Monthly Archives: January 2010

For Sale With Mold

Posted on January 12, 2010 by Russ

Mold inside a building can be a major health issue. Unfortunately, California’s Board of Equalization is housed in such a building. The 24-story building is in a prime, downtown Sacramento location. But leaks and mold abound, and the $15 million … Continue reading →

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A Layover of 33 Months

Posted on January 11, 2010 by Russ

In July 2006 I reported on David Carruthers. Mr. Carruthers needed to fly from London to San Jose, Costa Rica. No nonstops were available, so he flew through DFW. The 2-hour layover ended up being 33 months. Mr. Carruthers happened … Continue reading →

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Traficant: Let’s Abolish the IRS

Posted on January 10, 2010 by Russ

Convicted felon and former (and possibly soon-to-be) Congressman James Traficant hit the airwaves. Mr. Traficant was on the radio in Cleveland. While he still hasn’t decided which Congressional race he’ll enter, he did call himself a “bitter man.” CQ Politics … Continue reading →

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Educated in Tax Fraud, Not Education

Posted on January 10, 2010 by Russ

Sometimes you just don’t need to embellish a story. The former Education Dean of the University of Louisville pleaded guilty last Friday to nine charges of embezzlement and tax fraud. Robert Felner embezzled $1.7 million from the University of Rhode … Continue reading →

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What’s $2 Trillion Among Friends

Posted on January 9, 2010 by Russ

From the Financial Times comes word that there are $2 Trillion worth of unfunded pensions at just the state and local level in the United States. The Financial Times article relies on a study by Orin Kramer of New Jersey’s … Continue reading →

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More on Tax Preparer Licensing

Posted on January 6, 2010 by Russ

I was at an audit this afternoon at the Laguna Niguel IRS office. The return (prepared by an unenrolled preparer) had gross errors. Frankly, any competent preparer should have caught these errors. Unfortunately, the individual who prepared the original return … Continue reading →

Posted in IRS, Tax Preparation | Tagged | 1 Comment

Licensing of Tax Preparers Is Coming

Posted on January 4, 2010 by Russ

The IRS announced this morning that it will soon require registration and exams for most tax preparers who are not regulated. The report in the Wall Street Journal notes that the changes “will take several years to implement and will … Continue reading →

Posted in IRS, Tax Preparation | Tagged | 2 Comments

Can You Lend a Hand? And a Few Billion Dollars?

Posted on January 3, 2010 by Russ

California remains in financial trouble. The state faces a $21 billion deficit. Meanwhile, the economic news doesn’t appear particularly good. First, a judge in Alameda County (Oakland) rejected some of the furloughs implemented by Governor Schwarzenegger. The ruling impacts about … Continue reading →

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1099 Time

Posted on January 3, 2010 by Russ

It’s time for businesses to send out their annual information returns. These are the Form 1099s that are sent to to vendors when required. Let’s look first at who does not have to receive 1099s: Corporations (except attorneys) Entities you … Continue reading →

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