Federal

  • September 18, 2024

    Tips Lead To $263M IRS Settlement In Offshore Evasion Case

    Tips from three whistleblowers have led to the IRS reaching a $263 million settlement with a taxpayer in an offshore tax evasion case, concluding one of the largest-ever tax whistleblower cases, a law firm involved in the case said Wednesday.

  • September 18, 2024

    IRS Delays Deadlines For Pa. Victims Of Tropical Storm

    Taxpayers in four Pennsylvania counties will have until Feb. 3, 2025, to file individual and business tax returns and make payments after portions of the state were hit by Tropical Storm Debby, the Internal Revenue Service said Wednesday.

  • September 18, 2024

    Treasury Floats Tax Credit Regs For EV Charging Property

    The U.S. Treasury Department proposed regulations Wednesday to define which electric vehicle charging ports, hydrogen fueling stations and other infrastructure that businesses, people and tax-exempt entities can build in underserved communities to qualify for a tax credit of up to 30% of installation costs.

  • September 18, 2024

    Sidley Can't Escape Malpractice Suit In Ga. Over Tax Scheme

    A Georgia federal judge has found that Sidley Austin LLP must face its former clients' legal malpractice claims alleging they participated in a tax scheme under the firm's guidance, but threw out indemnity claims seeking reimbursement for paying the IRS $7 million over the scheme.

  • September 18, 2024

    Latham Adds A&O Shearman Energy Group Co-Lead In DC

    Latham & Watkins LLP has hired the former co-head of Allen Overy Shearman Sterling's U.S. energy, natural resources and infrastructure group to its team of transactional tax partners based in Washington, D.C., the firm announced Monday.

  • September 18, 2024

    Staffing Co. Owed $5M In Worker Retention Credits, Suit Says

    An industrial staffing company that was forced to stop holding job fairs during the pandemic claims the IRS hasn't paid it $5.1 million in federal tax credits it's owed for having continued paying employees, according to a complaint in Ohio federal court.

  • September 18, 2024

    8th Circ. Considers Chevron's End In 3M's $24M Tax Case

    The Eighth Circuit signaled it would consider an argument by 3M that the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Chevron deference warranted a reversal in a transfer pricing case in which 3M is challenging the IRS' reallocation of $24 million from a Brazilian affiliate.

  • September 18, 2024

    IRS Issues Corp. Bond Monthly Yield Curve For Sept.

    The Internal Revenue Service published Wednesday the corporate bond monthly yield curve for September for use in calculations for defined benefit plans, as well as corresponding segment rates and other related provisions.

  • September 17, 2024

    Revocation Of Interests In QTIP Trust Was Gift, Tax Court Says

    An agreement in which two children gave up their interests in a qualified terminable interest property trust that held the remainder of their mother's nearly $60 million estate resulted in a taxable gift to the children's father, the U.S. Tax Court said Tuesday.

  • September 17, 2024

    Tax Court Denies Mineral Co.'s $1.1M Microcaptive Deduction

    A mineral rights leasing company set up by an Oklahoma oil businessman can't take a $1.1 million deduction for what was presented as a microcaptive insurance transaction, the U.S. Tax Court ruled, saying the transaction was not a legitimate insurance arrangement.

  • September 17, 2024

    Chrisley Sentence Should Stick Despite 11th Circ., Feds Argue

    Julie Chrisley's prison sentence shouldn't change even as a Georgia federal judge considers the former reality TV star's smaller role in a $36 million tax evasion and fraud scheme, prosecutors told the court Monday, noting that her time has already been shortened for other considerations.

  • September 17, 2024

    Duane Morris Atty Asks Court To Keep Proposed Class Alive

    A Duane Morris LLP attorney asked a California federal court to keep her proposed class action against the firm alive, alleging the BigLaw firm is mischaracterizing her claims that it underpaid and misclassified employees.

  • September 17, 2024

    Blumenauer Pushes House Speaker To Put Pot Bill To Vote

    U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., on Monday urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring bipartisan cannabis legislation to a vote following revelations that Richard Nixon admitted privately that marijuana was "not particularly dangerous" while he publicly waged the war on drugs.

  • 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. 

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.   

  • 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.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • 6 Pointers For Attys To Build Trust, Credibility On Social Media

    Author Photo

    In an era of information overload, attorneys can use social media strategically — from making infographics to leveraging targeted advertising — to cut through the noise and establish a reputation among current and potential clients, says Marly Broudie at SocialEyes Communications.

  • Why Biz Groups Disagree On Ending Chevron Deference

    Author Photo

    Two amicus briefs filed in advance of last month's U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo highlight contrasting views on whether the doctrine of Chevron deference promotes or undermines the stable regulatory environment that businesses require, say Wyatt Kendall and Sydney Brogden at Morris Manning.

  • US-Chile Tax Treaty May Encourage Cross-Border Investment

    Author Photo

    Provisions in the recently effective U.S.-Chile bilateral income tax treaty should encourage business between the two countries, as they reduce U.S. withholding tax on investment income for Chilean taxpayers, exempt certain U.S. taxpayers from Chilean capital gains tax, and clarify U.S. foreign tax credit rules, say attorneys at Kramer Levin.

  • A Look Ahead For The Electric Vehicle Charging Industry

    Author Photo

    This will likely be an eventful year for the electric vehicle market as government efforts to accelerate their adoption inevitably clash with backlash from supporters of the petroleum industry, say Rue Phillips at SkillFusion and Enid Joffe at Green Paradigm Consulting.

  • A Post-Mortem Analysis Of Stroock's Demise

    Author Photo

    After the dissolution of 147-year-old firm Stroock late last year shook up the legal world, a post-mortem analysis of the data reveals a long list of warning signs preceding the firm’s collapse — and provides some insight into how other firms might avoid the same disastrous fate, says Craig Savitzky at Leopard Solutions.

  • SG's Office Is Case Study To Help Close Legal Gender Gap

    Author Photo

    As women continue to be underrepresented in the upper echelons of the legal profession, law firms could learn from the example set by the Office of the Solicitor General, where culture and workplace policies have helped foster greater gender equality, say attorneys at Ocean Tomo.

  • Planning A Defense As IRS Kicks Off Sports Losses Campaign

    Author Photo

    Sports team owners and partnerships face potential examination under the Internal Revenue Service’s recently announced sports industry losses campaign, and should be preparing to explain what drove their reported losses and assembling documentation to support their tax return positions and accounting methods, say Sheri Dillon and Jennifer Breen at Morgan Lewis.

  • What New Calif. Strike Force Means For White Collar Crimes

    Author Photo

    The recently announced Central District of California strike force targeting complex corporate and securities fraud — following the Northern District of California's model — combines experienced prosecutorial leadership and partnerships with federal agencies like the IRS and FBI, and could result in an uptick in the number of cases and speed of proceedings, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • Reimagining Law Firm Culture To Break The Cycle Of Burnout

    Author Photo

    While attorney burnout remains a perennial issue in the legal profession, shifting post-pandemic expectations mean that law firms must adapt their office cultures to retain talent, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.

  • The Legal Industry Needs A Cybersecurity Paradigm Shift

    Author Photo

    As law firms face ever-increasing risks of cyberattacks and ransomware incidents, the legal industry must implement robust cybersecurity measures and privacy-centric practices to preserve attorney-client privilege, safeguard client trust and uphold the profession’s integrity, says Ryan Paterson at Unplugged.

  • As Promised, IRS Is Coming For Crypto Tax Evaders

    Author Photo

    The IRS is fulfilling its promise to crack down on those who have neglected to pay taxes on cryptocurrency earnings, as demonstrated by recently imposed prison sentences, enforcement initiatives and meetings with international counterparts — suggesting a few key takeaways for taxpayer compliance, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • 5 Reasons Associates Shouldn't Take A Job Just For Money

    Author Photo

    As a number of BigLaw firms increase salary scales for early-career attorneys, law students and lateral associates considering new job offers should weigh several key factors that may matter more than financial compensation, say Albert Tawil at Lateral Hub and Ruvin Levavi at Power Forward.

  • The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Djerassi On Super Bowl 52

    Author Photo

    Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Ramy Djerassi discusses how Super Bowl 52, in which the Philadelphia Eagles prevailed over the New England Patriots, provides an apt metaphor for alternative dispute resolution processes in commercial business cases.

Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Tax Authority Federal archive.