Author Archives: Russ

Deadlines for Us, but Not for Them

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Russ

I was on the phone today with the IRS about a client. Back in October he received an IRS notice regarding his 2012 return. We believed the IRS notice was incorrect. With this particular notice the only option was to … Continue reading →

Posted in IRS | 3 Comments

“Just Pay the Five Dollars….”

Posted on March 2, 2014 by Russ

That’s one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies, North by Northwest. In that classic movie, Cary Grant’s character gets drunk and, well, I’ll be giving away some of the movie if I went on. In any … Continue reading →

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Former Chairman of Woodland Park, NJ Democratic Committee Bribes His Way to ClubFed

Posted on March 2, 2014 by Russ

The IRS has its problems, but accepting bribes isn’t one of them. The former chairman of the Woodland Park, New Jersey Democratic Committee found that out the hard way. Michael Kazmark didn’t pay his 1997-2005 federal taxes; he owed just … Continue reading →

Posted in New Jersey, Tax Fraud | 1 Comment

He Cracked the Code (but Won’t be Happy with the Result)

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Russ

Back in 2007, Peter Hendrickson wrote a book titled Cracking the Code: The Fascinating Truth About Taxation in America. I haven’t read it, nor would I advise you to. Today, Judge Buch of the Tax Court demolished each and every … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax Court | Tagged , | 2 Comments

No Margin for Error

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Russ

Nevada is known for low taxes. It’s also known for subpar schools and relatively low teacher salaries. The Nevada State Education Association (aka the teachers union) decided that a solution to the problem of subpar schools was a tax on … Continue reading →

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California State Senator Ron Calderon Indicted on Bribery & Tax Charges

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Russ

This hasn’t been a good year for Democratic state senators in California. Back in January State Senator Roderick White of Inglewood was convicted of five counts of voter fraud, two counts of perjury, and one count of filing a false … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Tax Fraud | Tagged | 1 Comment

Taxes and Daily Fantasy Sports: The Duck Test

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Russ

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it just may be a duck. So said someone (this quote has been attributed to Walter Reuther among others), and it’s one of those … Continue reading →

Posted in Gambling | Tagged | 4 Comments

What Are the Tax Impacts of the FullTiltPoker Remission Payments?

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Russ

In less than one week, many poker players will finally receive their balances that they had at FullTiltPoker when that online poker site was shut down as a result of “Black Friday.” According to the Garden City Group (the claims … Continue reading →

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The Fun With the Two-Month Automatic Extension Continues

Posted on February 20, 2014 by Russ

I’ve been having issues with clients who take the automatic two-month extension. As I learned years ago, a taxpayer outside of the United States on April 15th gets two extra months to file his return. This is noted in Treasury … Continue reading →

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Tax on the Run Owners Run to ClubFed

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Russ

Here’s a scheme for you: The government has set up this new tax credit worth thousands of dollars. What if we find some impoverished individuals, have them fill out tax returns claiming this credit, and we pocket all that cash? … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax Fraud | 1 Comment