally required tax returns by the April 15 deadline, which can lead to more significant financial problems in the long run including huge penalties and jail time. But it’s not too late for delinquent taxpayers to resolve tax debt and avoid IRS penalties.
The longer you put off dealing with overdue taxes, the
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It’s tax season - the perfect time to resolve your tax probelms and get your IRS questions answered!
I’ve received several questions in the past few weeks asking about cancellation of debt and taxability. Below is a good summary from the IRS website.

Topic 431 - Canceled Debt – Is it Taxable or Not?
In general, if a debt for which you are personally liable is canceled or forgiven, other than
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In attempts to close the tax gap, the IRS is increasing tax compliance and aggressively taking action against tax cheats and tax promoters. As the tax gap grows, more Americans than ever will be facing audits and the IRS will be re-asserting it’s position on individuals who maintain frivolous arguments for not paying their taxes.
CCH (http://tax.cchgroup.com/) reports:
Sanctions were properly imposed on an individual who advanced a frivolous argument that he was not
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According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, a push by the IRS to be more aggressive with wealthy taxpayers means that it’s critical to know the common tax audit red flags.
The IRS has been strongly disputing a report this week from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse that says audits of the wealthy Americans have significantly dropped off.
nificant drop in audits of richer Americans
Taxpayers who make more than
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Under the NEW IRC Section 165 Safe Harbor Rules the IRS estimates it will refund victims of the Bernard Madoff’s massive ponzi scheme around $17 billion!!
The Safe Harbor provisions are crucial to obtaining relief for victims of investment stock fraud because it converts what would ordinarily be a capital loss (which is offset against capital gains and any unused capital loss is then limited to a deduction of only $3,000
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I was recently interviewed by My Business Magazine for an article titled “Tools of the Tax Trade” - about how technology can help us take control of tax documentation.
Taking Control of Your Business Finances - and Protecting Yourself From IRS Audit Penalties

Cool new products like the Neat Co.’s NeatReceipts handheld scanner has helped many taxpayers by making it easier and less time-consuming to keep track of thier expenses. NeatReceipts
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Wanted to share some kind words from a client in Tacoma, Washington. We were able to greatly reduce her tax liability by negotiating a tax settlement with the IRS on her behalf.
I did not have time or the knowledge to deal with the audit and you helped us with all the details. You were very helpful and informative. The process was explained in detail and this made our experience overall
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An Installment Agreement is a payment arrangement whereby the government allows a taxpayer to pay liabilities over time. Once a payment plan is established, the IRS will not take enforced collection action, including the levy of bank accounts or wages, as long as the taxpayer remains current with all filing and payment obligations. However, interest and penalties would continue to accrue until the outstanding balance is satisfied. Additionally, a tax
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