Archive for the ‘Tax Problems’ Category
Monday, June 22nd, 2009
The U.S. Treasury Department announced on June 19 (see Treasury Press Releases) that Switzerland will agree to more exchange of financial information for tax enforcement purposes. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the new accord “will increase our ability to enforce our tax laws and will help bring an end to an era of offshore accounts and investments being used for tax evasion.”
Officials said the protocol would revise the existing US-Switzerland income tax treaty to allow for the exchange of information for income tax purposes “to the full extent permitted by Article 26 of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Model Income Tax Convention.”
Article 26 of the OECD Model Income Tax Convention is the “exchange of information” clause that most countries use as their “exchange of information” paragraph in International Tax Treaties. The change in the US–Swiss Tax Treaty means that the Switzerland definition of “tax fraud” will not control the information that may be given to the US authorities under the US - Swiss Tax Treaty. In the past, Switzerland would not give information to the US under a tax treaty request unless the information led to “tax fraud” as defined by the Swiss law. “Tax fraud” under Swiss law is very narrow and does not meet the US standard of “tax evasion” that most US tax treaty requests encompass.
Article 26 of the OECD Model Income Tax Convention states:
“The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall exchange such information as is foreseeably relevant for carrying out the provisions of this Convention or to the administration or enforcement of the domestic laws concerning taxes of every kind and description imposed on behalf of the Contracting States, or of their political subdivisions or local authorities, insofar as the taxation thereunder is not contrary to the Convention.”
Now, the question will become, after the US - Swiss change, what if “foreseeably relevant” in the Switzerland’s opinion. This may be a whole new area for litigation in Switzerland and the US for the collection of financial information from Switzerland.
Hey, no tax opinon here.
Bill Lowrance
Tags: foreign bank accounts, income tax, IRS, Offshore Accounts, secret bank accounts, Swiss Accounts, Switzerland, tax crimes, tax evasion
Posted in IRS, Offshore Accounts, Tax Crime, Tax Problems, income tax, tax news | No Comments »
Thursday, May 21st, 2009
The IRS is planning more employment tax audits and examinations over the next three years. A national research project is underway right now and the IRS has announced that it will conduct detailed employment tax examinations of certain taxpayers. The selection process for taxpayers has begun and the program will last for three years.
The IRS estimates there will be over 3000 examinations and audits. Although the IRS may look at any line on an employment tax return during the examination, it will primarily focus on the following issues: (1) worker classification (employee vs. independent contractor), (2) fringe benefits, (3) officer’s compensation, and (4) reimbursed expenses.
Often the IRS will receive Form SS 8 from a worker who wants a determination of whether he/she is an independent contractor or employee. The IRS will collect information from the worker and from the company involved. The IRS will either conduct a compliance check, make a determination based on the information collected or conduct a detailed employment tax examinations. If the IRS determines the worker is and was an employee, there are serious tax implications for the employer. It could be costly for the employer in terms of back taxes.
There are several ways to challenge the IRS’ decision about whether the worker is an independent contractor or an employee. It is best to consult a tax professional if you have been contacted about an employment tax matter.
Bill Lowrance
Lowrance Law LLC
McLean, VA
703 506 1600
Tags: collect tax, Employee, employment tax, Independent Contractor, tax collection, Tax Problems
Posted in Attorney, Collections, Controversy, Employee, Independent Contractor, Tax Attorney, Tax Problems, employment tax | No Comments »
Thursday, May 7th, 2009
Here are a couple of the FAQs the IRS published yesterday on its web site regarding offshore accounts:
1. Why did the IRS issue internal guidance regarding offshore activities now?
The IRS has had a voluntary disclosure practice in its Criminal Manual for many years. Once IRS Criminal Investigation has determined preliminary acceptance into the voluntary disclosure program, the case is referred to the civil side of IRS for examination and resolution of taxes and penalties. Recent IRS enforcement efforts in the offshore area have led to an increased number of voluntary disclosures. Additional taxpayers are considering making voluntary disclosures but are reportedly reluctant to come forward because of uncertainty about the amount of their liability for potentially onerous civil penalties. In order to resolve these cases in an organized, coordinated manner and to make exposure to civil penalties more predictable, the IRS has decided to centralize the civil processing of offshore voluntary disclosures and to offer a uniform penalty structure for taxpayers who voluntarily come forward. These steps were taken to ensure thattaxpayers are treated consistently and predictably.
3. Why should I make a voluntary disclosure?
Taxpayers with undisclosed foreign accounts or entities should make a voluntary disclosure because it enables them to become compliant, avoid substantial civil penalties and generally eliminate the risk of criminal prosecution. Making a voluntary disclosure also provides the opportunity to calculate, with a reasonable degree of certainty, the total cost of resolving all offshore tax issues. Taxpayers who do not submit a voluntary disclosure run the risk of detection by the IRS and the imposition of substantial penalties, including the fraud penalty and foreign information return penalties, and an increased risk of criminal prosecution.
Remember the IRS deadline for this voluntary disclosure deal is September 23, 2009.
Tags: cirme, foreign bank accounts, income tax, IRS, Offshore, Offshore Accounts, secret bank accounts, Swiss Accounts, Tax Attorney, Tax Crime, tax havens, Tax Problems
Posted in Attorney, Controversy, IRS, IRS Audits, Offshore Accounts, Tax Attorney, Tax Crime, Tax Litigation, Tax Problems, income tax, tax news | No Comments »
Thursday, May 7th, 2009
Yesterday, May 6, 2009, the IRS posted on its website FAQs on more details of the settlement offer for unreported offshore income. The FAQs discuss the recently announced program for voluntary disclosure to the IRS of offshore bank accounts. The official Voluntary Disclosure can be found Click Here.
Those meeting the terms of the disclosure program will have to pay back-taxes and interest for six years, and pay either an accuracy or delinquency penalty on all six years. They will also pay a penalty of 20% of the amount in the foreign bank accounts in the year with the highest aggregate account or asset value, but will avoid criminal prosecution. The FAQs provide examples of what it would cost to take the settlement offer, spell out the potential civil and criminal penalties for those that don’t take the offer, and address the consequences of attempted “quiet disclosure” (i.e., filing amended returns). See FAQs Click Here.
If you have an unreported offshore bank account, it is important to consider the Voluntary Disclosure program. Coming forward and disclosing your information may save you a lot of money in penalties and, more importantly, may avoid criminal prosecution. In my practice, we offer legal expertise in this area along with accounting expertise. A former IRS International Revenue Agent works exclusively for me on my client’s cases. We analyze your entire situation including foreign transactions, amended returns, reporting requirements and meeting and negotiating with the IRS.
As always, my practice is client focused.
Bill Lowrance
Lowrance Law LLC
703 506 1600
No Legal Opinion Here
Tags: cirme, foreign bank accounts, Offshore, Offshore Accounts, secret bank accounts, Swiss Accounts, Switzerland, Tax Authorities, tax crimes, tax evasion, tax havens
Posted in Attorney, Controversy, IRS, IRS Audits, Offshore Accounts, Tax Attorney, Tax Crime, Tax Litigation, Tax Problems | No Comments »
Friday, March 13th, 2009
Switzerland, Austria and Luxembourg agreed to share secret banking information in cases of tax evasion on Friday. Basically, these havens are agreeing to the OECD standards on financial information sharing. Of course, this is not an open season on the bank and financial information. These countries will consider various requests from other countries for banking information on a case by case basis.
The IRS has information sharing agreements with many tax havens, or as they like to call themselves–offshore financial centers. None of the countries, however, automatically turn over bank or financial upon a request from the IRS. There is a lot more to the process and procedure. Using various laws and procedures, the person or business subject of the request can delay or stop the requests. When I was a trial attorney for the Office of Chief Counsel, IRS, International Division I was involved in many local countries court proceeding challenging the IRS request. Some challenges are successful.
Anyway, read the NY Times story on the recent Swiss agreement:
The Swiss government bowed to pressure on Friday and agreed to conform to international standards on exchanging information in suspected cases of tax evasion, but it maintained that its principle of banking secrecy was in tact.
Two other countries, Austria and Luxembourg, announced steps to fend off a global crackdown on tax evasion by offering concessions before a meeting of leaders from the Group of 20 nations in London at the start of next month.
Read the whole story Click Here NYT
In another story, the Cayman Islands “Leader of Government Business,” Kirk Tibbets, announced that he and others from the Caymans met with US Congress to brief new members about the Cayman’s laws, positions and cooperation in sharing information under various agreements:
Part of the press release said: “[Purpose] to brief new members of key House and Senate committees about the quality of Cayman’s regulatory and international cooperation regimes, with specific reference to our longstanding and effective arrangements with the United States, and to glean any available intelligence on the US position in relation to the April G20 Summit.
My colleagues and I covered, between us, 30 meetings over two days. The people we met were receptive to what we had to say and appeared to have no particular ‘anti-Cayman’ - or even ‘anti- offshore’ - agenda. That is not to say that there are not those members of Congress who do, but they do not appear to reflect the majority sentiment. What came through most forcefully was that the policy environment in Washington is very fluid at the moment, and most of people’s energies and attentions are, understandably, taken up with the US economy, budget and financial system.”
Read the whole press release: Click Here
Bill Lowrance
No legal opinion here
Tags: foreign bank accounts, Office of Chief Counsel IRS, Offshore, Offshore Accounts, secret bank accounts, Swiss Accounts, Switzerland, tax havens, tax information exchange agreements, tax treaties
Posted in Attorney, IRS, Offshore Accounts, Tax Crime, Tax Problems | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009
If someone works for you, are they an employee or independent contractor? For an employee, you must withhold the usual taxes–social security, federal and state withholding, medicare and unemployment. The employee pays part of the withholding and you pay additional amounts. For an independent contractor, you pay a flat amount. No taxes, social security or other amounts are withheld. A small business paying employees pays a salary and also additional social security, medicare and unemployment taxes. It costs the small business more money to have employees working than to have independent contractors working.
So, as a business owner you decide to classify all your workers as independent contractors so that you do not have to withhold taxes, social security, medicare and unemployment taxes. Smart thinking, right? Well, maybe not so smart. The IRS has started an agency wide employment tax program that addresses worker classification and other employment tax issues, meaning you can look for more IRS enforcement in the future relating to worker classification.
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), TIGTA, recently reported that misclassification of employees as independent contractors affects millions of workers and contributes to ever increasing the tax gap. When an employee is misclassified, tax revenues are not reported or paid and the burden of uncollected taxes shifts to other taxpayers. Read Full Report Here
The IRS’ most recent estimate of the tax gap is approximately $345 billion. The employment tax portion of this figure due to under reporting is estimated to be about $54 billion with an estimated $1.6 billion being attributable to worker misclassification. However, the $1.6 billion estimate is based on Tax Year 1984 data. The IRS conducted a preliminary analysis of Fiscal Year 2006 operational and program data and found that under reporting attributable to misclassified workers is likely to be markedly higher than the $1.6 billion.
All this means is that the IRS sees significant losses in tax collection and will be instituting worker classification programs in the near future.
In my next post, I will tell you how the IRS decides if your worker is an employee or an independent contractor.
Bill Lowrance
McLean, VA
This post is not legal advice nor is it tax advice.
Tags: Employees, employment tax, Independent contractors, IRS, small businenss, Tax
Posted in Controversy, Employee, IRS, IRS Audits, Independent Contractor, Tax Problems, income tax | No Comments »
Sunday, January 11th, 2009
According to the NYT, the Swiss Bank UBS, the world’s largest wealth manager, is going to return about $18 billion dollars to more than 19,000 account holders most of whom are US citizens. The US citizens holding the accounts, according to the IRS and Justice Department, have evaded at least $300 million a year in taxes, and that does not count penalties and interest.
In its article, “What to Do if UBS is Outing Your Secret Account,” NYT lists possible strategies to take in dealing with the IRS – see also NYT artcle about UBS’ plan to disclose accounts. If you have held such an account, your best choice to try and avoid criminal prosecution is to voluntarily disclosure your situation to the IRS. You may not be prosecuted, the choice is up to the Justice Department and the IRS, but you will have to report all your accounts and income and pay taxes, penalties and interest. Of course, paying money is better than sitting in a prison cell.
When I worked as an attorney in the Office of Chief Counsel, IRS, I specialized in criminal and civil tax matters involving offshore tax havens and hidden money. We had to decide how to investigate cases, get the money back and determine civil or criminal steps to take. We often collected millions of dollars in unpaid taxes, penalties and interest.
If you have the offshore account that has not been reported, do not wait for the IRS to knock on your door.
Bill Lowrance
Tags: cirme, Department of Justice, foreign bank accounts, fraud, income tax, Office of Chief Counsel IRS, Offshore Accounts, secret bank accounts, Swiss Accounts, tax crimes, tax havens
Posted in Attorney, IRS, IRS Audits, Offshore Accounts, Tax Attorney, Tax Crime, Tax Problems, Uncategorized, income tax | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) is the only government entity that conducts internal audits the IRS. Well, now you can read the most recent interesting report that covers their audit April 1, 2008 through September 30, 2008. The report is TIGTA’s semiannual report to Congress.
There are some “blockbuster” (technical tax term) statements and recommendations in the report.
TIGTA says that IRS must focus on closing the Tax Gap noting that IRS does not consistantly assess penalties or penalize taxpayers for making false statements when filing returns. TIGTA recommends that IRS expand its enforcement efforts. As I have predicted before, along with other tax experts, in the future IRS will be increasing enforcement efforts. In fact, Chief Counsel, IRS, is looking for more attorneys, see Click Here
TIGTA said: “Now, more than ever, the IRS must focus efforts to close the Tax Gap – the difference between the amount of tax that taxpayers should pay and the amount that is paid voluntarily and on time. In audits conducted over this reporting period, TIGTA found that the IRS has neglected to consistently assess penalties on non-compliant businesses and individuals. Additionally, TIGTA noted that the IRS generally does not penalize taxpayers for making false statements when filing official tax forms. The IRS must aggressively address the lack of taxpayer compliance and hold those in violation accountable for their actions.”
Read the whole report: Click Here
Bill Lowrance
Tax Attorney
Tags: cirme, collect tax, failure to pay, income tax, Office of Chief Counsel IRS, Tax, tax collection, tax crimes, tax evasion
Posted in Attorney, Collections, Controversy, IRS, IRS Audits, Tax Attorney, Tax Crime, Tax Liens, Tax Litigation, Tax Problems, Tax Research, Uncategorized, income tax | No Comments »
Monday, January 5th, 2009
Accounting Web posted a great article about famous tax cheats for 2008—sort of a looking back for tax cheaters.
The list: Wesley Snipes, Joe Francis (Girls Gone Wild), Nicholas Cage, Helio Castroneves and Paul Hogan (Crocodile) among others.
Read the whole story Click Here
Interesting story.
Bill Lowrance
Tags: cirme, failure to pay, income tax, IRS, Tax Crime, tax evasion
Posted in Attorney, Controversy, IRS, IRS Audits, Offshore Accounts, Tax Attorney, Tax Crime, Tax Problems, income tax | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 17th, 2008
The annual “More Tax Than You Want To Know” is now available via the IRS website. Publication 17 explains everything you need to know about your taxes, returns and filing. See Publication 17
From IRS News:
“The IRS has placed its comprehensive tax guide for individuals on IRS.gov, updating it for tax year 2008. The updated on-line version of IRS Publication 17, “Your Federal Income Tax,” contains more than 900 interactive links.
Publication 17 has been updated with important changes for 2008, including information on the new recovery rebate credit, new first-time-homebuyer credit, and an additional standard deduction for real estate taxes. It has been published annually by the IRS for more than 65 years and has been available on the IRS Web site since 1996.
As in prior years, the publication provides information on how to file an individual tax return, what to include as income, how to calculate capital gains and losses, how IRAs and other expenses can affect how much income to report, whether to take the standard deduction or itemize, and how to figure taxes and credits.”
Printed copies of Publicaiton 17 will be available in January 2009.
All the good year to you.
Bill Lowrance
Lowrance Law LLC
Tags: IRS, Publication 17, Tax
Posted in Attorney, IRS, Tax Attorney, Tax Crime, Tax Liens, Tax Litigation, Tax Problems, Tax Research | No Comments »
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