Federal
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March 21, 2024
Tax Court OKs Collection After Man Fails To Provide Records
A Georgia man cannot challenge a tax collection action after failing to provide financial records proving he cannot pay a liability, the U.S. Tax Court ruled Thursday.
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March 21, 2024
GOP Sens. Push Yellen To Commit To TCJA Extension
Senate Finance Committee Republicans on Thursday pushed Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to commit to extending provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, including the law's child tax credit expansion and the corporate and individual tax cuts.
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March 21, 2024
Man Faces Penalty After Debating Job Status, Tax Court Says
A Georgia man is responsible for a frivolous filing tax penalty after questioning his employment status, the U.S. Tax Court affirmed Thursday.
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March 21, 2024
UN Could Enhance Global Tax Agenda Setting, Officials Say
The United Nations could play an important role in shaping the agenda for global tax negotiations so it better reflects the priorities and concerns of developing countries, a variety of tax officials said Thursday during a conference.
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March 21, 2024
7th Circ. Won't Let Admitted Fraudster Ditch $1.3M Restitution
A woman who admitted to wire fraud in connection with a three-person scheme to file hundreds of false tax returns owes $1.3 million in restitution to the government, the Seventh Circuit ruled Thursday, rejecting the woman's claim that the amount was miscalculated.
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March 21, 2024
IRS Proposes Exceptions For 3rd-Party Summons Notices
The IRS proposed rules Thursday that would allow some exceptions to a requirement that the agency notify taxpayers within 45 days before issuing summonses to third parties in tax assessment and collection cases, including for certain time-sensitive examinations.
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March 21, 2024
Wyden Probes Swiss Bank's Ties To Billionaire Under Scrutiny
The Senate Finance Committee's Democratic majority launched an inquiry into Swiss bank Pictet Group's involvement with a U.S. billionaire under criminal investigation, raising questions about the bank's deferred prosecution agreement and $123 million fine by the U.S. Justice Department, committee Chairman Ron Wyden announced Thursday.
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March 21, 2024
Quintairos Prieto Taps Atlanta Atty To Lead New Tax Group
Quintairos Prieto Wood & Boyer PA said it had created a tax division that will be led by an Atlanta-based partner who has guided clients on civil and criminal tax law, reinforcing its national expertise in litigation, regulatory and corporate law matters.
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March 21, 2024
H&R Block Challenges FTC Judges In False Ad Battle
H&R Block asked a Missouri federal court to stop administrative law judges from overseeing a Federal Trade Commission proceeding that accuses the tax preparation company of deceptive advertising, claiming the judges have job protections that unconstitutionally shield them from presidential oversight.
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March 21, 2024
Senate Bill Seeks To End Tax-Free Merger Treatment
A bill introduced Thursday in the U.S. Senate would end manipulation of the Internal Revenue Code that allows certain corporate mergers to be tax-free.
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March 21, 2024
IRS Tweaks Proposed Partnership Treatment Rules
The Internal Revenue Service issued a correction notice Thursday fixing a reference in proposed regulations about the treatment of related people within partnerships.
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March 21, 2024
IRS Issues Fixes In Safe Harbor Regulations
The Internal Revenue Service issued two correction notices Thursday to amend final regulations focused on certain safe harbor exceptions.
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March 20, 2024
Endo Plan To Trim $5B In Debt Confirmed By NY Judge
Drugmaker Endo International got a New York bankruptcy judge's approval for its Chapter 11 plan that aims to cut more than $5 billion in debt and hand over ownership to its lenders, roughly a month after it finalized a $465 million deal to resolve criminal and civil opioid claims.
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March 20, 2024
Wyden Bill Would Target Abuse Of Annuity Trusts
A bill introduced Wednesday by the Senate Finance Committee chairman, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., would attempt to limit the abuse of a type of annuity trusts by the wealthy, in part by imposing a requirement that the instruments have a minimum term of at least 15 years.
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March 20, 2024
IRS Releases Foreign Housing Expense Limits For 2024
The Internal Revenue Service released adjustments to the limitation on foreign housing expense deductions and exclusions for 2024 on Wednesday.
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March 20, 2024
IRS Asks Justices To Scrap Couple's Late-Filed Tax Court Suit
The IRS asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider reversing the Third Circuit's revival of a couple's challenge to their tax bill, saying the appeals court incorrectly concluded that a 90-day deadline for petitioning the U.S. Tax Court need not always be met.
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March 20, 2024
RI Ex-Broker Gets 8 Years In Ponzi Scheme
A Rhode Island man was sentenced to eight years in prison for running a decade-long Ponzi scheme to defraud investors and to evade his taxes.
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March 20, 2024
How The Supreme Court Could Narrow Chevron
After hours of oral argument in a closely watched administrative law case, it appeared that some U.S. Supreme Court justices could be open to limiting the opportunities for lower courts to defer to federal agencies' legal interpretations in disputes over rulemaking — and legal experts said there are a number of ways they could do it.
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March 20, 2024
IRS Withholding Docs On Partnership Audits, Baker Atty Says
The Internal Revenue Service has not responded to a request for documents pertaining to the agency's scrutiny of large partnerships and should be forced to disclose them, an attorney with Baker McKenzie told a D.C. federal court.
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March 20, 2024
IRS Grants Income Exclusion To Those Fleeing 6 Countries
Individuals who fled conditions in Ukraine, Belarus, Sudan, Haiti, Niger and Iraq after specific dates in 2023 can exclude foreign earned income, and can exclude or deduct housing costs, from gross income that year because of adverse conditions in the countries, the IRS said.
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March 20, 2024
Law360 Announces The Members Of Its 2024 Editorial Boards
Law360 is pleased to announce the formation of its 2024 Editorial Advisory Boards.
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March 20, 2024
King & Spalding Adds Ex-PwC Tax Pro As Partner In NY
An experienced tax attorney has joined King & Spalding LLP in New York after working at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP for six years.
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March 19, 2024
US Climate Law's Clean Energy Credit Requests Reach 45K
About 500 entities have requested registration numbers for more than 45,500 projects that aim to use the Inflation Reduction Act's clean energy tax credits, the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Department of the Treasury said Tuesday.
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March 19, 2024
ABA Tax Section Seeks Revised Donor-Advised Fund Rules
The U.S. Treasury Department should revise excise tax rules for certain distributions from donor-advised funds in a manner that is consistent with regulations governing similar funds and that doesn't duplicate existing tax penalties, the American Bar Association Tax Section said.
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March 19, 2024
Staffing Co. Owner Gets 4 Years For Hiring Untaxed Labor
The owner of a staffing company in Key West, Florida, that hired untaxed and unauthorized workers was sentenced by a Florida federal judge to four years in prison and ordered to pay $3.5 million in restitution to the U.S. government, according to court documents.
Expert Analysis
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Cannabis Cos. Must Heed Growing Federal Investigatory Risks
As state-regulated cannabis markets expand rapidly, so too does government oversight, and industry participants must plan ahead to avoid potential liabilities related to workplace health and safety requirements, tax audits, securities regulations and foreign bribery laws, say Alicia Corona and Amy Rubenstein at Dentons.
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5 Ways Taxpayers Can Spot Employee Retention Credit Scams
On Monday, the Internal Revenue Service added the employee retention credit to its list of prevalent tax scams because of ERC promoters seeking to take advantage of employers, but taxpayers who may qualify for the credit can protect themselves by recognizing certain red flags, say attorneys at Potomac Law and Stout Risius.
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Could The Supreme Court Legalize Marijuana Federally?
Amid slow legislative and executive movement on cannabis reform, it’s worth examining whether the U.S. Supreme Court could provide a pathway to federal cannabis legalization — a decision that would surely require strange bedfellows given the court’s current ideological makeup, say Whitt Steineker and Mason Kruse at Bradley Arant.
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Tax Pitfalls To Avoid In Employment Litigation Settlements
Downsizing companies should keep certain questions in mind when settling claims with departing employees to ensure they understand associated tax withholding and reporting obligations, and avoid costly interest and penalties down the road, says Matthew Meltzer at Flaster Greenberg.
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Key Considerations For Taxpayers Deducting Crypto Losses
While a recent Internal Revenue Service memorandum is helpful in providing insight into how the agency is considering guidance related to cryptocurrency, questions remain with respect to whether a taxpayer can claim a tax deduction for cryptocurrency losses, say attorneys at McDermott.
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Justices' MoneyGram Opinion Could Spur State Legislation
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision that federal law governs the escheatment of over $250 million in unclaimed MoneyGram checks provides clarity for some issuers, but aspects of related common law remain uncertain and states may take the opportunity to pass multistate escheatment legislation, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
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Justices Leave Questions Open On Dual-Purpose Atty Advice
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent dismissal of In re: Grand Jury on grounds that certiorari was improvidently granted leaves unresolved a circuit split over the proper test for deciding when attorney-client privilege protects a lawyer's advice that has multiple purposes, say Susan Combs and Richard Kiely at Holland & Hart.
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Employee Retention Tax Credit: Gray Areas And Red Flags
The subjective nature of the pandemic-prompted employee retention credit, coupled with a lack of Internal Revenue Service guidance, have created fertile ground for opportunists, so businesses seeking this tax benefit should be mindful of tax advisers who would involve them in fraudulent ERC claims, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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High Court Ax Of Atty-Client Privilege Case Deepens Split
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent dismissal of In re: Grand Jury as improvidently granted maintains a three-way circuit split on the application of attorney-client privilege to multipurpose communications, although the justices have at least shown a desire to address it, say Trey Bourn and Thomas DiStanislao at Butler Snow.
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Clean Energy Tax Credits' Wage, Apprentice Rules: Key Points
The Inflation Reduction Act's complicated prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements for clean energy facility construction tax credits recently took effect — and the learning curve will be more difficult for taxpayers who are not already familiar with such programs, say attorneys at Shearman.
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Crypto Coverage After FTX Fall: Crime And Custody Coverage
Cryptocurrency firm FTX's recent implosion provides a case study for potential crypto exposure under traditional insurance policies, and suggests carriers should ask some basic underwriting questions, including whether a company engages in transactions involving cryptocurrencies or holds digital assets in custody, says Anjali Das at Wilson Elser.
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US-India Advance Pricing Resolutions Should Reassure Cos.
The United States' and India's tax authorities' recent resolution of a significant number of pending advance pricing agreements should reduce taxpayer uncertainty, reassure companies of the nations' good working relationship and improve India's investment environment, say Miller Williams and Caroline Setliffe at Eversheds Sutherland.
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Reimagining Benefits For A World Without Noncompetes
Though the Federal Trade Commission's recently proposed noncompete ban is still in its infancy, companies should begin considering whether they would need to retool their payment and benefits packages to comply, while still protecting their competitive edge, say Melissa Ostrower and Alec Nealon at Jackson Lewis.