FBAR penalty before the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) will take up a controversial issue affecting owners of certain foreign financial accounts. A holder of a foreign account worth more than $10,000 in the preceding year must file a “Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts” (FBAR). For a non-willful failure to file, the penalty is […]

IRS warns on scams

“Taxpayers should not kid themselves into believing they can hide income from the IRS,” warns IRS commissioner Chuck Rettig. That doesn’t seem to stop some people from trying, often with assistance from unethical tax preparers. So the IRS is fighting back. It plans to hire up to 200 attorneys to help combat abusive tax scams. […]

IRS uses voice bots to cut wait time

One of the ways the IRS is addressing complaints about phone call wait times is with voice bots. The agency has been using voice-activated software to help taxpayers navigate service menus and get answers to relatively simple questions since January 2022. Now, it’s expanding bot use to help callers set up and modify payment plans. […]

The Impact of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) on IRS audits

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has issued a report (https://bit.ly/3MVTXb7 ) that examines the impact of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) on IRS audits. The report was spurred by concern that the IRS is auditing low-income taxpayers, particularly taxpayers who claim the EITC, at disproportionately high rates compared with higher-income taxpayers. “These higher audit rates […]

Report on IRS Whistleblower Office

In a report to Congress, the IRS’s Whistleblower Office said that in 2021 the agency collected more than $245 million from noncompliant taxpayers as a result of whistleblowers’ tips. The IRS made 179 awards totaling more than $36 million to the whistleblowers. Since the whistleblower program began in 2007, the number and amounts of awards […]

IRS impersonator scams

You can help fight IRS impersonator scams. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) is alerting taxpayers about scammers claiming to be from the IRS. These criminals tell victims they owe unpaid tax and threaten them with arrest or other consequences if the victims don’t send money. Scammers may also ask for personal information, […]

Federal Revenue collections up

U.S. revenues for fiscal year 2022 so far have exceeded predictions, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The CBO reports that FY 2022 revenues outpaced the same period in FY 2021 by 29%, due to increases in individual taxes, payroll taxes and corporate income tax collections. The estimated federal budget deficit for FY 2022 […]

American Rescue Plan Act sunset coming soon

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 expanded tax benefits to reduce the cost of health insurance premiums. But these benefits are scheduled to expire at the end of 2022. Colorado Democratic Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper have proposed that the advanced premium tax credit (APTC) be made permanent. According to the senators, the APTC helped […]

EV credits

The electric vehicle (EV) tax credit begins to phase out when 200,000 of a manufacturer’s qualifying vehicles have been sold. But automakers are telling Congress, not so fast! In a letter, GM, Ford, Chrysler and Toyota asked Congressional leaders to give all electric car and light truck buyers a tax credit of up to $7,500. […]

Guidance coming on tax aspects of cryptocurrencies

Congress is getting serious about addressing the confusion surrounding the tax treatment of digital assets such as cryptocurrencies. A bipartisan bill dubbed the Responsible Financial Innovation Act was recently introduced in the U.S. Senate. The bill would establish a regulatory framework for digital assets. The first-of-its-kind proposed legislation would attempt to validate the mainstream use […]