Federal
-
September 19, 2024
GAO Says IRS Can Be Better Prepped For Reporting Changes
While the Internal Revenue Service could collect billions thanks to recent reporting requirement changes, particularly those related to cryptocurrency, the agency needs to take further steps to be prepared for the changes, the Government Accountability Office said Thursday.
-
September 19, 2024
H&R Block Again Asks 8th Circ. To Remove ALJs In Ad Suit
H&R Block asked the Eighth Circuit to reconsider its denial of the company's request to stop administrative law judges from presiding over its coming false-advertising hearing before the Federal Trade Commission, saying the court's one-sentence ruling lacked any explanation despite the significant constitutional issues involved.
-
September 19, 2024
IRS Warns Taxpayers Of Offer-In-Compromise 'Mills'
The IRS urged taxpayers to be careful about working with promoters that claim to provide necessary services in order to comply with the agency's offer-in-compromise program, saying Thursday that these "mills" only bring "empty promises and steep costs."
-
September 18, 2024
Tax Chiefs Eye Crypto Payment Cos., OTC Traders, IRS Says
Tax investigators in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and the Netherlands are preparing guidance on red flags for cryptocurrency payment providers and over-the-counter trading desks following a joint operation this week, a special agent with the Internal Revenue Service said Wednesday.
-
September 18, 2024
IRS Publishes Guidance For Issuers Of Tax-Exempt Bonds
The Internal Revenue Service published guidance Wednesday for issuers of tax-exempt and other tax-advantaged bonds in terms of procedures for filing claims for recovery of overpayments of rebate payments and other processes.
-
September 18, 2024
Dems Block Bill Targeting Foreign Funding Of Campaign Gifts
Democrats blocked the House of Representatives from sending legislation to the Senate that would restrict contributions to political committees by tax-exempt entities that receive foreign funds.
-
September 18, 2024
Tax Court Wrongly Denied Premium Deduction, 5th Circ. Told
A Texas couple asked the Fifth Circuit on Wednesday to reverse a U.S. Tax Court decision denying their bid to deduct more than $1 million in premiums paid to insurance companies they owned, arguing the Tax Court misclassified underlying insurance arrangements.
-
September 18, 2024
IRS On Track With Updated Tool, But Some Risk Remains
While the IRS' project modernizing its individual tax processing engine met its performance goals ahead of the updated system's planned 2025 rollout, the ending of a process for solving issues between the new and old systems creates greater risk, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said Wednesday.
-
September 18, 2024
Jury Finds Eatery Owner Guilty Of COVID Fraud, Tax Crimes
A San Diego restaurant owner who worked with food delivery services during the pandemic and saw his business improve was convicted by a California federal jury of tax crimes and lying on loan applications to obtain more than $1.7 million in COVID-19 funds meant for struggling businesses.
-
September 18, 2024
House GOP Vows Blowback Over OECD's Min. Tax Backstop
House Republicans again warned the OECD that Congress will retaliate against countries that implement a backstop measure to the 15% global minimum tax, saying China will cheat the system and it will cost U.S. taxpayers about $120 billion.
-
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.
Expert Analysis
-
7 E-Discovery Predictions For 2024 And Beyond
The legal and technical issues of e-discovery now affect virtually every lawsuit, and in the year to come, practitioners can expect practices and policies to evolve in a number of ways, from the expanded use of relevancy redactions to mandated information security provisions in protective orders, say attorneys at Littler.
-
5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2024
Over the next year and beyond, litigation funding will continue to evolve in ways that affect attorneys and the larger litigation landscape, from the growth of a secondary market for funded claims, to rising interest rates restricting the availability of capital, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.
-
Tech CEO Tax Ruling A Warning For Forward Contracts
In McKelvey v. Commissioner, the U.S. Tax Court decided that deceased Monster.com founder Andrew McKelvey terminated his underlying obligations when he extended variable prepaid forward contracts, demonstrating why startup founders, early employees and investors should think carefully before amending derivative agreements, say Daren Shaver and Trent Tanzi at Hanson Bridgett.
-
4 Legal Ethics Considerations For The New Year
As attorneys and clients reset for a new year, now is a good time to take a step back and review some core ethical issues that attorneys should keep front of mind in 2024, including approaching generative artificial intelligence with caution and care, and avoiding pitfalls in outside counsel guidelines, say attorneys at HWG.
-
What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like
As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
-
4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News
Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.
-
Unpacking The Proposed Production Tax Credit Regulations
Recently proposed tax regulations for claiming the U.S. clean-energy manufacturers' production credit under Internal Revenue Code Section 45X are less stringent than many had feared but fail to define a fundamental eligibility requirement, say Casey August and Jared Sanders at Morgan Lewis.
-
10 Considerations For Litigating A New York Tax Case
While some of New York’s recently adopted corporate tax regulations are likely to face legal challenges, aggrieved taxpayers should answer certain questions before deciding to embark on the tax litigation process, say Cyavash Ahmadi and Jeffrey Friedman at Eversheds Sutherland.
-
Charting The Course For Digital Assets In 2024
Although 2023 was a tough year for the digital asset industry, upcoming court decisions, legislation and regulatory action will bring clarity, allowing the industry to expand and evolve, and the government will decide what innovation it will allow without challenge, says Joshua Smeltzer at Gray Reed.
-
Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends
Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.
-
Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities
Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.
-
How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season
Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
-
Giving The Gov't Drug Patent March-In Authority Is Bad Policy
The Biden administration's recent proposal to allow government seizure of certain taxpayer-funded drug patents is a terrible idea that would negate the benefits of government-funded research, to the detriment of patients and the wider economy, says Wayne Winegarden at Pacific Research Institute.