Federal
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February 24, 2025
Express Scripts Sees Claims Cut From $43M Tax Refund Suit
A Missouri federal court on Monday tossed some of Express Scripts' claims for a $42.9 million tax refund formerly available for domestic production, saying the pharmacy benefit manager improperly reversed course on whether certain costs should be included in its calculation of the tax break.
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February 24, 2025
4th Circ. Upholds Levy Against Md. Man's Tax Liability
The Fourth Circuit rejected Monday a Maryland man's attempt to vacate a Tax Court opinion that allowed the IRS to go ahead with a levy to collect his tax liability, saying it found no issue with the determination that he lacked any overpayments to offset his liability.
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February 24, 2025
Ex-Goldman Exec Owes For Not Filing FBARs, US Says
A former Goldman Sachs banking executive who lives in Australia owes penalties to the Internal Revenue Service for failing to report foreign bank accounts she held, the U.S. government told a D.C. federal court.
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February 24, 2025
High Court Won't Hear Tax Tipster's $690M Award Claim
The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to review a man's claim for a $690 million whistleblower award for undercover recordings and tips he gave the IRS that he said led to the arrests of Swiss bankers and the success of an offshore tax disclosure program.
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February 21, 2025
Fla. Biz Owner Gets 4 Years In Prison For Worker Fraud Plot
A Florida federal judge sentenced a construction business owner to four years in prison and ordered him to pay millions of dollars in restitution after pleading guilty to fraud-related charges in connection with an elaborate worker scheme and violating safety standards that led to the death of an employee.
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February 21, 2025
GOP Leader Zeros In On Fintech And Enviro Rules For Repeal
An Internal Revenue Service rule targeting digital asset sales and U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission guidance on the trading of voluntary carbon credits are among the environmental and financial regulations that Republicans are prioritizing for repeal, according to House Majority Leader Steven Scalise.
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February 21, 2025
Judge Trims $40M Green Energy Co. Investor Suit
A Tennessee federal judge won't toss a proposed class action claiming that a Chicago green energy outfit and its executives used false promises of extravagant returns to lure investors, but ruled two defendants can escape some of the suit's claims.
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February 21, 2025
Trump Says Tariffs Coming For Countries With DSTs
President Donald Trump's administration will impose tariffs on countries with taxes that disproportionately affect American companies, such as digital services taxes, which mainly apply to tech giants, according to a memorandum released late Friday.
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February 21, 2025
Telecom Biz Re-Ups Push To Exempt BEAD Funds From Taxes
The telecom industry is again pressing policymakers to make income from federal broadband deployment grants tax-free.
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February 21, 2025
The Tax Angle: ABA Midyear Tax Meeting
With a lack of government officials attending the American Bar Association's midyear tax meeting, here's a peek into a reporter's notebook on a few of the week's developing tax stories.
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February 21, 2025
Lobbyist Admits To Evading $1.3M Tax By Blocking Home Sale
A lobbyist admitted to trying to thwart IRS efforts to collect about $1.3 million in taxes he owed by preventing a real estate agent from widely listing his home and by transferring assets to a family member, according to Florida federal court documents.
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February 21, 2025
Billionaire's Tax Privacy Suit Against Booz Allen Proceeds
A billionaire's lawsuit against government contractor Booz Allen Hamilton blaming it for the theft of his tax returns in an unprecedented breach by a Booz Allen employee working at the IRS can move forward, a Maryland federal court ruled Friday, rejecting a bid to toss the case.
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February 21, 2025
IRS, Engineer Resolve Fight Over $5.5M In FBAR Penalties
The U.S. government and an engineer have resolved a dispute over $5.5 million in penalties and interest regarding the nondisclosure of assets in her foreign accounts from 2009 to 2012, according to a judgment entered by a California federal court.
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February 21, 2025
DLA Piper Tax Attorney Jumps To Vedder Price In Chicago
Vedder Price PC has expanded its Chicago office with the addition of a skilled tax attorney who brings nearly 30 years of experience, most recently with DLA Piper.
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February 21, 2025
IRS Offers Guidance On Health Coverage Statements
The Internal Revenue Service released guidance Friday related to alternative methods for employers to provide health insurance coverage statements to employees as part of a larger move to reduce paperwork.
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February 21, 2025
Taxation With Representation: Kirkland, V&E, Cravath, Dechert
In this week's Taxation With Representation, Diamondback Energy buys Midland Basin assets from another oil and natural gas company, GTCR closes its second strategic growth fund, Light & Wonder Inc. buys Grover Gaming's assets, and Barings acquires Artemis Real Estate Partners.
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February 21, 2025
Weekly Internal Revenue Bulletin
The Internal Revenue Service's weekly bulletin, issued Friday, included final regulations designed to prevent companies from receiving foreign payments in a way that allows them to reduce their overseas taxes without a corresponding increase in U.S. taxable income.
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February 20, 2025
Unions' Downsizing Suit Belongs Before FLRA, Judge Says
A D.C. federal judge denied requests Thursday to block the president from carrying out three federal downsizing initiatives, rejecting unions' argument that their challenge is an exception to the rule that federal union disputes belong before the agency charged with adjudicating them.
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February 20, 2025
Feds Say DC Judge Can't Bar 'Hypothetical' Spending Freezes
A Justice Department attorney argued before a D.C. federal judge Thursday that there is no basis to continue blocking the Trump administration from implementing a blanket suspension on federal spending, saying the court cannot bar "hypothetical" future freezes.
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February 20, 2025
Bradley Arant Adds Securities, Tax Expert As Partner
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP added a former Burr & Forman LLP partner to the firm's tax group and corporate and securities group in its Birmingham, Alabama, office.
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February 20, 2025
IRS Worker Layoff Could Hamper Enforcement, Groups Warn
Congressional Democrats, tax and economic policy groups and an IRS workers union warned Thursday that the termination of thousands of Internal Revenue Service employees that began the same day could threaten the agency's ability to enforce tax laws and hamper taxpayer services amid tax-filing season.
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February 20, 2025
Guinea Fends Off Push To Enforce $22M Telecom Award
A D.C. federal court said it lacked jurisdiction to enforce a $22 million arbitration award against the Republic of Guinea stemming from a system enabling the country to tax international telecommunications traffic, saying the nation wasn't a party to the underlying arbitration agreement.
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February 20, 2025
Senate Passes Budget Bill With No Tax Package
The Senate passed a budget blueprint early Friday that includes border security and defense funding, while holding off on moving a major tax package until later in the year despite President Donald Trump's push for one bill to enact his agenda.
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February 20, 2025
Bilzin Sumberg Adds Ex-KPMG Tax Pro In Miami
Miami-based Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP announced Thursday that it has hired an experienced tax attorney who previously worked as a managing director with Big 4 accounting firm KPMG as a partner.
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February 20, 2025
Tax Trial Paused For Strip Club Boss Accused Of Hiding $5.7M
The trial of a strip club operator accused of hiding $5.7 million in income from the IRS and lying to get a pandemic relief grant was pushed back Thursday after he requested more time to allow a forensic accountant to review financial documents.
Expert Analysis
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What Higher Education Can Expect From A 2nd Trump Admin
The election of Donald Trump for a second presidential term has far-reaching ramifications for colleges and universities — come January, institutions can expect a crackdown on DEI, increased scrutiny of campus protests, a rollback of the Biden administration's Title IX rules and more, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less
Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.
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Expect Surging Oil And Gas Industry Under New Trump Admin
Throughout his recent campaign, President-elect Donald Trump promised increased oil and natural gas production and reduced reliance on renewables — and his administration will likely bring more oil and gas dealmaking, faster federal permitting and attempts to roll back incentives for green energy, say attorneys at Sidley.
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The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule
Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.
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Cos. Should Inventory Issues To Prep For New Congress
As the legislative and oversight agendas of the 119th Congress come into sharper focus, corporate counsel should assess and plan for areas of potential oversight risk — from tax policy changes to supply chain integrity — even as much uncertainty remains, say attorneys at WilmerHale.
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Conservation Easement Cases Weave Web Of Uncertainty
Much of the IRS and Justice Department’s recent success in prosecuting syndicated conservation easement cases can be attributed to the government’s focus on the so-called PropCo ratio, which could indicate treacherous waters ahead for participants and their advisers, even under the incoming Trump administration, say attorneys at Polsinelli.
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So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?
Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.
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Legislation Most Likely To Pass In Lame Duck Session
As Congress begins its five-week post-election lame duck session, attorneys at Greenberg Traurig break down the legislative priorities and which proposals can be expected to pass.
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What Trump's 2nd Presidency Could Mean For Crypto Sector
Trump's second term will bring a fundamental shift from the Biden administration's approach to crypto-asset regulation and banking supervision, with the most significant changes likely taking effect in the first two quarters of 2025 and broader policy shifts emerging over the next year, say attorneys at Cahill.
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Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.
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Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being
As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.
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Takeaways From The IRS' Crypto Doc Summons Win
A recent First Circuit decision holding that taxpayers do not have a Fourth Amendment reasonable expectation of privacy in cryptocurrency transaction records should prompt both taxpayers and exchanges to take stock of past transactions and future plans, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.
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How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources
Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.