Federal
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September 17, 2024
Fraudster Can Deduct $367K Legal Expenses, Tax Court Says
A Californian convicted of wire fraud and money laundering is entitled to deduct more than $367,000 in legal expenses spent to defend himself from the charges because they were related to his business, even though his business was defrauding donors, the U.S. Tax Court said.
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September 17, 2024
10 Members Appointed To Electronic Advisory Panel, IRS Says
The Internal Revenue Service on Tuesday announced the appointment of 10 new members to its electronic tax administration advisory committee, including the secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Revnue and a program manager at H&R Block.
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September 16, 2024
Film Producer, Accountant Hid $25M From IRS, DOJ Alleges
A film producer who sold shares in the production company he cofounded for $25 million schemed with an Australian accountant to hide the proceeds from U.S. authorities in Swiss bank accounts, causing the IRS to lose out on some $5 million, according to the DOJ.
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September 16, 2024
Treasury Cuts 'Zero Basis' Rule In Final Estate Tax Regs
The U.S. Treasury Department on Monday said it would not keep a rule that set a zero value for the unreported property of an estate in final regulations on the requirement that an heir's basis in inherited property be consistent with the property's value for estate tax purposes.
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September 16, 2024
Audit Trails For IRS Taxpayer Data Trove Lacking, TIGTA Says
Audit trails that can be used to identify logins to an Internal Revenue Service's database containing extensive tax records were often incomplete, according to a report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration released Monday.
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September 16, 2024
Applicable Federal Interest Rates To Decline Again In October
Applicable federal rates for income tax purposes will decrease again in October, continuing a months-long decline, the Internal Revenue Service said Monday.
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September 16, 2024
IRS Floats Definition Of 'Covered Month' For Premium Credit
The IRS on Monday proposed expanding the definition of a "covered month" for purposes of the health insurance premium tax credit to include the first month of the grace period for which an individual does not pay the premium in full but still receives coverage.
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September 16, 2024
IRS Cancels Hearing On 'Basket Contract' Transactions Rule
The Internal Revenue Service canceled a hearing on proposed rules that would flag what are known as basket option contracts as potentially abusive listed transactions, according to a notice released Monday.
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September 13, 2024
The 2024 Regional Powerhouses
The law firms on Law360's list of 2024 Regional Powerhouses reflected the local peculiarities of their states while often representing clients in deals and cases that captured national attention.
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September 13, 2024
IRS Monitoring Of Cloud IT Security Lacking, TIGTA Says
An audit of the IRS' cloud computing systems found that the agency was lacking in several areas, including not keeping up with systems to maintain the security of cloud computing services, according to a report released Friday by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
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September 13, 2024
Weekly Internal Revenue Bulletin
The Internal Revenue Service's weekly bulletin, issued Friday, included proposed regulations on clean electricity low-income community bonus credits and procedures for obtaining the IRS' automatic consent to change accounting methods to comply with changes to the treatment of research and development costs.
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September 13, 2024
Mortgage Co. CEO Gets 11 Years In Prison For Ponzi Scams
A mortgage company owner was sentenced Thursday to 11 years and three months in prison for defrauding investors, a community bank and the government's pandemic relief program to cover gambling debts and personal expenses like luxury cars, Philadelphia's top federal prosecutor announced.
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September 13, 2024
Treasury Proposes Rules Defining Tax-Exempt Tribal Benefits
Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service released proposed rules Friday that would define what qualifies as tribal welfare benefits exempt from taxable income.
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September 13, 2024
IRS Extends La. Tax Deadlines For Francine Storm Victims
Victims of Hurricane Francine throughout Louisiana will have more time to file some tax returns and make estimated payments, the Internal Revenue Service announced Friday.
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September 12, 2024
AGs Ask 2nd Circ. To Revive Their SALT Cap Workaround Suit
Attorneys general from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut asked the Second Circuit to revive their challenge to an IRS rule prohibiting workarounds to the federal cap on state and local tax deductions, saying the rule was arbitrary and contrary to congressional intent.
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September 12, 2024
Convicted Fraudster Seeks To Challenge $21M Restitution
A Florida man convicted of defrauding hospitals in a payroll fraud scheme urged the Eleventh Circuit Thursday to allow him to challenge a $21 million restitution award while still in prison, saying he wasn't allowed to challenge inaccurate information during sentencing.
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September 12, 2024
Wilson Sonsini Hires Tax Pro From Slaughter and May
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC has recruited a tax specialist from Slaughter and May to its office in London to boost its strengths representing U.K. and European technology and life sciences companies that are expanding in the U.S. and globally.
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September 12, 2024
Ex-Mass. State Sen. Tran Convicted Of Pandemic Aid Fraud
Former Massachusetts State Sen. Dean Tran was convicted Wednesday of fraudulently collecting pandemic unemployment benefits after he was voted out of office and of cheating on his taxes.
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September 12, 2024
House OKs Tightening Restrictions On Tax Credit For EVs
The U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of a bill Thursday that would place further restrictions on qualifications for a tax credit for new electric vehicles amid concerns that current limits don't do enough to keep the benefits from flowing to foreign adversaries, including China.
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September 12, 2024
IRS Lacked Way To Track CAMT Comments, TIGTA Finds
The IRS Office of Chief Counsel did not always track comments it received in response to guidance issued on the corporate alternative minimum tax and did not have detailed procedures in place for the pre-rulemaking guidance process, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration reported Thursday.
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September 12, 2024
Treasury Floats Long-Awaited Rules For Corp. Minimum Tax
Treasury and the IRS released eagerly awaited rules Thursday on the new 15% corporate alternative minimum tax on corporations with reported profits of $1 billion or more, taking a step toward implementing a key provision of President Joe Biden's signature 2022 tax and climate law.
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September 11, 2024
Philly Loan Biz Brothers Admit To $100M Investment Scam
The two brothers helming Philadelphia's Par Funding cash advance company admitted to reaping $100 million through an investment fraud scheme that could land them each over a decade in prison, Philadelphia's top federal prosecutor announced.
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September 11, 2024
Tax Court Affirms Sushi Restaurant Owner's Labor Deductions
The U.S. Tax Court ruled Wednesday that the owner of an Alabama sushi restaurant was entitled to deduct nearly $292,000 in contract labor expenses for 2015 and 2016.
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September 11, 2024
House Tax Panel OKs Repeal Of $600 Reporting Threshold
The House Ways and Means Committee advanced several bills Wednesday, including one that would repeal a law requiring peer-to-peer payment platforms such as Venmo and PayPal to report aggregate payments of $600 or more.
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September 11, 2024
Mass. Jury Weighs Raft Of Fraud Charges Against Ex-Pol
A Boston federal jury resumed deliberations Wednesday in a criminal case alleging a former Massachusetts state senator lied on his taxes and an application for pandemic unemployment aid, after the ex-politico testified in his own defense.
Expert Analysis
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What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review
Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Participating In Living History Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My role as a baron in a living history group, and my work as volunteer corporate counsel for a book series fan association, has provided me several opportunities to practice in unexpected areas of law — opening doors to experiences that have nurtured invaluable personal and professional skills, says Matthew Parker at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
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Private Equity Owners Can Remedy Law Firms' Agency Issues
Nonlawyer, private-equity ownership of law firms can benefit shareholders and others vulnerable to governance issues such as disparate interests, and can in turn help resolve agency problems, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.
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Kentucky Tax Talk: Taking Up The Dormant Commerce Clause
Attorneys at Frost Brown examine whether the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to review Foresight Coal Sales v. Kent Chandler to consider whether a Kentucky utility rate law discriminates against interstate commerce, and how the decision may affect dormant commerce clause jurisprudence.
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Prevailing Wage Rules Complicate Inflation Act Tax Incentives
Nicole Elliott and Timothy Taylor at Holland & Knight discuss the intersection between tax and labor newly created by the Inflation Reduction Act, and focus on aspects of recent U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of the Treasury rules that may catch tax-incentive seekers off guard.
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Payroll Tax Evasion Notice Suggests FinCEN's New Focus
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s recent notice advising U.S. financial institutions to report payroll tax evasion and workers' compensation schemes in the construction industry suggests a growing interest in tax enforcement and IRS collaboration, as well as increased scrutiny in the construction sector, say Andrew Weiner and Jay Nanavati at Kostelanetz.
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How Taxpayers Can Prep As Justices Weigh Repatriation Tax
The U.S. Supreme Court might strike down the 2017 federal tax overhaul's corporate repatriation tax in Moore v. U.S., so taxpayers should file protective tax refund claims before the case is decided and repatriate previously taxed earnings that could become entangled in dubious potential Section 965 refunds, say Jenny Austin and Gary Wilcox at Mayer Brown.
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IRS Foreign Tax Credit Pause Is Welcome Course Correction
A recent IRS notice temporarily suspending application of 2022 foreign tax credit regulations provides wanted relief for the many U.S. multinational companies and other taxpayers that otherwise face the risk of significant double taxation in their international operations, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.
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If Justices End Chevron Deference, Auer Could Be Next Target
If the U.S. Supreme Court decides next term to overrule its Chevron v. NRDC decision, it may open the door for a similar review of the Auer deference — the principle that a government agency can interpret, through application, ambiguous agency regulations, says Sohan Dasgupta at Taft Stettinius.
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Tax Court Ruling Provides Helpful Profits Interest Guidance
A recent U.S. Tax Court decision holding that a partnership may exclude interests in a company that it indirectly received sheds light on related IRS guidance, including the proper valuation method for such interests, though the court's application of the method to the facts of this case appears flawed, say attorneys at Kramer Levin.
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Mallory Ruling Doesn't Undermine NC Sales Tax Holding
Contrary to the conclusion reached in a recent Law360 guest article, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Mallory ruling shouldn't be read as implicitly repudiating the North Carolina Supreme Court’s sales tax ruling in Quad Graphics v. North Carolina Department of Revenue — the U.S. Supreme Court could have rejected Quad by directly overturning it, says Jonathan Entin at Case Western Reserve.
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IRS Criminal Probe Spells Uncertainty For Malta Pension Plans
The IRS’ recent scrutiny of Malta pension plan arrangements — and its unusual issuance of criminal administrative summonses — confirms that it views many of these plans as illegal tax evasion schemes, and the road ahead will not be smooth and steady for anyone involved, say attorneys at Kostelanetz.
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IRS Announcement Will Aid Cos. In Buyback Tax Planning
Recent IRS transitional guidance regarding current requirements for reporting and payment of the stock repurchase excise tax will help corporate taxpayers make decisions about records retention and establishing reserves for future tax payments, say Xenia Garofalo and Kyle Colonna at Eversheds Sutherland.