…Nothing much happened, right? (I’m ignoring that AAA/AA+ thing, of course.)
The IRS announced that Form 8939 for estates for 2010 will be due on November 15th. However, the form has yet to be released.
Joe Kristan noted that the Wesley Snipes strategy didn’t work (again), this time in nearby Bakersfield. A Mark DeVries didn’t like the results of his audit, and among his other brilliant ideas he sued the IRS Revenue Officer and Revenue Agent handling the case…for $50 million (plus punitive damages). As Joe noted,
Suing your IRS agent for “libel, slander, nuisance, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, trespass, conspiracy and imposition of a constructive trust” hasn’t worked yet. Perhaps a less confrontational approach to IRS exams would have been wise.
Peter Pappas noted that low taxes lead to economic growth. Well, I knew that but a lot of people in Washington don’t.
Phil Hodgen is running a series on PFIC’s. If you deal with them, it’s a must read.
The Franchise Tax Board has a new amnesty program (aka “Voluntary Compliance Initiative 2”). This program is for taxpayers who avoided California tax through either Offshore Financial Arrangements or Abusive Tax Avoidance Transactions. Filing period for this amnesty runs through the end of October. Taxpayers who sign up for this amnesty must file amended returns, sign a participation agreement, and pay all tax, penalties and interest by the end of October. Note that the Noneconomic Substance Transaction Understatement Penalty, the Accuracy Related Penalty, the Interest Based Penalty, and the Fraud Penalty are removed with this amnesty; however, the Large Corporate Understatement Penalty (if applicable) and the Amnesty Penalty cannot be waived.
Finally, I feel relaxed and ready for ten days of tax work to be squashed into the rest of the week. Yes, I enjoyed my vacation.