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IRS Releases the Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2013

Tuesday, March 26th, 2013

IR-2013-33, March 26, 2013

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today issued its annual “Dirty Dozen” list of tax scams, reminding taxpayers to use caution during tax season to protect themselves against a wide range of schemes ranging from identity theft to return preparer fraud.

The Dirty Dozen listing, compiled by the IRS each year, lists a variety of common scams taxpayers can encounter at any point during the year. But many of these schemes peak during filing season as people prepare their tax returns.

“This tax season, the IRS has stepped up its efforts to protect taxpayers from a wide range of schemes, including moving aggressively to combat identity theft and refund fraud,” said IRS Acting Commissioner Steven T. Miller. “The Dirty Dozen list shows that scams come in many forms during filing season. Don’t let a scam artist steal from you or talk you into doing something you will regret later.”

Illegal scams can lead to significant penalties and interest and possible criminal prosecution. IRS Criminal Investigation works closely with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to shutdown scams and prosecute the criminals behind them.

The following are the Dirty Dozen tax scams for 2013:

Identity Theft

Tax fraud through the use of identity theft tops this year’s Dirty Dozen list. Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information such as your name, Social Security number (SSN) or other identifying information, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. In many cases, an identity thief uses a legitimate taxpayer’s identity to fraudulently file a tax return and claim a refund.

Combating identity theft and refund fraud is a top priority for the IRS, and we are taking special steps to assist victims. For the 2013 tax season, the IRS has put in place a number of additional steps to prevent identity theft and detect refund fraud before it occurs. We have dramatically enhanced our systems, and we are committed to continuing to improve our prevention, detection and assistance efforts.

The IRS has a comprehensive and aggressive identity theft strategy employing a three-pronged effort focusing on fraud prevention, early detection and victim assistance. We are continually reviewing our processes and policies to ensure that we are doing everything possible to minimize identity theft incidents, to help those victimized by it and to investigate those who are committing the crimes.

The IRS continues to increase its efforts against refund fraud, which includes identity theft. During 2012, the IRS prevented the issuance of $20 billion of fraudulent refunds, including those related to identity theft, compared with $14 billion in 2011.

This January, the IRS also conducted a coordinated and highly successful identity theft enforcement sweep. The coast-to-coast effort against identity theft suspects led to 734 enforcement actions in January, including 298 indictments, informations, complaints and arrests. The effort comes on top of a growing identity theft effort that led to 2,400 other enforcement actions against identity thieves during fiscal year 2012. The Criminal Investigation unit has devoted more than 500,000 staff-hours to fighting this issue.

We know identity theft is a frustrating and complex process for victims.  The IRS has 3,000 people working on identity theft related cases – more than double the number in late 2011. And we have trained 35,000 employees who work with taxpayers to help with identity theft situations.

The IRS has a special section on IRS.gov dedicated to identity theft issues, including YouTube videos, tips for taxpayers and an assistance guide. For victims, the information includes how to contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit. For other taxpayers, there are tips on how taxpayers can protect themselves against identity theft.

Taxpayers who believe they are at risk of identity theft due to lost or stolen personal information should contact the IRS immediately so the agency can take action to secure their tax account. Taxpayers can call the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 800-908-4490. More information can be found on the special identity protection page.

Phishing

Phishing is a scam typically carried out with the help of unsolicited email or a fake website that poses as a legitimate site to lure in potential victims and prompt them to provide valuable personal and financial information. Armed with this information, a criminal can commit identity theft or financial theft.

If you receive an unsolicited email that appears to be from either the IRS or an organization closely linked to the IRS, such as the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), report it by sending it to phishing@irs.gov.

It is important to keep in mind the IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information.  This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels.  The IRS has information that can help you protect yourself from email scams.

Return Preparer Fraud

About 60 percent of taxpayers will use tax professionals this year to prepare their tax returns. Most return preparers provide honest service to their clients. But, some unscrupulous preparers prey on unsuspecting taxpayers, and the result can be refund fraud or identity theft.

It is important to choose carefully when hiring an individual or firm to prepare your return. This year, the IRS wants to remind all taxpayers that they should use only preparers who sign the returns they prepare and enter their IRS Preparer Tax Identification Numbers (PTINs).

The IRS also has created a new web page to assist taxpayers. For tips about choosing a preparer, red flags, details on preparer qualifications and information on how and when to make a complaint, visit www.irs.gov/chooseataxpro.

Remember: Taxpayers are legally responsible for what’s on their tax return even if it is prepared by someone else. Make sure the preparer you hire is up to the task.

IRS.gov has general information on reporting tax fraud. More specifically, you report abusive tax preparers to the IRS on Form 14157, Complaint: Tax Return Preparer. Download Form 14157 and fill it out or order by mail at 800-TAX FORM (800-829-3676). The form includes a return address.

Hiding Income Offshore

Over the years, numerous individuals have been identified as evading U.S. taxes by hiding income in offshore banks, brokerage accounts or nominee entities, using debit cards, credit cards or wire transfers to access the funds. Others have employed foreign trusts, employee-leasing schemes, private annuities or insurance plans for the same purpose.

The IRS uses information gained from its investigations to pursue taxpayers with undeclared accounts, as well as the banks and bankers suspected of helping clients hide their assets overseas. The IRS works closely with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prosecute tax evasion cases.

While there are legitimate reasons for maintaining financial accounts abroad, there are reporting requirements that need to be fulfilled. U.S. taxpayers who maintain such accounts and who do not comply with reporting and disclosure requirements are breaking the law and risk significant penalties and fines, as well as the possibility of criminal prosecution.

Since 2009, 38,000 individuals have come forward voluntarily to disclose their foreign financial accounts, taking advantage of special opportunities to comply with the U.S. tax system and resolve their tax obligations. And, with new foreign account reporting requirements being phased in over the next few years, hiding income offshore will become increasingly more difficult.

At the beginning of 2012, the IRS reopened the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) following continued strong interest from taxpayers and tax practitioners after the closure of the 2011 and 2009 programs. The IRS continues working on a wide range of international tax issues and follows ongoing efforts with DOJ to pursue criminal prosecution of international tax evasion. This program will be open for an indefinite period until otherwise announced.

The IRS has collected $5.5 billion so far from people who participated in offshore voluntary disclosure programs since 2009.

“Free Money” from the IRS & Tax Scams Involving Social Security

Flyers and advertisements for free money from the IRS, suggesting that the taxpayer can file a tax return with little or no documentation, have been appearing in community churches around the country. These schemes promise refunds to people who have little or no income and normally don’t have a tax filing requirement – and are also often spread by word of mouth as unsuspecting and well-intentioned people tell their friends and relatives.

Scammers prey on low income individuals and the elderly and members of church congregations with bogus promises of free money. They build false hopes and charge people good money for bad advice including encouraging taxpayers to make fictitious claims for refunds or rebates based on false statements of entitlement to tax credits. For example, some promoters claim they can obtain for their victims, often senior citizens, a tax refund or nonexistent stimulus payment based on the American Opportunity Tax Credit, even if the victim was not enrolled in or paying for college. Con artists also falsely claim that refunds are available even if the victim went to school decades ago. In the end, the victims discover their claims are rejected. Meanwhile, the promoters are long gone. The IRS warns all taxpayers to remain vigilant.

There are also a number of tax scams involving Social Security. For example, scammers have been known to lure the unsuspecting with promises of non-existent Social Security refunds or rebates. In another situation, a taxpayer may really be due a credit or refund but uses inflated information to complete the return.

Beware: Intentional mistakes of this kind can result in a $5,000 penalty.

Impersonation of Charitable Organizations

Another long-standing type of abuse or fraud is scams that occur in the wake of significant natural disasters.

Following major disasters, it’s common for scam artists to impersonate charities to get money or private information from well-intentioned taxpayers. Scam artists can use a variety of tactics. Some scammers operating bogus charities may contact people by telephone or email to solicit money or financial information. They may even directly contact disaster victims and claim to be working for or on behalf of the IRS to help the victims file casualty loss claims and get tax refunds.

They may attempt to get personal financial information or Social Security numbers that can be used to steal the victims’ identities or financial resources. Bogus websites may solicit funds for disaster victims. As in the case of a recent disaster, Hurricane Sandy, the IRS cautions both victims of natural disasters and people wishing to make charitable donations to avoid scam artists by following these tips:

  • To help disaster victims, donate to recognized charities.
  • Be wary of charities with names that are similar to familiar or nationally known organizations. Some phony charities use names or websites that sound or look like those of respected, legitimate organizations. IRS.gov has a search feature, Exempt Organizations Select Check, which allows people to find legitimate, qualified charities to which donations may be tax-deductible.
  • Don’t give out personal financial information, such as Social Security numbers or credit card and bank account numbers and passwords, to anyone who solicits  a contribution from you. Scam artists may use this information to steal your identity and money.
  • Don’t give or send cash. For security and tax record purposes, contribute by check or credit card or another way that provides documentation of the gift.

Call the IRS toll-free disaster assistance telephone number (1-866-562-5227) if you are a disaster victim with specific questions about tax relief or disaster related tax issues.

False/Inflated Income and Expenses

Including income that was never earned, either as wages or as self-employment income in order to maximize refundable credits, is another popular scam. Claiming income you did not earn or expenses you did not pay in order to secure larger refundable credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit could have serious repercussions.  This could result in repaying the erroneous refunds, including interest and penalties, and in some cases, even prosecution.

Additionally, some taxpayers are filing excessive claims for the fuel tax credit. Farmers and other taxpayers who use fuel for off-highway business purposes may be eligible for the fuel tax credit. But other individuals have claimed the tax credit although they were not eligible. Fraud involving the fuel tax credit is considered a frivolous tax claim and can result in a penalty of $5,000.

False Form 1099 Refund Claims

In some cases, individuals have made refund claims based on the bogus theory that the federal government maintains secret accounts for U.S. citizens and that taxpayers can gain access to the accounts by issuing 1099-OID forms to the IRS. In this ongoing scam, the perpetrator files a fake information return, such as a Form 1099 Original Issue Discount (OID), to justify a false refund claim on a corresponding tax return.

Don’t fall prey to people who encourage you to claim deductions or credits to which you are not entitled or willingly allow others to use your information to file false returns. If you are a party to such schemes, you could be liable for financial penalties or even face criminal prosecution.

Frivolous Arguments

Promoters of frivolous schemes encourage taxpayers to make unreasonable and outlandish claims to avoid paying the taxes they owe. The IRS has a list of frivolous tax arguments that taxpayers should avoid. These arguments are false and have been thrown out of court. While taxpayers have the right to contest their tax liabilities in court, no one has the right to disobey the law.

Falsely Claiming Zero Wages

Filing a phony information return is an illegal way to lower the amount of taxes an individual owes. Typically, a Form 4852 (Substitute Form W-2) or a “corrected” Form 1099 is used as a way to improperly reduce taxable income to zero. The taxpayer may also submit a statement rebutting wages and taxes reported by a payer to the IRS.

Sometimes, fraudsters even include an explanation on their Form 4852 that cites statutory language on the definition of wages or may include some reference to a paying company that refuses to issue a corrected Form W-2 for fear of IRS retaliation. Taxpayers should resist any temptation to participate in any variations of this scheme. Filing this type of return may result in a $5,000 penalty.

Disguised Corporate Ownership

Third parties are improperly used to request employer identification numbers and form corporations that obscure the true ownership of the business.

These entities can be used to underreport income, claim fictitious deductions, avoid filing tax returns, participate in listed transactions and facilitate money laundering, and financial crimes. The IRS is working with state authorities to identify these entities and bring the owners into compliance with the law.

Misuse of Trusts

For years, unscrupulous promoters have urged taxpayers to transfer assets into trusts. While there are legitimate uses of trusts in tax and estate planning, some highly questionable transactions promise reduction of income subject to tax, deductions for personal expenses and reduced estate or gift taxes. Such trusts rarely deliver the tax benefits promised and are used primarily as a means of avoiding income tax liability and hiding assets from creditors, including the IRS.

IRS personnel have seen an increase in the improper use of private annuity trusts and foreign trusts to shift income and deduct personal expenses. As with other arrangements, taxpayers should seek the advice of a trusted professional before entering a trust arrangement.

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IRS Expands Help to Struggling Taxpayers

Saturday, March 10th, 2012

From – AccountingToday.com

The Internal Revenue Service is expanding its Fresh Start initiative to help more unemployed and financially stressed taxpayers with installment agreements and relief from failure-to-file penalties.

Under the new Fresh Start provisions, which expanded on an effort that the IRS began in 2008, certain taxpayers who have been unemployed for 30 days or longer will be able to avoid failure-to-pay penalties. In addition, the IRS said Wednesday it is doubling the dollar threshold for taxpayers eligible for installment agreements to help more people qualify for the program.

“We have an obligation to work with taxpayers who are struggling to make ends meet,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman in a statement. ”This new approach makes sense for taxpayers and for the nation’s tax system, and it’s part of a wider effort we have underway to help struggling taxpayers.”

To assist those taxpayers who are most in need, the IRS will grant a six-month grace period on failure-to-pay penalties to certain wage earners and self-employed individuals. However, the request for an extension of time to pay will result in relief from the failure-to-pay penalty for tax year 2011 only if the tax, interest and any other penalties are fully paid by Oct. 15, 2012.

The penalty relief will be available to two taxpayer categories: wage earners who have been unemployed at least 30 consecutive days during 2011 or in 2012 up to the April 17 deadline for filing a federal tax return this year; and self-employed individuals who experienced a 25 percent or greater reduction in business income in 2011 due to the economy.

The penalty relief is also subject to certain income limits. A taxpayer’s income must not exceed $200,000 if he or she files as married filing jointly, or not exceed $100,000 if he or she files as single or head of household. The penalty relief is also restricted to taxpayers whose calendar year 2011 balance due does not exceed $50,000.

Taxpayers who meet those eligibility criteria will need to complete a new Form 1127A to seek the 2011 penalty relief. The new form is available on IRS.gov/form1127.

The failure-to-pay penalty is generally half of 1 percent per month, with an upper limit of 25 percent. Under the newly expanded Fresh Start relief, taxpayers can avoid that penalty until Oct. 15, 2012, which is six months beyond this year’s filing deadline. However, the IRS noted that it is still legally required to charge interest on unpaid back taxes and does not have the authority to waive this charge, which is currently 3 percent on an annual basis.

Even with the new penalty relief becoming available, the IRS is strongly encouraging taxpayers to file their returns on time by April 17 or file for an extension. Failure-to-file penalties applied to unpaid taxes remain in effect and are generally 5 percent per month, with a 25 percent cap.

Installment Agreements
The new Fresh Start provisions will also provide more taxpayers with the ability to use streamlined installment agreements to catch up on their back taxes.

Effective immediately, the new threshold for using an installment agreement without having to supply the IRS with a financial statement has increased from $25,000 to $50,000, to reduce taxpayer burden.

Taxpayers who owe up to $50,000 in back taxes will now be able to enter into a streamlined agreement with the IRS to stretch out the payment over a series of months or years. The maximum term for streamlined installment agreements has also been raised to 72 months from the current 60-month maximum.

Taxpayers who are seeking installment agreements of over $50,000 will still need to supply the IRS with a Collection Information Statement (Form 433-A or Form 433-F). Taxpayers may also pay down their balance due to $50,000 or less to take advantage of this payment option.

An installment agreement is an option for those who cannot pay their entire tax bills by the due date. While the penalties are reduced, interest continues to accrue on the outstanding balance. To qualify for the new expanded streamlined installment agreement, a taxpayer must agree to monthly direct debit payments.

Taxpayers can set up an installment agreement with the IRS by going to the On-line Payment Agreement page on IRS.gov and following the instructions.

These changes supplement a number of efforts to help struggling taxpayers, including the “Fresh Start” program announced last year. Input from the Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council and the IRS National Taxpayer Advocate’s office contributed to the formulation of the Fresh Start program. The initiative includes a variety of changes to help individuals and businesses pay back taxes more easily and with less burden, including the issuance of fewer tax liens.

“Our goal is to help people meet their obligations and get back on their feet financially,” said Shulman.

Offers in Compromise
Under the first round of Fresh Start last year, the IRS expanded a new streamlined Offer in Compromise program to cover a larger group of struggling taxpayers. An offer-in-compromise is an agreement between a taxpayer and the IRS that settles the taxpayer’s tax liabilities for less than the full amount owed.

The IRS said it recognizes that many taxpayers are still struggling to pay their bills so the agency has been working to put in place more common-sense changes to the OIC program to more closely reflect real-world situations. For example, the IRS now has more flexibility with financial analysis for determining reasonable collection potential for distressed taxpayers.

Generally, an offer will not be accepted if the IRS believes that the liability can be paid in full as a lump sum or through a payment agreement. The IRS noted that it examines the taxpayer’s income and assets to make a determination regarding the taxpayer’s ability to pay.

A series of eight short videos are available to familiarize taxpayers and practitioners with the IRS collection process. The series “Owe Taxes? Understanding IRS Collection Efforts”, is available on the IRS Web site. For more information please see, IRS Expands Help to Struggling Taxpayers at AccountingToday.com.

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Berkshire Tax Return Could be One for the Record Books

Monday, February 27th, 2012

From – AccountingToday.com

Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett hinted in his annual letter to shareholders that the holding company’s nearly 18,000-page tax return may merit the attention of the Guinness Book of World Records.

Referring to the people who work with the operating managers, he noted, “Equally important, however, are the 23 men and women who work with me at our corporate office (all on one floor, which is the way we intend to keep it!). This group efficiently deals with a multitude of SEC and other regulatory requirements and files a 17,839-page Federal income tax return—hello, Guinness!—as well as state and foreign returns.”

Even at that length, though, Berkshire’s tax return would be dwarfed by General Electric’s, which reportedly runs about 57,000 pages, so it probably won’t end up in the record books, for this year at least.

Buffett’s tax policies have generated considerable attention in the past year after he wrote a New York Times editorial calling for changes in the Tax Code to tax the “super-rich” at a higher rate to ensure they don’t pay a lower tax rate than their secretaries (see Buffett Says Tax Code is ‘Coddling the Super-Rich’). The editorial led to the “so-called” Buffett Rule, which President Obama cited in his State of the Union address and included in his 2013 budget plan. However, Buffett has also been criticized for the disputes that his company has gotten into with the Internal Revenue Service over the back taxes that the IRS says it owes.

“Investing is often described as the process of laying out money now in the expectation of receiving more money in the future,” Buffett wrote in his shareholder letter Saturday. “At Berkshire we take a more demanding approach, defining investing as the transfer to others of purchasing power now with the reasoned expectation of receiving more purchasing power—after taxes have been paid on nominal gains—in the future. More succinctly, investing is forgoing consumption now in order to have the ability to consume more at a later date.” For more information please see Berkshire Tax Return Could be One for the Record Books on AccountingToday.com.

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IRS Has $1 Billion for People Who Have Not Filed a 2008 Income Tax Return

Friday, February 24th, 2012

From – IRS Newswire


WASHINGTON — Refunds totaling more than $1 billion may be waiting for one million people who did not file a federal income tax return for 2008, the Internal Revenue Service announced today. However, to collect the money, a return for 2008 must be filed with the IRS no later than Tuesday, April 17, 2012.

The IRS estimates that half of these potential 2008 refunds are $637 or more.

Some people may not have filed because they had too little income to require filing a tax return even though they had taxes withheld from their wages or made quarterly estimated payments. In cases where a return was not filed, the law provides most taxpayers with a three-year window of opportunity for claiming a refund. If no return is filed to claim a refund within three years, the money becomes property of the U.S. Treasury.

For 2008 returns, the window closes on April 17, 2012. The law requires that the return be properly addressed, mailed and postmarked by that date. There is no penalty for filing a late return qualifying for a refund.

The IRS reminds taxpayers seeking a 2008 refund that their checks may be held if they have not filed tax returns for 2009 and 2010. In addition, the refund will be applied to any amounts still owed to the IRS, and may be used to offset unpaid child support or past due federal debts such as student loans.

By failing to file a return, people stand to lose more than refunds of taxes withheld or paid during 2008. Some people, especially those who did not receive an economic stimulus payment in 2008, may qualify for the Recovery Rebate Credit. In addition, many low-and moderate-income workers may not have claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC helps individuals and families whose incomes are below certain thresholds. The thresholds for 2008 were:

  • $38,646 ($41,646 if married filing jointly) for those with two or more qualifying children,
  • $33,995 ($36,995 if married filing jointly) for people with one qualifying child, and
  • $12,880 ($15,880 if married filing jointly) for those with no qualifying children.

For more information, visit the EITC Home Page on IRS.gov.

Current and prior year tax forms and instructions are available on the Forms and Publications page of IRS.gov or by calling toll-free 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676). Taxpayers who are missing Forms W-2, 1098, 1099 or 5498 for 2008, 2009 or 2010 should request copies from their employer, bank or other payer. If these efforts are unsuccessful, taxpayers can get a free transcript showing information from these year-end documents by ordering it on IRS.gov, filing Form 4506-T, or by calling 800-908-9946.

Individuals Who Did Not File a 2008 Return with a Potential Refund

State

Individuals

Median

Potential

Refund

Total

Potential

Refunds ($000)*

Alabama

18,400

$641

$15,738

Alaska

5,800

$641

$5,952

Arizona

29,000

$558

$24,913

Arkansas

9,600

$620

$8,152

California

122,500

$595

$112,201

Colorado

20,500

$589

$18,909

Connecticut

12,500

$697

$13,893

Delaware

4,200

$644

$3,784

District of Columbia

4,000

$642

$3,791

Florida

70,400

$650

$66,974

Georgia

35,800

$581

$30,661

Hawaii

7,600

$714

$8,307

Idaho

4,700

$541

$3,878

Illinois

40,800

$692

$40,712

Indiana

21,800

$664

$19,590

Iowa

10,600

$658

$9,295

Kansas

11,500

$631

$10,084

Kentucky

12,300

$640

$10,501

Louisiana

20,500

$662

$18,859

Maine

4,000

$579

$3,248

Maryland

24,600

$641

$22,591

Massachusetts

23,900

$699

$22,957

Michigan

33,300

$660

$30,903

Minnesota

15,200

$584

$12,772

Mississippi

9,900

$591

$8,254

Missouri

21,600

$593

$18,213

Montana

3,600

$599

$3,192

Nebraska

5,100

$623

$4,371

Nevada

14,500

$619

$13,381

New Hampshire

4,300

$733

$4,518

New Jersey

31,300

$716

$31,185

New Mexico

8,000

$611

$7,420

New York

60,300

$686

$61,240

North Carolina

30,800

$558

$24,997

North Dakota

2,000

$625

$1,895

Ohio

36,400

$622

$31,018

Oklahoma

16,800

$620

$14,787

Oregon

18,500

$527

$14,819

Pennsylvania

38,700

$695

$35,565

Rhode Island

3,400

$674

$3,040

South Carolina

12,200

$547

$10,158

South Dakota

2,300

$669

$2,234

Tennessee

18,400

$626

$16,130

Texas

96,200

$689

$97,057

Utah

7,800

$536

$6,676

Vermont

1,700

$647

$1,410

Virginia

30,800

$624

$28,670

Washington

29,900

$705

$32,138

West Virginia

4,300

$687

$4,068

Wisconsin

14,100

$592

$11,885

Wyoming

2,600

$773

$2,919

Grand Total

1,089,000

$637

$1,009,905

*Excluding the Earned Income Tax Credit and other credits.

For more information please see IRS Has $1 Billion for People Who Have Not Filed a 2008 Income Tax Return at IRS.gov

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‘Taxmageddon’ looms at end of payroll tax holiday

Monday, February 20th, 2012

From – Washingtonpost.com

With Congress voting last week to extend the payroll tax holiday, 160 million workers will be spared an immediate tax hike. But the move leaves them facing an even bigger hit in January, when the holiday ends and the payroll tax joins a long list of levies already set to sharply and abruptly go up.

On Dec. 31, the George W. Bush-era tax cuts are scheduled to expire, raising rates on investment income, estates and gifts, and earnings at all levels. Overnight, the marriage penalty for joint filers will spring back to life, the value of the child credit will drop from $1,000 to $500, and the rate everyone pays on the first $8,700 of wages will jump from 10 percent to 15 percent.

The Social Security payroll tax will pop back up to 6.2 percent from 4.2 percent under the deal approved Friday by Congress. And new Medicare taxes enacted as part of President Obama’s health-care initiative will for the first time strike high-income households.

The potential shock to the nation’s pocketbook is so enormous, congressional aides have dubbed it “Taxmageddon.” Some economists say it could push the fragile U.S. economy back into recession, particularly if automatic cuts to federal agencies, also set for January, are permitted to take effect.

Obama and congressional Republicans say they hope to avert the coming blow, which stands to suck roughly $500 billion out of the economy in 2013. But both sides are bracing for another epic showdown in the weeks after the November election, as Democrats prepare to use Taxmageddon to break the partisan impasse over taxes that has blocked action on an array of issues, from modernizing the nation’s infrastructure to taming the national debt.

“I see the framework of a big agreement in the lame-duck [congressional session] to finally put this divisiveness behind us,” said Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.), a senior member of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. “Obama’s going to have great leverage to get something done.”

Since they took control of the House last year, congressional Republicans have needed nothing from Obama. They were the holdouts, demanding big cuts in federal spending in exchange for helping Obama keep the government open and raise the legal limit on government borrowing, known as the debt ceiling.

But in December, deadlock will cut the other way. Republicans need Obama if they want to prevent one of the biggest tax increases in U.S. history — nearly $5 trillion over the next decade, by official estimates — and block deep cuts to the Pentagon that could be triggered as part of last summer’s debt-ceiling accord.

The tax shock is set to occur after the Nov. 6 election but before the new Congress — and potentially a new president — take office two months later. While the outcome of the contest is likely to color the tax debate, Obama will either be freshly reelected or on his way out and, therefore, free to play hardball with Congress.

White House officials say Obama will not sign another full extension of the Bush tax cuts, as he did in December 2010. Obama is demanding a partial extension that would preserve the cuts for middle-class taxpayers but permit rates to rise on household income over $250,000.

“The president has made clear that he will veto any bill that extends the Bush-era tax rates for the wealthiest 2 percent of individuals,” White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage said. “We will continue to fight for tax relief for the middle class and those trying to get in it, while insisting on a policy that asks the wealthiest individuals to pay their fair share.”

Many Republicans and outside analysts say they doubt Obama would make good on his veto threat. Allowing all of the Bush tax cuts to expire would harm middle-class taxpayers, along with the wealthy, and carry grave risks for the economy.

“My forecast is that tax rates are not going to rise for everyone on January 1, 2013,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics, who predicted that Taxmageddon, combined with the cuts from the debt-ceiling deal, would slash economic growth by nearly three percentage points next year. “That would be pretty difficult for the economy to overcome.”

Still, Democratic spines may be stiffened by polls showing broad support for their latest tax strategy, which emphasizes higher taxes for millionaires rather than the merely well-off. A recent Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 72 percent of Americans support raising taxes on people with incomes over $1 million a year, in line with Obama’s call for a “Buffett Rule” that would require those families to pay an effective tax rate of at least 30 percent.

“The tax issue, for the first time in decades, has flipped so Democrats actually have the high ground,” said Sen. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.), the No. 3 Senate Democrat and the man who came up with the idea of raising the income threshold. “Most Americans share our belief that, while the middle class should not pay an increase in taxes, the wealthiest among us should.”

He said Senate Democrats plan to press that advantage in the coming months, staging numerous votes on issues of tax “fairness.” Republican reluctance to target the rich is their “Achilles’ heel” politically, he said.

Schumer predicted that before November, Republicans would drop their opposition to tax increases for millionaires. “Politically, it’s going to be very harmful to say, ‘I’m not for something like the Buffett Rule, when even 60 percent of Republicans are for it,” he said.

Many Republicans maintain that they would never raise taxes on a group the GOP views as small-business owners and “job creators.” Besides, Republican strategists said, they are likely to have bargaining chips of their own in December.

For instance, without congressional action, nearly 30 million families will have to pay the alternative minimum tax, which adds thousands of dollars to the average tax bill, in April 2013. Congress typically protects those people through annual adjustments, and the latest “AMT patch” expired in December.

Another potential GOP tactical advantage: the debt ceiling. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner acknowledged in congressional testimony last week that Obama may need Congress to raise the legal limit on borrowing, now set at $16.4 trillion, before the end of the year.

“This idea that they hold all the cards? They don’t,” said a senior Republican Senate aide. “We’ve got more leverage than these crowing Democrats like to think.”

Then there’s the matter of the election itself. With control of both chambers of Congress and the White House all potentially in play Nov. 6, the voters could upend Democrats’ best-laid plans. If Republicans claim the White House and the Senate after an election waged in part over tax policy, demoralized Democrats might agree to extend all the Bush cuts without a fight.

“It depends on who’s president,” said Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (Utah), the senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. If Obama is reelected and Democrats hold the Senate, he said, “it makes it much more difficult” for Republicans to press for a full extension.

While some Republicans are ready to man the tax barricades, among others the GOP’s anti-tax orthodoxy is starting to crack. Forty Republicans in the House and 32 in the Senate have endorsed the concept of a grand bargain to tackle the national debt, which would require Republicans to raise taxes and Democrats to accept cuts in federal health and retirement benefits. With Obama continuing to call for a grand bargain, that group is working with Democrats behind the scenes to draft a plan able to win bipartisan support.

Meanwhile, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.) has said he would take higher taxes over defense cuts. And during unsuccessful debt-reduction talks last year, Sen. Patrick J. Toomey (R-Pa.), one of the Senate’s most ardent conservatives, drafted a plan that would have included $300 billion in new revenue over a decade.

“I think one of the reasons that you saw Pat Toomey offer what he did is a realization that we’re going to have a $5 trillion tax increase at the end of the year,” said Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.). “Hopefully, this year we’ll actually do something constructive and work out something that’s sensible over the long haul.”

For more information please see Taxageddon looms at end of payroll tax holiday at the Washingtonpost.com

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New IRS tax gap numbers highlight future audit areas

Monday, February 20th, 2012
From – Beyond415.com

The IRS’ recently released tax gap study, which measures data from 2006 returns, shows that the tax gap has increased from $345 billion dollars a year in 2001 to $450 billion in 2006. The majority of the tax gap (83%) can be attributed to underreporting, which includes understating income and overstating deductions. The IRS has several tools to narrow the underreporting tax gap, including pre-refund notices and return rejections, underreporter inquiries and, most significantly, audits.

The IRS will focus its limited audit resources in the following areas, which have the highest rates of misreporting.

On Jan. 26, the IRS also modified its online payment arrangement (OPA) application at IRS.gov to allow for taxpayers to request installment agreements for balances of up to $50,000. The current application allows for balances of up to $25,000 and payment terms of up to five years.

Information reporting and disclosures

The IRS continues to use tax return disclosures and third-party information to better select taxpayers for audit. Specifically, look for the IRS to use information to address the following issues:

  • Misreporting stock basis: The IRS issued regulations under a new law that will require stock brokers and mutual fund companies to report basis and other information for most stock purchased in 2011 and all stock purchased in 2012 and later. Form 1099-B will report the information to investors and the IRS. The IRS will use the underreporter notice program and audits to correct perceived misreporting in this area.
  • Underreporting business income: Form 1099-K reporting is now required for recipients of payment card transactions or payments through third-party network arrangements, such as PayPal. The IRS expects to receive more than 56 million Forms 1099-K in 2012 that it can match against filed and unfiled tax returns.
  • Uncertain tax position reporting for large corporations: In 2011, certain large corporations were required to start disclosing an uncertain tax position (UTP) on their 2010 tax returns. A UTP is generally defined as a stance on a tax return in which the corporation sets aside a reserve to either pay the higher amount of tax later or litigate the matter in the future. The transparency in reporting a UTP allows the IRS to better select returns for audit.
  • Offshore tax disclosure compliance: The IRS and the Department of Justice are continuing to press foreign financial institutions, especially Swiss banks, to disclose US account holders. The IRS has embarked on its third voluntary disclosure program to allow taxpayers to disclose foreign assets and income.
  • Worker classification: The IRS is conducting a three-year National Research Program study of employment tax noncompliance. The tax gap study concluded that 17% of the tax gap can be attributed to underreporting and underpayment of employment taxes. The main issue is proper worker classification – that is, independent contractor or employee. The IRS knows there is noncompliance in this area. In fact, employment tax audits have a change rate of more than 86%. The IRS has a strategic motivation for reclassifying workers as independent contractors: Form W-2 recipients are 99% compliant, whereas the misreporting percentage of independent contractors and small business owners is 43%.

Small businesses

According to the IRS, small business underreporting makes up 40% of the tax gap, or about $179 billion a year. With a limited budget for 2012, the IRS will continue to focus on this area.

  • Cash-based businesses: Taxpayers who do not receive information statements, such as many small cash-based businesses, are the most noncompliant. An IRS study showed that information reporting and fear of an audit were important factors contributing to voluntary compliance, ranking directly after a taxpayer’s personal integrity. The IRS will continue to focus on retail, web and service businesses in audits to find unreported income.
  • Deduction of S corporation and partnership losses: In 2009, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that 68% of all S corporation returns misreported at least one item. However, more alarming to the IRS were inaccurate S corporation losses taken on shareholder tax returns. The losses were most often inaccurate because of insufficient basis to deduct the loss. The average error per return was $21,600. Because more than 90% of all S corporations use a paid preparer, look for the IRS to leverage tax preparers to correct this misreporting and deter noncompliance by proposing preparer penalties in this area.
  • S corporation shareholder compensation: The same 2009 GAO study also concluded that S corporation shareholders are underpaying themselves to avoid employment taxes on wages. About 13% of S corporations are paying inadequate wage compensation and making payments in the form of distributions that are not subject to self-employment tax (unlike partnership distributions). The median misreporting adjustment for underpaid shareholder compensation was $20,127 – a loss of about $1.5 billion a year in unreported employment taxes. The IRS has already shown an interest in examining more 2011 S corporation returns.

For more information please see New IRS tax gap numbers highlight future audit areas at Beyond415.com

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Reid, Boehner spar over payroll tax

Monday, February 6th, 2012

From – The Hill

Senate Democratic leaders said Friday they were crafting a backup plan to extend the payroll tax cut for an entire year, in case the conference committee tasked with coming up with a deal falls short.

In a conference call, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid accused congressional Republicans of gumming up the works on the payroll tax by trying to tack unrelated issues on to an extension.

“I have great confidence in our conferees, but I’m not going to stand by when the GOP slows the process,” the Nevada Democrat said.

Reid’s comments come as Democrats and Republicans on the conference committee, which includes 20 lawmakers, are widely seen to still be far apart on a variety of issues — including, perhaps most importantly, how to pay for whatever package they develop.

The statements also drew a quick rebuke from House Speaker John Boehner, with the Ohio Republican noting that the Senate has yet to pass its own full-year extension of the tax break, which would affect some 160 million Americans.

“It would seem those energies could be better directed toward the conference negotiations themselves, in which Senate Democrats have not actually presented a full plan,” Boehner said in a Friday statement. “You can’t have a ‘backup plan’ if you haven’t offered anything to back up.”

The House passed a yearlong extension in December, but it incorporated items that Democrats oppose and that Reid was presumably referencing with his Friday comments, including a delay of industrial boiler regulations and certain reforms to the federal unemployment insurance system.

GOP conferees would like to see some of those items tucked into a package extending the payroll tax cut for a full year.

The Senate passed a two-month extension of the tax break after being unable to pass a full year of the cut. House Republicans, after taking a political pounding, eventually accepted that idea, leading to the current conference committee.

In addition to the payroll tax cut, unemployment benefits for millions of Americans will also expire if lawmakers don’t act by Feb. 29, and doctors treating Medicare patients would see a 27 percent cut in their reimbursement rate.

For the most part, conferees have said they want to see those three items extended for a full year.

But the conference committee, which will meet again on Tuesday, has also spent much of its time discussing issues in other areas, such as the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline and expired tax provisions.

The two sides also have separate visions on how to pay for any extension, as illustrated by the Friday statements from Reid and Boehner.

Reid reiterated that a surtax on millionaires could be used to pay for the tax relief, an idea embraced by other Democrats but that has failed to make it out of the Senate on multiple occasions.

Boehner, meanwhile, noted that a federal pay freeze, one of the GOP’s preferred offsets, easily passed the House this week. FOr more information please see, Reid, Boehner spar over payroll tax on The Hill.

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IRS Issues Private Letter Ruling on Breakfast Cereals

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

From – Accounting Today


The Internal Revenue Service has provided cereal maker Ralcorp Holdings with a private letter ruling related to the tax implications of the separation of its Post cereals business.

Ralcorp said Friday that the IRS ruling confirmed the tax-free nature of the distribution of at least 80 percent of the outstanding shares of common stock of Post Holdings, Inc. to Ralcorp shareholders and related transactions.

Based on certain facts, assumptions, representations and undertakings set forth in the ruling, the ruling concludes that for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the separation of the Post cereals business will qualify as a tax-free distribution to Ralcorp and to the holders of common shares of Ralcorp (except in respect of cash received in lieu of fractional shares).

Ralcorp also said that subject to the consummation of the separation, the common stock of Post Holdings, Inc. has been approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “POST.”

In connection with the separation, Ralcorp anticipates receiving approximately $900 million from the Post spin-off. The Ralcorp board intends to use the proceeds to reduce its debt, aggressively pursue private-brand acquisitions and pursue additional share repurchases under the company’s remaining share repurchase authorization of approximately five million shares. In addition, Ralcorp said it expects to retain up to 20 percent of the outstanding shares of Post.

Ralcorp had announced last week that its board approved the separation of Post, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions including, but not limited to, the Registration Statement on Form 10 (the “Form 10″) for Post common stock being cleared by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the receipt of an opinion of tax counsel, the completion of related financing transactions, and the other conditions summarized in the preliminary form of information statement included in Amendment No. 3 to the Form 10 filed by Post with the SEC. The transaction does not require approval from Ralcorp shareholders.

Amendment No. 3 to the Form 10 includes as Exhibit 2.1, a preliminary form of the Separation and Distribution Agreement, including the closing conditions. The filings are available at www.sec.gov. For more information please see, IRS Issues Private Letter Ruling on Breakfast Cereals on Accounting Today.

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Data show IRS is auditing more wealthy taxpayers

Friday, January 6th, 2012

From – The Washington Post

WASHINGTON — If you earn less than $200,000 a year, there’s a strong chance you don’t have to worry about an Internal Revenue Service audit. But if you make more than $1 million annually, the odds have been rising that you’ll be hearing from the tax man.

The IRS released figures Thursday showing that 12 percent of millionaire earners were audited last year. That’s up from 8 percent in 2010 and 6 percent in 2009.

The data shows that for those making under $200,000, the rate has stayed steady at around 1 percent in recent years.

IRS officials said the growing audit rate for high earners is aimed at demonstrating that the tax code is being enforced fairly and is unrelated to President Barack Obama’s recent proposals to boost taxes on the rich. The White House and congressional Democrats are expected to continue taking similar populist stances with the approach of this November’s presidential and congressional elections.

Steven Miller, deputy IRS commissioner for services and enforcement, said in an interview that the higher audit rates for the highest earning individuals are designed to “assure that those at the lower end of the spectrum know that those at the higher end of the spectrum are subject to the same rules and enforcement as everyone else.”

“We base our audit decisions on tax issues, nothing else,” said IRS spokeswoman Michelle Eldridge. “We don’t play politics here.”

Four percent of individuals earning $200,000 and up were audited in 2011, up from around 3 percent the previous five years.

The IRS only provided data for three categories of individuals’ income: those earning under $200,000 annually, those making $200,000 and up and those earning $1 million and up.

Overall, the agency says, it audited nearly 1.6 million of 141 million individual returns in 2011, or just over 1 percent. That rate has been growing gradually and is almost double the 0.6 percent audited in 2001, the IRS said.

Only about a quarter of IRS’ audits involve dreaded meetings between taxpayers and agency officials. The rest are carried out using letters.

In 2010 — the most recent year available — more than 8 in 10 individuals audited ended up paying additional taxes.

Altogether, IRS enforcement efforts — including audits, legal action and other tactics — resulted in an extra $55 billion being collected. That’s down almost $3 billion from 2010, which Miller blamed on a falloff in estate taxes and corporations writing off their losses.

That $55 billion was a small part of the $2.3 trillion the agency collected in revenue last year.

The IRS also audited a greater proportion of large corporations than smaller ones, the data shows.

Last year, 1 percent of corporations with assets under $10 million were audited. Among corporations with assets of $250 million and up, 28 percent were audited.

The IRS figures also showed that:

In 2011, the agency garnisheed wages or seized money from bank accounts 3.7 million times, put liens on property 1 million times and seized 776 pieces of property.

Seventy-seven percent of individual returns were filed electronically last year, up from 69 percent in 2010.

Seventy percent of callers to IRS taxpayer information telephone lines got through, slightly less than the 74 percent who reached someone in 2010. Miller attributed that to budget cuts to the agency.

The information IRS officials dispensed over the phone to taxpayers was accurate 93 percent of the time, the same as the previous year.

The IRS website, http://www.irs.gov, was visited 319 million times in 2011, a slight increase.

The data was presented by federal fiscal years, which begin on the previous Oct. 1.

For more information please see IRS says more millionaire earners face audits, rate stable for those earning below $200k at The Washington Post.

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Tax issues to watch for when working from home

Friday, January 6th, 2012

From – Journal of Accountancy

With unemployment still near the highest rate in decades, it is not surprising to find many people working out of their homes. Now may be a good time to review the criteria for claiming a deduction for the business use of part of a person’s residence.

Your home office must be used in a trade or business activity. You cannot take a deduction if you use your home for a profit-seeking activity that is not a trade or business. For example, if you use part of your home to manage your personal investments, you cannot take a home office deduction.

The home office must be used regularly and exclusively for business. You must regularly use a room or other separately identifiable area of your home only for your business. You do not meet this requirement if you use the area for both business and personal purposes. For example, an attorney who writes legal briefs at the kitchen table cannot claim a home office deduction for the kitchen.

You do not have to meet the exclusive-use test if you use part of your home to store inventory or product samples or as a day care facility.

Your home office must be one of the following:

  • Your principal place of business. Your home office also will qualify as your principal place of business if you use it regularly for administrative activities and you have no other fixed location where you conduct substantial administrative activities; or
  • A place to meet with patients, clients or customers in the normal course of your business. Using your home for occasional meetings and telephone calls is insufficient; or
  • A separate structure not attached to the dwelling unit used for trade or business purposes. The structure does not have to be your principal place of business or a place where you meet patients, clients or customers. For example, John operates a floral shop in town. He grows plants in a greenhouse behind his home and sells them in his shop. He uses the greenhouse exclusively and regularly in his business. Even though it is not his principal place of business, because it is separate from his dwelling, he can deduct the expenses for its use.

If you are an employee, you must use your home office for the convenience of your employer. If the employer does not require the employee to work from home and provides an office or work space elsewhere, a home office is likely to be considered a matter of the employee’s convenience and therefore not deductible.

Even if the taxpayer’s home office meets the above rules, the deduction may be limited. Expenses attributable to business use that you could deduct even if the home were not used for business, such as home mortgage interest and real estate taxes, are fully deductible. Otherwise, home office expenses are deductible only to the extent of gross business income, reduced by other allowable business expenses unrelated to the home; any expenses that are not deductible due to the income limitation may be carried forward.

For more information please see Home Office Deduction at Journal of Accountancy.

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