Federal
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August 01, 2024
Direct File Will Be Available In New Mexico, IRS Announces
New Mexico will participate in the Internal Revenue Service's free electronic tax return filing program known as Direct File in the 2025 tax filing season, the agency and the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced Thursday.
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August 01, 2024
Airbnb's $1.3B Bill From IRS Overvalues IP, Tax Court Told
Airbnb is challenging a $1.3 billion tax bill tied to income the IRS allocated from overseas, telling the U.S. Tax Court the agency overvalued intellectual property the home-rental giant licensed to its Irish affiliate before going public.
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August 01, 2024
Senate GOP Blocks House-Passed Tax Break Bill
Republicans on Thursday blocked the Senate from considering a bipartisan tax bill negotiated by the chairmen of the House and Senate's tax-writing committees that would extend the full tax break for research and development costs and expand the child tax credit for multiple years.
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August 01, 2024
Court Won't Stop FTC Judges In H&R Block False Ad Fight
The Federal Trade Commission can proceed with its hearing against H&R Block accusing the tax preparation firm of false advertising, a Missouri federal judge ruled Thursday, rejecting the company's argument that the agency's administrative law judges lack constitutional authority to preside.
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August 01, 2024
Senate Panel OKs Maintaining IRS Funding At $12.3B
The Internal Revenue Service would receive $12.3 billion for the third straight year under legislation sent Thursday by the Senate Appropriations Committee to the full chamber for consideration.
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August 01, 2024
3rd Circ. Affirms Nix Of Discovery Ask On GM In Brazil Case
A Delaware federal court didn't abuse its discretion by declining to begin discovery on General Motors to aid ongoing litigation in Brazil for a group that is entitled to receive dozens of car dealerships' tax credits from the early 1990s, the Third Circuit found.
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August 01, 2024
IRS Not Required To Disclose Summonses, 5th Circ. Affirms
The Internal Revenue Service was not required to tell a Texas man with unpaid tax liabilities that it had demanded his financial information from third parties, the Fifth Circuit ruled, upholding a lower court's decision to toss his suit.
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August 01, 2024
Chiropractor Evaded $2.4M In Taxes, Fed. Indictment Says
An Alabama chiropractor evaded $2.4 million in self-reported taxes, filed false tax returns and obstructed the Internal Revenue Service, according to a federal indictment.
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July 31, 2024
Treasury's New 'Killer B' Rules May Revive Controversies
Recent U.S. Treasury Department regulations centered on contentious 2011 guidance aimed at so-called Killer B transactions have revived long-standing questions about how much authority rule writers have to target what they perceive as corporate tax avoidance in these maneuvers.
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July 31, 2024
Cos. Insist Chevron Ruling Doesn't Change Deduction Claims
A medical device company and a food services firm that are each challenging Internal Revenue Service denials of dividend deduction claims told the U.S. Tax Court that the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Chevron deference doesn't change the validity of their arguments.
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July 31, 2024
Senate Dems Urge Passage Of House-Passed Tax Bill
Senate Democrats urged their Republican counterparts Wednesday to pass legislation that would extend the full tax break for research and development costs and expand the child tax credit for multiple years.
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July 31, 2024
Separate Easement Contribution Docs Critical, IRS Atty Says
Conservation easement donors must always keep separate documents from their donees that acknowledge the gifted property to qualify for a charitable tax deduction in the event the IRS requests such information during an audit, according to an agency counsel Wednesday.
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July 31, 2024
Wash. Cannabis Co. Sues Payroll Firm Over Back Taxes
A Puget Sound-area dispensary is suing Greenleaf HR LLC, a payroll provider specializing in the cannabis industry, and another firm, claiming they failed to pay the IRS on its behalf resulting in a nearly $172,500 tax bill, according to a lawsuit removed to Washington federal court.
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July 31, 2024
GOP Sens. Say Direct File Wrongly Expanding IRS' Power
The Internal Revenue Service "should not be focused on unilaterally expanding its own power" by making the free Direct File program permanent without the authorization of Congress, 19 Republican senators led by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said Wednesday.
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July 31, 2024
$1.1M Tax Refund Claim Needs More Time, Virgin Islands Says
A man living on the island of St. Thomas who sued the U.S. Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue for a $1.1 million tax refund is being audited, the agency told a Virgin Islands federal court, urging it not to move forward with the case.
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July 31, 2024
Americans Overseas Launch Residence Taxation Lobby Group
An advocacy group representing U.S. citizens living abroad announced it has officially registered as a lobbyist to continue to push Congress to pass residence-based taxation laws for the benefit of individuals comparable to those for corporations.
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July 31, 2024
Ex-Chicago Alderman Should Serve Full Supervision, Feds Say
A former Chicago alderman and attorney convicted of tax crimes should not be allowed an early reprieve from his court-ordered supervision because it has become his main form of punishment following his compassionate release from prison, the government has told an Illinois federal court.
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July 31, 2024
TaxAct Customers' Attys Want $5.8M Fee For $23M Deal
The attorneys for TaxAct Inc. customers who secured a $23 million deal to resolve claims that the company was secretly sharing confidential taxpayer information with Meta and Google asked a federal judge to award them more than $5.8 million in fees for their work.
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July 31, 2024
Senators Ask Treasury To Limit Biofuel Tax Credit Eligibility
The U.S. Treasury Department shouldn't grant biofuel production tax credits to companies that use foreign-sourced feedstocks, a coalition of Republican and Democratic senators said in a letter published Wednesday.
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July 31, 2024
Judge Won't Undo IRS' Pause On Worker Retention Credits
An Arizona federal judge rejected a tax advisory firm's request to lift the IRS' pause on processing claims for the pandemic-era employee retention credit, saying he wasn't eager to stop the agency from addressing the fraud it alleges has been widespread.
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July 30, 2024
Challenge To IRS Summons in $90M Easement Suit Tossed
A Mississippi federal judge dismissed a company's request to quash IRS summonses related to a $90 million conservation easement deduction, adopting the rulings of three sister jurisdictions that had dismissed the same challenge on grounds the summonses served a legitimate purpose.
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July 30, 2024
IRS Spinoff Guidance Raises Practical Concerns, NY Attys Say
Recent IRS guidance narrowing the corporate spinoff transactions that revenue officials will approve as tax-free ahead of time doesn't adequately consider the practical and commercial factors involved in these transactions, the New York State Bar Association's Tax Section said Tuesday.
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July 30, 2024
Israeli Man Seeks To Avoid Discovery In $3.6M FBAR Case
A federal court should not order the Israeli founder of a pet toy company to show cause for defying its discovery orders in the U.S. government's $3.6 million case over his failure to report foreign bank accounts because he is ending his defense, his attorneys said Tuesday.
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July 30, 2024
Kyocera Chides Gov't Attack On Jurisdiction In $7M Tax Case
The government's attempt to defeat a South Carolina federal court's jurisdiction is improper because it relies on a roughly $44 million assessment lodged months after electronics maker Kyocera filed an amended complaint for a $7 million federal tax refund, according to the company.
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July 30, 2024
Ropes & Gray Adds Partner To Int'l Tax Practice
Ropes & Gray LLP recently added a tax adviser with a wealth of experience navigating transactions, funds and investments for clients as a partner in its New York office, the firm said.
Expert Analysis
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US-Chile Tax Treaty May Encourage Cross-Border Investment
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.
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A Look Ahead For The Electric Vehicle Charging Industry
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.
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A Post-Mortem Analysis Of Stroock's Demise
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.
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SG's Office Is Case Study To Help Close Legal Gender Gap
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.
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Planning A Defense As IRS Kicks Off Sports Losses Campaign
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.
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What New Calif. Strike Force Means For White Collar Crimes
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.
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Reimagining Law Firm Culture To Break The Cycle Of Burnout
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.
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The Legal Industry Needs A Cybersecurity Paradigm Shift
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.
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As Promised, IRS Is Coming For Crypto Tax Evaders
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.
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5 Reasons Associates Shouldn't Take A Job Just For Money
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.
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The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Djerassi On Super Bowl 52
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.
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Parsing Treasury's Proposed Clean Hydrogen Tax Credit Rules
Regulations recently proposed by the IRS and the U.S. Department of the Treasury concerning two types of tax credits for clean hydrogen production facilities should resolve many of the most pressing questions around qualification for the credits — albeit in a relatively stringent manner, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Employee Experience Strategy Can Boost Law Firm Success
Amid continuing business uncertainty, law firms should consider adopting a holistic employee experience strategy — prioritizing consistency, targeting signature moments and leveraging measurement tools — to maximize productivity and profitability, says Haley Revel at Calibrate Consulting.