During a recent episode of the Big Biz Show, I mentioned the subject of taxable income. I thought it an important blog topic as there may be some readers who are unsure what constitutes “income” particularly those who still may have unreported offshore accounts and assets.
The Wikipedia definition of taxable income refers to the base upon which an income tax system imposes tax. Generally, it includes some or all items
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On a recent episode of the TaxMan on the Big Biz Show, I discussed the topic of the “tax gap” that many self-employed and small business people out there should become aware of as they prepare their tax returns for the April 16 deadline. Since many are unfamiliar with the subject matter, listed are the four key questions and answers every individual and small business personal should know about the
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Continuing the countdown to April 16 on a recent episode of the Big Biz Show,  I offered some helpful TaxMan tax tips and advice including how to avoid more IRS “red flags” and planning for tax laws that are set to expire in 2012.

I also took opportunity to thank Sully and Troy Hazard, one of the show’s executive producers, for the launch of the TaxMan show debuting on Biz Television. This
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Over the last month, we have posted information regarding the IRS “Dirty Dozen” Tax Scams to help taxpayers stay alert and avoid many of these schemes “that sound too good to be true.” A recent article by Accounting Today entitled IRS Warns of New Emerging Tax Scam however, shows just how tricky these tax scams are for many to detect and how, in spite of all the warnings, Tax Scam
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No matter how you look at it, living in a civilized society means you are obliged to file your taxes; if you owe, you pay. While many could argue the usual tax talking points such as fairness and tax rates, most of us would agree that taxes collected generate revenue to help fuel the economy. Yet there are people who believe that paying taxes is wrong, immoral and in some
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With the economy still sputtering, many tax stressed people teetering on the edge of IRS bankruptcy enter our offices wanting to know if their IRS tax debt could be wiped away with bankruptcy protection. While in some cases back taxes can be discharged (personal income tax), in most cases, they cannot. However,the good news is that taxpayers in this situation have options. Here are the five simple tax relief options
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I was recently quoted in an article for CreditCards.com entitled Pros and Cons of Paying the IRS with a Credit Card where I encourage taxpayers to compare the costs of using their credit cards to pay their taxes versus a negotiated IRS installment agreement if they don’t have the case on hand. I enjoy lending my expertise to this conversation because all too often, I see very smart people rush
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If you have unfiled and delinquent tax returns, you’re probably dreading this tax season; owing back taxes to the IRS is a big burden. Doing nothing to resolve them, however only makes matters worse and more expensive. Even if the IRS isn’t currently knocking on your door to remind you of your tax debt, you are not out of the woods and will need to devise a plan for
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A major focus of the Obama Administration has been to reduce the “tax gap” (the difference between the amount of taxes reported and what the government actually collects). Nowhere has this become more obvious than with the President’s 2013 budget request.  A recent article in OMB Watch entitled Obama Proposes Exempting IRS from Budget Caps, reports on the Administration’s request to have some IRS enforcement spending be “excluded” from budget
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Some taxpayers have a tendency to overstate their income or expenses. The IRS “Dirty Dozen” Tax Scam # 6 – False and Inflated Income and Expenses makes this list annually simply because taxpayers still believe they can get away with it. What many don’t anticipate is that stepped-up IRS scrutiny of their flawed returns will yield not only IRS problems for them but also less money in their pockets as
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An article in Smart Money Magazine entitled Your Tax-Cheating Spouse May Cost You, considered the benefits of married couples filing joint tax returns. It also discussed what you may want to consider if your spouse was not on the level with “your” previous tax returns. Filing separately from your spouse could prevent IRS problems from occurring in the first place, but in each unique situation this may not be possible.
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In another chapter of Swiss Banks versus the IRS, strong pressure from both U.S. and European governments, have forced Swiss lawmakers to take a stand. Yesterday, Switzerland announced it outlined proposals for how it aims to do the following:

improve its reputation as a private global banking center.
comply with the exchange of tax information that includes requiring all offshore account holders to declare their taxable assets.

A Wall Street Journal article titled
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I recently noticed several news agencies reporting on how the IRS refund delay is angering taxpayers who filed their tax returns early and electronically expecting to receive their refund within 15 days and are still waiting. According to an article in Accounting Today, entitled IRS Experiences Further Tax Refund Delay Problems many early filers received a notice of acknowledgement the IRS received their return. But later when they checked the
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In a recent blog post called IRS Warns of Dirty Dozen Tax Scams, I covered in detail the top four most common and pervasive tax scams currently permeating the tax system. It’s important to prevent IRS tax issues from the start and covering each tax scam separately could go a long way to help consumers first recognize then steer clear of “IRS deals” and false promises that would end up
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IRS commissioner Doug Schulman announced on Thursday its IRS “Dirty Dozen” List of tax scams and “phishing” expeditions to warn taxpayers about scams that range from identity theft to return preparer fraud. This annual list is meant to provide the most recent advice for consumers to prevent tax problems on a year round basis. However, as tax day draws near, scams and schemes tend to peak as people get their
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