Federal

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • July 30, 2024

    Gold Broker Tells 6th Circ. He's Not Subject To $3M In Tax

    A self-employed gold and silver broker told the Sixth Circuit he was "not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States" while he was living in Tennessee and therefore his roughly $3 million in tax liabilities that arose from his failure to file returns for years should be reversed.

  • July 30, 2024

    Local Leaders Ask Senate To Extend New Markets Credit

    Congress should consider making the new markets tax credit permanent and extending opportunity zones as a way to help local governments, local leaders told the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday.

  • July 30, 2024

    Chubb Says It Would Be Harmed By US-Swiss Treaty

    Chubb and its shareholders would be significantly harmed by the terms of a proposed new bilateral tax treaty between the U.S. and Switzerland because it would be denied tax relief despite having been domiciled in Switzerland for over 15 years, the global insurer said in a letter released Tuesday.

  • July 30, 2024

    Husch Blackwell Hires UB Greensfelder Partner In St. Louis

    Several years after Husch Blackwell LLP's newest partner, Garrett Reuter Jr., graduated from law school, he joined Greensfelder Hemker & Gale PC to work alongside his late father. Now, he's bringing clients he grew up watching his father work with, to a new platform.

  • July 30, 2024

    IRS' Property Seizure OK In $2M Tax Suit, 11th Circ. Told

    The Eleventh Circuit should uphold an order allowing the Internal Revenue Service to seize the property of a former attorney who owes $2 million in taxes, the U.S. government said, arguing that he has delayed payment for 30 years on the liabilities.

  • July 30, 2024

    Pa. Joining IRS' Free E-File Program In 2025

    The IRS will make its Direct File free online tax filing program available to Pennsylvania taxpayers for the 2025 filing season, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Tuesday, making it the third state to join the program after a dozen states participated in a pilot version this year.

  • July 30, 2024

    Gov't Seeks $10M In Taxes From Trucking Co. Owners

    A Georgia federal court should find that trucking company owners, one of whom bribed military officials, owe about $10 million in taxes and allow the government to foreclose on liens against their property, the U.S. government said, saying the facts in the case are undisputed.

  • July 30, 2024

    IRS Issues Final Rules For Substitute Mortality Tables

    The Internal Revenue Service published final regulations Tuesday updating the requirements that a plan sponsor of a single-employer defined benefit plan must meet to obtain agency approval to use mortality tables specific to the plan in calculating present value for minimum funding purposes.

  • July 29, 2024

    Utah Biz Groups Latest To Challenge Corp. Disclosure Law

    Several small-business associations in Utah became the latest group to challenge the Corporate Transparency Act's disclosure requirements, telling a federal court Monday the statute violates several constitutional provisions, including the guarantee of due process.

  • July 29, 2024

    Senate Confirms Second Tax Court Judge In A Week

    The U.S. Senate confirmed its second U.S. Tax Court judge in a week on Monday, voting to approve the nomination of a special trial judge to fill a vacancy on the court.

  • July 29, 2024

    Immigrants Paid $96.7B In Taxes In 2022, ITEP Study Says

    Unauthorized immigrants paid $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022 but received few benefits in return, according to a new study released Monday, whose authors said granting such taxpayers work authorization would boost tax revenue and economic activity.

  • July 29, 2024

    Sites Should Pay Sport Fishing, Archery Import Tax, GAO Says

    Congress should make U.S. online marketplaces responsible for any sport fishing and archery excise taxes owed on consumer import sales they're involved with, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Monday.

  • July 29, 2024

    Most IRS Employees Filed, Paid Taxes, Watchdog Says

    Most IRS employees filed and paid their taxes, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said in an audit report released Monday that found 95% of agency and contractor employees were tax compliant.

  • July 29, 2024

    Tax Court Affirms Nix Of Biz Owner's Condo Deductions

    An engineering firm owner from Nebraska is not entitled to deduct expenses for renting and furnishing a condo because he couldn't prove it was used for business, the U.S. Tax Court ruled Monday in sustaining more than $500,000 in taxes and penalties against him for 2012 through 2014.

  • July 29, 2024

    BankUnited's $40M Tax Refund Claim Too Late, Court Told

    BankUnited is not owed a $39.8 million tax refund stemming from its acquisition of a failed bank, the government told a Florida federal court, saying the statute of limitations had expired for the company to receive refunds for 2009, 2010 and 2011.

  • July 29, 2024

    Hunter Biden Attys Say They Didn't Mislead Judge In Tax Case

    Hunter Biden's attorneys told a Los Angeles federal judge that while several statements in their motion to dismiss tax charges against the president's son were worded "perhaps inartfully," they never intended to mislead the court in a way that would merit sanctions.

  • July 29, 2024

    Clean Energy Tax Credit Sales Could Hit $25B, Report Says

    Total sales of clean energy tax credits could reach as high as $20 billion to $25 billion this year, signaling a flourishing marketplace for credit sales authorized by the 2022 climate law, according to a midyear report released Monday by a climate tech startup firm.

Expert Analysis

  • Weisselberg's Perjury At Trial Spotlights Atty Ethics Issues

    Author Photo

    Former Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg’s recent guilty plea for perjury in the New York attorney general's civil fraud trial should serve as a reminder to attorneys of their ethical duties when they know a client has lied or plans to lie in court, and the potential penalties for not fulfilling those obligations, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.

  • Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease

    Author Photo

    This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.

  • Why Supreme Court Should Allow Repatriation Tax To Stand

    If the U.S. Supreme Court doesn't reject the taxpayers' misguided claims in Moore v. U.S. that the mandatory repatriation tax is unconstitutional, it could wreak havoc on our system of taxation and result in a catastrophic loss of revenue for the government, say Christina Mason and Theresa Balducci at Herrick Feinstein.

  • For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill

    Author Photo

    A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • Trump's NY Civil Fraud Trial Spotlights Long-Criticized Law

    Author Photo

    A New York court’s recent decision holding former President Donald Trump liable for fraud brought old criticisms of the state law used against him back into the limelight — including its strikingly broad scope and its major departures from the traditional elements of common law fraud, say Mark Kelley and Lois Ahn at MoloLamken.

  • Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea

    Author Photo

    A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.

  • 4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best

    Author Photo

    As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.

  • How IRA Unlocks Green Energy Investments For Tribes

    Author Photo

    An Inflation Reduction Act provision going into effect May 10 represents a critical juncture for Native American tribes, offering promising economic opportunity in green energy investment, but requiring a proactive and informed approach when taking advantage of newly available tax incentives, say attorneys at Lewis Brisbois.

  • Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs

    Author Photo

    Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.

  • What To Know About IRS' New Jet Use Audit Campaign

    Author Photo

    The Internal Revenue Service recently announced plans to open several dozen audits scrutinizing executive use of company jets, so companies should be prepared to show the business reasons for travel, and how items like imputed income and deduction disallowance were calculated, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent

    Author Photo

    Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.

  • Judicial Independence Is Imperative This Election Year

    Author Photo

    As the next election nears, the judges involved in the upcoming trials against former President Donald Trump increasingly face political pressures and threats of violence — revealing the urgent need to safeguard judicial independence and uphold the rule of law, says Benes Aldana at the National Judicial College.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

    Author Photo

    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Tax Authority Federal archive.