Federal
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August 20, 2024
Insider Trading Won't Impact Pilot's Tax Sentencing Guidelines
A Manhattan federal judge found Tuesday that insider trading allegations won't bump up the guidelines sentencing range for a pilot for U.K. billionaire Joe Lewis who pled guilty to tax evasion.
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August 20, 2024
Temple Law Prof, Kostelanetz Atty To Lead ABA Tax Section
A longtime professor at the Temple University Beasley School of Law and a seasoned tax controversy partner at Kostelanetz LLP will together helm the American Bar Association Section of Taxation for the 2025-2026 term, the firm announced Tuesday.
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August 20, 2024
Tax Prep Biz Falsified Credits, Caused $41M Loss, US Says
A cosmetologist who started her own tax-preparation business in Houston caused $40.7 million in tax losses with the help of her husband by falsifying returns, including improperly claiming pandemic-era credits, the U.S. government told a Texas federal court Tuesday.
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August 20, 2024
Allen Matkins Tax Group Leader Jumps To Covington In LA
Covington & Burling LLP has added to its Los Angeles office a partner with more than 20 years of experience who most recently led Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP's tax group, describing the new hire as "one of the country's leading authorities on partnership tax."
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August 20, 2024
Trade Group Urges Consistency In Pillar 2 Reporting Standard
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development should focus on making sure there is a standardized approach to acquiring the cross-jurisdiction information required for Pillar Two global minimum tax returns while also minimizing the compliance burden, the National Foreign Trade Council said Tuesday.
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August 20, 2024
Son Can't Protect Property In $10M Tax Case, US Says
A man whose father is serving a 22-year fraud sentence shouldn't be allowed to stop the IRS from seizing property he claims he bought fairly from his parents, the U.S. government told a Georgia federal court, saying he's a nominee of his parents, who owe $10 million in taxes.
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August 20, 2024
A Deep Dive Into Law360 Pulse's 2024 Women In Law Report
The legal industry continues to see incremental gains for female lawyers in private practice in the U.S., according to a Law360 Pulse analysis, with women now representing 40.6% of all attorneys and 51% of all associates.
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August 20, 2024
These Firms Have The Most Women In Equity Partnerships
The legal industry still has a long way to go before it can achieve gender parity at its upper levels. But these law firms are performing better than others in breaking the proverbial glass ceiling that prevents women from attaining leadership roles.
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August 20, 2024
IRS Proposes Update To Qualified Domestic Trust Regs
The Internal Revenue Service proposed regulations Tuesday that would update federal estate tax rules for estates of decedents passing property to or for the benefit of a noncitizen spouse in a domestic trust in cases where the executor has made an election to be a qualified domestic trust.
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August 19, 2024
Hunter Biden Loses Bid To Duck Tax Case In Calif.
Hunter Biden cannot escape his criminal tax case set to go to trial next month, a Los Angeles federal judge ruled Monday, saying Biden's latest motion comes too late.
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August 19, 2024
'Ghost' Prepper Hasn't Met Settlement Terms, Court Told
A Connecticut businessman accused of "ghost preparing" — filing customers' taxes without the required personal tax identification numbers — and inflating their refunds has failed to shut down his companies as part of the terms of an earlier settlement, the federal government has claimed.
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August 19, 2024
Eaton Ordered To Give Int'l Employee Records To IRS
Eaton Corp. must disclose employment records for some European workers in its transfer pricing dispute with the U.S. government because public interest in curtailing tax avoidance outweighs the interest in protecting the workers' privacy, an Ohio federal judge ruled Monday.
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August 19, 2024
Danish Gov't Wants Evidence Excluded In $2B Tax Fraud Case
A New York federal court should exclude some evidence presented by U.S. pension plans accused in what the Danish tax agency is calling a $2.1 billion tax fraud scheme, the agency said.
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August 19, 2024
Spouse Asks Tax Court To Reconsider Relief Request
A woman barred from innocent spouse relief on grounds that tax debt related to an erroneously issued refund doesn't qualify asked the U.S. Tax Court to reconsider, saying she's entitled to the break for any unpaid tax liability.
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August 19, 2024
IRS Issues Student Loan Matching Contribution Guidance
The Internal Revenue Service issued guidance Monday for employers wanting to take advantage of a retirement plan overhaul that for the first time allows certain plan sponsors to provide matching contributions based on student loan payments.
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August 19, 2024
H&R Block's Case On In-House Judges' Role Is Paused
A Missouri federal judge who refused to halt Federal Trade Commission proceedings accusing H&R Block of deceptive advertising agreed to pause, while the company appeals her refusal, a district court case in which the company has argued that administrative judges should be booted from the proceedings.
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August 19, 2024
IRS Expands Business Tax Account Program Payment Options
The Internal Revenue Service's business tax account online self-service tool for business taxpayers will now allow taxpayers to view and make balance-due payments, the agency announced Monday, also saying the service is now available in Spanish.
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August 19, 2024
Treasury Floats Timing Shift For Foreign Currency Accounting
The U.S. Treasury Department proposed regulations Monday that would adjust the timing for when companies could opt to use the so-called mark-to-market accounting method for gains or losses that arise from foreign currency transactions.
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August 16, 2024
Drexel Accounting Prof Convicted Of Evading Tax On $3.3M
New Jersey federal jurors have convicted a Drexel University accounting professor on charges of tax evasion and filing false tax returns after the government accused him of failing to report $3.3 million in income from a Trenton pharmacy.
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August 16, 2024
Kyocera Says It Doesn't Need Records For R&D Credits
Multinational electronics maker Kyocera said Friday that it wasn't required to keep any specific paperwork to back up its claim to research tax credits, contrary to the U.S. government's claims, according to a filing in South Carolina federal court.
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August 16, 2024
Harris Proposes Tax Break For Homebuilders
Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, proposed several housing-related tax proposals, including creating a tax incentive for homebuilders that sell to first-time homebuyers, during a campaign speech Friday.
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August 16, 2024
Democratic Gov't Control Could Bolster US' Pillar 2 Plans
Vice President Kamala Harris and congressional Democrats would likely double down on plans to align the U.S. tax code with the global minimum tax designed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development if they win total control of the federal government in the November elections.
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August 16, 2024
TCJA's Estate Tax Treatment Shouldn't Change, Panel Told
If the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act's estate tax exemption increase is allowed to lapse in 2025, many family farms in the Midwest would face tough choices, including whether to sell to large corporations, panelists told the House of Representatives' Ways and Means Committee on Friday.
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August 16, 2024
IRS To Let Private Cos. Into Real-Time Biz Audit Program
The Internal Revenue Service is opening its compliance assurance process real-time audit program to privately held C corporations, including foreign-owned ones, for 2025, the agency announced.
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August 16, 2024
North Carolina Joins Direct File, Maine Plans To Follow
The Internal Revenue Service's free electronic filing tax program, Direct File, will be available in North Carolina for the 2025 tax filing season, the IRS and U.S. Department of the Treasury announced Friday, and Maine is also planning to join.
Expert Analysis
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Asset Manager Exemption Shifts May Prove Too Burdensome
The U.S. Department of Labor’s recent change to a prohibited transaction exemption used by retirement plan asset managers introduces a host of new costs, burdens and risks to investment firms, from registration requirements to new transition periods, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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A Look At New IRS Rules For Domestically Controlled REITs
The Internal Revenue Services' finalized Treasury Regulations addressing whether real estate investment trusts qualify as domestically controlled adopt the basic structure of previous proposals, but certain new and modified rules may mitigate the regulations' impact, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Text Message Data
Electronically stored information on cellphones, and in particular text messages, can present unique litigation challenges, and recent court decisions demonstrate that counsel must carefully balance what data should be preserved, collected, reviewed and produced, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Should NIL Collectives Be Allowed Tax-Favored Status?
Arguments are being made for and against allowing organizations to provide charitable contribution tax deductions for donations used to compensate student-athletes, a practice with impacts on competition for student-athletes and overall tax fairness, but ultimately it is a question for Congress, say Andres Castillo and Barry Gogel at the University of Maryland School of Law.
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Understanding The IRC's Excessive Refund Claim Penalty
Taxpayers considering protective refund claims pending resolution of major questions in tax cases like Moore v. U.S., which is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, should understand how doing so may also leave them vulnerable to an excessive refund claim penalty under Internal Revenue Code Section 6676, say attorneys at McDermott.
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Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert
As the old marketing adage goes, consistency is key, but law firm style guides need consistency that contemplates variety when it comes to client alert formats, allowing attorneys to tailor alerts to best fit the audience and subject matter, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Follow The Iron Rule Of Trial Logic
Many diligent and eager attorneys include every good fact, point and rule in their trial narratives — spurred by the gnawing fear they’ll be second-guessed for leaving something out — but this approach ignores a fundamental principle of successful trial lawyering, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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The Art Of Asking: Leveraging Your Contacts For Referrals
Though attorneys may hesitate to ask for referral recommendations to generate new business, research shows that people want to help others they know, like and trust, so consider who in your network you should approach and how to make the ask, says Rebecca Hnatowski at Edwards Advisory.
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Unpacking The Bill To Extend TCJA's Biz-Friendly Tax Breaks
Attorneys at Skadden examine how a bipartisan bill currently being considered by the U.S. Senate to save the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act's tax breaks for research and development costs, and other expiring business-friendly provisions, would affect taxpayers.
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4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy
With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.
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IRS Sings New Tune: Whistleblower Form Update Is Welcome
In a significant reform at the Internal Revenue Service's Whistleblower Office, the recently introduced revisions to the Form 211 whistleblower award application use new technology and a more intuitive approach to streamline the process of reporting allegations of tax fraud committed by wealthy individuals and companies, says Benjamin Calitri at Kohn Kohn.
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This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener
As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.
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Energy Community Tax Credit Boost Will Benefit Wind Sector
Recent Internal Revenue Service guidance broadening tax credit eligibility to more parts of offshore wind facilities in so-called energy communities is a win for the industry, which stands to see more projects qualify for a particularly valuable bonus in the investment tax credit context due to the capital-intensive nature of offshore wind projects, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.