Author Archives: Russ

The Third Time Wasn’t the Charm

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Russ

The cliche goes, if you don’t succeed at first, try, try again. Of course, where you and I would never go, the Bozo side of the tax world loves to venture. The Tax Court today got the chance to look … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax Court | 5 Comments

I’m Interviewed

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Russ

I was recently interviewed by April Brewster Smythe for a series for “Masters in Accounting.” If you’d like to learn a bit more about my background–it’s quite different from most in the accounting profession–you can read the interview. You can … Continue reading →

Posted in Taxable Talk | Comments Off on I’m Interviewed

Have I Got a Fixer-Upper for You

Posted on August 25, 2013 by Russ

If you want to rent a building in Sacramento (California’s state capital), I have one that’s perfect…for your enemies, that is. It does have some advantages: It’s a 24-story building right in the heart of downtown Sacramento. It’s owned by … Continue reading →

Posted in California | Tagged | 2 Comments

Louisiana Representative Girod Jackson Has Tax Troubles; Now an ex-Representative

Posted on August 25, 2013 by Russ

If you’re in politics, portions of your personal life come under greater scrutiny. You also can become a poster child for the IRS if you make serious errors with your taxes. Louisiana State Representative Girod Jackson is finding that out. … Continue reading →

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Attorneys Behaving Badly

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Russ

Two stories of lawyers in tax trouble. One is local (the second Las Vegas attorney in recent weeks who was found guilty of tax evasion); one committed especially bad behavior. Let’s start with the local story. Paul Wommer decided that … Continue reading →

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Probable IRS Systemic Issue with Individuals Taking the Automatic Two-Month Extension

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Russ

If you read my previous post, you will see that I mailed in an Appeal today regarding a client who took the automatic two-month extension for being outside of the country on April 15th. To date, an extremely high percentage … Continue reading →

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The Law and Regulations vs. IRS Publications

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Russ

Let’s say that the Tax Code (which is law) said, “Every tax return must be signed in red ink.” If that were the case, we’d all be using red ink to sign returns. The Tax Code is law, passed by … Continue reading →

Posted in International, IRS | 1 Comment

What If Your Tax Professional Vanishes?

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Russ

Yesterday, a new client called me. It seems that his tax professional (we’ll call her Jane Doe) vanished. She’s not answering phone calls (nor returning messages–and her voice mail is now full), nor returning mail, nor returning faxes. My client … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax Preparation | 1 Comment

IRS Scandal Update

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Russ

More news this week on the IRS scandal. First, Tax Analysts has sued the IRS. “On May 21, Tax Analysts sent a FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] request to the IRS seeking all materials used since 2009 to train IRS … Continue reading →

Posted in IRS | Tagged | 1 Comment

California Goes After Flow-Throughs with Passive Investments in California

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Russ

Let’s say you’re the manager of a business in Florida. Your business has some excess capital, so you decide to invest in the RussFox Fund, LLC. Your investment makes up a whopping 0.02% of the fund. (Put another way, you … Continue reading →

Posted in California | Tagged | 1 Comment