Author Archives: Russ

Shock! Government Agencies in California Forced to Lay Off Employees

The Los Angeles Times has a story today on how government agencies in California have been forced to lay off workers. The Times calls the cuts “ravaging.” I’d call them necessary and the tip of the iceberg. There’s a basic … Continue reading

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It Was Only $12 Million and You Seized it Five Years Ago, So Now You’re Filing Charges?

One of my first ever blog posts (back in 2005) was short and succinct: “Cops Moonlighting as Strip Club Bouncers Charged with Tax Fraud.” Back in April, 2005, Michael Wellek, the owner of an Elk Grove Village (Illinois) strip club … Continue reading

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Uh Oh: Instead of My Tax Refund All I Got Was This Piece of Paper…

California is short of money, so according to Spidell, all California tax refunds have been suspended. The suspension is due to “cash flow difficulties.” California does have a budget so, in theory, refunds should resume soon. Of course, that depends … Continue reading

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You Can Possibly Help Eliminate the Draconian FBAR Penalties

Phil Hodgen, a tax attorney in Pasadena, has been approached by a reporter who is working on a story dealing with the draconian nature of FBAR penalties. From Phil’s post: A certain large American publication is working on a story … Continue reading

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Brother, Can You Spare $30 Billion?

The analysis is out and California has another Bad Budget™. Let’s see what’s in this “Let’s Defer to Tomorrow What We Don’t Want to Address Today” piece of cheese: The budget assumes $5.4 billion in federal funds.  That seems fine … Continue reading

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Congressman’s Wife to Plead Guilty to Tax Charges

For those who don’t watch television, listen to the radio, or get mail, yes, there’s an election in less than a month. And for one Congressman in Massachusetts, there’s some bad news. Congressman John Tierney represents Salem and surrounding areas … Continue reading

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I Think I’ve Seen This Before

You go on a reality television show, and you manage to win a prize. Along with your check the producers hand you a Form 1099-MISC. Do you: (a) Report the winnings on your taxes, as the IRS will have those … Continue reading

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“Threatens to Bankrupt [California]”

That line was used by the Orange County Register to describe the California Center for Public Policy’s report on Pensions and Employee Compensation. That’s scary. Here’s a quote from the Register: The report says that the state’s tax-paid pensions have … Continue reading

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That Was the Week That Was

A very interesting week has past, featuring PTIN madness, a new California budget that is yet another bad budget, and what not to do if you’re unhappy with your tax refund. First, Joe Kristan linked to the Bad Lawyer Blog. … Continue reading

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Bills Vetoed and Signed

Lots of bills signed and vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger. Most of these do not have tax implications though a few do. Here goes: SB 1244 was signed into law. This fixes a major conformity issue between federal and California law … Continue reading

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