Federal

  • November 21, 2024

    Tax Firm Must Disclose Case Info In Malpractice Suit

    A tax firm being sued for malpractice and unfair trade practices by former clients can't hide behind a state bar association rule to avoid producing discovery documents it claims are privileged, a Wisconsin federal court ruled Thursday.

  • November 21, 2024

    22M Tax Returns Used Refund-Related Products, TIGTA Says

    Nearly 22 million tax returns for 2023, or 16% of all returns, made use of what are known as refund-related products that either provide loans or help pay for tax preparation fees, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said Thursday.

  • November 21, 2024

    IRS Updates Dependent Claiming Rules To Speed Up Refunds

    Starting in 2025, the Internal Revenue Service will accept e-filed returns that claim dependents that were already claimed on another taxpayer's return so long as the primary taxpayer on the second return includes a valid Identity Protection Personal Identification Number, the agency said Thursday.

  • November 21, 2024

    Delayed Tax Deadline For Hostages Bill Clears House

    Tax deadlines would be delayed and late fees reimbursed for Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad under legislation passed Thursday by the House after it rejected an attempt last week to fast-track the proposal.

  • November 21, 2024

    Ga. Attys' Easement Fraud Class Suit Shipped To State Court

    A Georgia federal judge kicked back to state court a proposed class action accusing conservation easement fund organizers of racketeering and defrauding investors, saying the organizers failed to prove that the proposed class had at least 100 investors or that the case hinged on federal law.

  • November 21, 2024

    Israel-Hamas War Tax Relief Needed More Notice, TIGTA Says

    While the Internal Revenue Service did well to proactively identify taxpayers likely affected by the Israel-Hamas war that it sought to grant tax relief, it failed to directly notify these taxpayers, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said Thursday.

  • November 21, 2024

    11th Circ. Asked To Rethink $100M Credit For John Hancock

    The Eleventh Circuit should reverse its decision allowing John Hancock Life Insurance Co. to keep $100 million in foreign tax credits that rightfully belong to the company's investors, trustees of a retirement plan said in arguing that the court overlooked a key U.S. Treasury regulation.

  • November 20, 2024

    Fla. Couple Ask To Revive Suit Over Unclaimed Property

    A Florida couple asked the Eleventh Circuit Wednesday to revive their proposed class suit against the state's chief financial officer over a law that allows officials to hold unclaimed money indefinitely, arguing that it is a taking without just compensation because the state never pays interest on the amount held.

  • November 20, 2024

    DC Circ. Upholds Taxes For Couple Lacking IRS Notice

    A Georgia couple whose challenge of a 2019 tax collection was dismissed by the U.S. Tax Court when they failed to present the required IRS notice of deficiency were similarly turned away by the D.C. Circuit on Wednesday.

  • November 20, 2024

    Fla. Tax Preparer Gets 4 Years For Tax Fraud Scheme

    A barred Florida tax preparer was sentenced to four years in prison for falsifying returns to trigger inflated refunds for participants in a three-year tax fraud scheme called the "note program," the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday.

  • November 20, 2024

    Feds Again Seek Early Win In $11.6M Willful FBAR Dispute

    The U.S. government intends to renew its request to resolve a narrow matter in a dispute with an international businessman facing an $11.6 million penalty for willful failure to report his foreign bank accounts before the case heads to trial, according to a filing in Hawaii federal court.

  • November 20, 2024

    11th Circ. Skeptical Couple Can Skip Tax On Stolen Funds

    Eleventh Circuit judges seemed unconvinced by a couple's request to overturn a decision that they owed taxes on $1.2 million in savings that their daughter swindled from them, saying during oral arguments Wednesday that their situation, however sympathetic, does not appear to warrant tax relief. 

  • November 20, 2024

    IRS Should Tout Funding Boost Benefits, Advisory Panel Says

    The Internal Revenue Service needs to appeal to taxpayers by communicating the benefits of the funding boost the agency received under the 2022 tax and climate law, the IRS Advisory Council said in a report released Wednesday.

  • November 19, 2024

    Former GOP Tax Chair Urges TCJA Permanence In 2025

    Making permanent the provisions of the 2017 tax overhaul that are set to expire at the end of 2025 would provide certainty for businesses and individuals and encourage investment and expansion, former House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady said Tuesday.

  • November 19, 2024

    12 House Dems Call For Flexible Hydrogen Tax Credit Rules

    Twelve Democratic U.S. House members asked the U.S. Department of the Treasury on Tuesday to provide more lax requirements for the clean hydrogen production tax credit than what the agency has proposed.

  • November 19, 2024

    Group Of Local Gov'ts Asks For Clarity On Energy Credits

    A coalition of local government agencies called on the U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS in a letter released Tuesday to clarify that tax-exempt entities undertaking projects that qualify for certain energy credits are able to choose elective payments for certain costs.

  • November 19, 2024

    'Survivor' Winner Needs To Pay $3.3M Tax Bill, Judge Advises

    The winner of the "Survivor" television series who evaded taxes on his $1 million in prize money and served time in prison should pay $3.3 million of his civil liabilities, including fraud penalties, a federal magistrate judge said.

  • November 19, 2024

    Payments To Ex-Wife Clearly Tax-Deductible, 11th Circ. Told

    A Georgia man claiming payments he must make to his ex-wife as part of a marital settlement are alimony and therefore tax-deductible reaffirmed his argument to the Eleventh Circuit, saying the court can clearly answer two questions in his favor.

  • November 19, 2024

    Liberty Global Tax Break Based On Void Moves, 10th Circ. Told

    The economic substance doctrine is broad and can invalidate telecommunications company Liberty Global's transaction that led to a $2.4 billion deduction because steps taken to maximize the tax break lacked business purpose, a government attorney told the Tenth Circuit on Tuesday.

  • November 19, 2024

    IRS Can Extend Deadline Over Preparer's Fraud, 3rd Circ. Told

    The Third Circuit should affirm a U.S. Tax Court ruling allowing the Internal Revenue Service to skirt the normal deadlines and assess taxes going back to 1993 against a couple who were unaware that their tax preparer had falsified their returns to lower their liabilities, the government said.

  • November 18, 2024

    Tax Court Won't Reverse On Foreign Reporting Penalties

    The U.S. Tax Court affirmed Monday its position that the IRS lacks authority to assess certain foreign information reporting penalties, denying the agency's request to reverse a ruling that let a Missouri businessowner off the hook for $120,000.

  • November 18, 2024

    Nursing Home Owner Pleads Guilty A 2nd Time To Tax Fraud

    A nursing home operator pled guilty for the second time in Newark federal court on Monday to a $38.9 million employment tax fraud scheme involving care centers he owned across the country.

  • November 18, 2024

    Countries Eye Certain Tax Credits To Get Leg Up Under Pillar 2

    The international minimum tax agreement known as Pillar Two is changing how countries compete for corporate investment, in part by prompting some governments to retool their tax credit systems in ways that could edge out jurisdictions with fewer resources.

  • November 18, 2024

    IRS Must Speed Up Adoption Of AI Governance, TIGTA Says

    The Internal Revenue Service has nearly 70 artificial intelligence tools in use or in development, but the agency needs speed up its development of governance procedures to make sure AI is being used safely and securely, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said Monday. 

  • November 18, 2024

    IRS Sinks Arizona's Challenge To Federal Tax On Rebates

    A federal judge dismissed Arizona's challenge to the Internal Revenue Service's position that rebates the state paid to taxpayers with dependents in 2023 were subject to federal tax, saying the state lacked standing to bring the case.

Featured Stories

  • Hype For Energy Tax Perks Could Shield Regs From Repeal

    Kat Lucero

    President-elect Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers could turn to an oversight tool called the Congressional Review Act to undermine clean energy tax credit regulations implementing key parts of Democrats' signature climate law, but the strategy may falter due to GOP support for the incentives.

  • Countries Eye Certain Tax Credits To Get Leg Up Under Pillar 2

    Natalie Olivo

    The international minimum tax agreement known as Pillar Two is changing how countries compete for corporate investment, in part by prompting some governments to retool their tax credit systems in ways that could edge out jurisdictions with fewer resources.

  • The Tax Angle: TCJA Debate, S Corp. Compliance

    Stephen K. Cooper

    From a look at congressional lawmakers ramping up their debate over the expiration of the GOP's 2017 tax overhaul law to the IRS' plans to provide more oversight for pass-through businesses and S corporations, here's a peek into a reporter's notebook on a few of the week's developing tax stories.

Expert Analysis

  • 3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less

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    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.

  • Expect Surging Oil And Gas Industry Under New Trump Admin

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    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.

  • The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule

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    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.

  • Cos. Should Inventory Issues To Prep For New Congress

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    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.

  • Conservation Easement Cases Weave Web Of Uncertainty

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    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.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    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.

  • Legislation Most Likely To Pass In Lame Duck Session

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    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.

  • What Trump's 2nd Presidency Could Mean For Crypto Sector

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    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.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    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.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

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    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.

  • Takeaways From The IRS' Crypto Doc Summons Win

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    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.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

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    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.

  • How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment

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    Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.