Who are the IRS’s favorite superheroes? The X-Men. The IRS loves to hear from ex-spouses, ex-business partners and ex-employees about taxpayers who may not have fully met their federal tax obligations.

California’s new Voluntary Compliance Initiative 2 is an opportunity for taxpayers who may have underreported their California income tax liabilities, through the use of abusive tax avoidance transactions or offshore financial arrangements, to amend their tax returns for 2010 and prior tax years and obtain a waiver of most penalties.

The IRS announced Monday that it will make it easier for some taxpayers who were not aware of their spouse’s misreporting of taxes to seek innocent-spouse relief. The innocent spouse rule can relieve taxpayers of their tax liabilities, interest and penalties as a result of filing a joint tax return with their current or ex-spouse.

Circular 230 contains rules governing the recognition of attorneys, certified public accountants, enrolled agents, and other persons representing taxpayers before the IRS (“Tax Practitioner”).  One of the most important duties of a practitioner is to provide information to the IRS. Circular 230 § 10.20 provides that a Tax Practitioner must, when lawfully requested by the [...]

With the current state of the world, charities are needed now more than ever. If you are contemplating creating a charity you should consult with a qualified tax attorney or advisor as the world of charities is more complicated than you would think.

The IRS provides a forum for appealing a proposed income tax deficiency known as IRS Appeals, the only level of administrative appeal within the IRS.

Taxpayer seeking the tax benefits of a transaction that the IRS deems to have no economic purpose, aside from reduction of tax liability, will face stiff penalties under the new 2010 Revenue Reconciliation Act.

Circular 230 contains rules governing the recognition of attorneys, certified public accountants, enrolled agents, and other persons representing taxpayers before the IRS.

The IRS announced on February 8, 2011 a special voluntary disclosure initiative designed to bring foreign accounts back into the U.S. tax system and help people with undisclosed income to avoid civil and possible criminal penalties.

As a tax attorney in California with tax season right around the corner, business owners and entrepreneurs regularly ask me which expenses can be deducted on their taxes as “business expenses” and which cannot. The basic question of whether an expense is personal or business is answered by the tax code under a three part test. [...]

An IRS private letter ruling (“PLR”) is a ruling by the IRS on a specific tax issue for a specific taxpayer.  A request for a PLR is usually made before a taxpayer takes a certain action.  The main exception to this is when a taxpayer is requesting a late election.  Most taxpayers will never need [...]