Author Archives: Russ

Licensing Stops All Tax Preparer Fraud…Well, No

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Russ

As I mentioned, National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson believes that if the IRS licensed all tax preparers, tax preparer fraud would evaporate. Unfortunately, that’s definitely not the case. This past week, the US Department of Justice indicted Teresa Marty, Rebecca … Continue reading →

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National Taxpayer Advocate Report: Identity Theft, OVDP, and ITINs Among the Major Issues

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Russ

Nina Olson, the National Taxpayer Advocate, issued her annual report to Congress this past week. She also included a special report on “Political Activity and the Rights of Applicants for Tax-Exempt Status.” Here are some of the other issue she … Continue reading →

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IRS Scandal Update: Washington & Austin

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Russ

The more that comes out of Washington, the more I’m beginning to think that IRS management is deliberately dragging their feet in revealing information. We still don’t know what happened, but there have been developments this week. Liberals attempted to … Continue reading →

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RIP Google Reader

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Russ

I was a Google Reader user for the last few years. It worked exceptionally well. However, effective July 1st Google is retiring Google Reader. I’d love to tell you what the reason is for that decision…but I can’t. I’ve switched … Continue reading →

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Mandatory efiling of FBARs Effective July 1st

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Russ

Effective July 1st, all FBARs–Form TD F 90-22.1, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts–must be efiled. You must use the BSA efile system to efile FBARs. This includes amended FBARs. (One exception would appear to be individuals coming into … Continue reading →

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DOMA Done, But Don’t File that Joint Return Just Yet

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Russ

The US Supreme Court ruled today that the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was unconstitutional. That makes it appear that same-sex couples should be able to file joint tax returns. There’s only one problem: The IRS computers likely would … Continue reading →

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Loving Appeal to be Heard on September 24th

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Russ

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia set oral arguments for September 24th in the IRS’s appeal of Loving v. IRS. This is the case that stopped the IRS’s scheme to regulate unenrolled tax professionals. While the … Continue reading →

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Why Saying No to wsop.com If You Win the $111,111 “Free” Seat Is a Good Idea

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Russ

Tonight, wsop.com will be giving away a “free” entry into a $111,111 buy-in tournament that begins on Wednesday. To be eligible for the free entry, you had to sign-up in person for the new online poker site wsop.com at the … Continue reading →

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FBAR Deadline Is Now

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Russ

Almost every tax form uses a postmark deadline. For example, if you mail your tax return on April 15th (using certified mail, return receipt requested, of course), and the post office sends your return to Fresno via Fargo so it … Continue reading →

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Onwards and Upwards into the 20th Century!

Posted on June 21, 2013 by Russ

Not to sound like a broken record, but if today is a vision of the future, boy, do I want the past. I have another new client and needed to order transcripts. I called the IRS Practitioner Priority Service (PPS) … Continue reading →

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