Author Archives: Russ

At Least I’m Not Classified as “Dead”

Posted on July 16, 2021 by Russ

I’ve been talking over the past months about the issues faced by taxpayers in dealing with the IRS.  Suffice to say, when you have a 3% chance of reaching a human things aren’t going well.  But we should always look … Continue reading →

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IRS Wakes Up, Still Smells Like Crown Imperials

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Russ

Normally when we talk about smelling flowers we’ll use a line like, “Waking up and smelling like roses.”  But that is decidedly not the case with this story, so we chose a different plant: Crown Imperial (Fritillaria imperialis).  You’ll see … Continue reading →

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Is the IRS Telling Tax Professionals the Truth?

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Russ

Yesterday, a fellow tax professional posted on Twitter: Ogden currently has 70 tractor trailers of unopened mail. – per IRS agent trying to explain why a POA from 2019 still hasn’t cleared yet. Yet if you read the IRS Operations … Continue reading →

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The Trump Organization Indictments

Posted on July 5, 2021 by Russ

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know that The Trump Organization and its Chief Financial Officer, Allen Weisselberg, were indicted on 15 counts including grand larceny, conspiracy, and tax fraud.  The former President is (and has been) a … Continue reading →

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35,300,000

Posted on June 30, 2021 by Russ

This morning, The National Taxpayer Advocate issued her semi-annual report to Congress.  In the report is the true state of tax returns at the IRS.  Fair warning, it’s not a pretty picture. As of the close of the filing season … Continue reading →

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Here We Go Again: Bias in the IRS’s Tax Exempt Group

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Russ

Most of us remember the IRS scandal from 2013.  In that scandal we learned that the IRS and/or individuals working at the IRS deliberately targeted conservative tax exempt (nonprofit) organizations.  It was a huge scandal at the time, and it … Continue reading →

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§1031 Exchanges for Cryptocurrency: The IRS Thinks Not

Posted on June 19, 2021 by Russ

Back in September 2017 I wrote a piece titled, “Can You Use a §1031 Exchange to Defer Gain with Cryptocurrency?”  The conclusion I drew was, “[M]ost exchanges of one cryptocurrency for another do not qualify as §1031 exchanges and it’s … Continue reading →

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“I Haven’t Received My IRS Refund. Can You Help Me?”

Posted on June 18, 2021 by Russ

This past week I fielded a number of phone calls asking this question.  Unfortunately, the answer is no.  Neither I nor any other tax professional can speed up your IRS refund. First, the good news: about 90% of IRS refunds … Continue reading →

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The 2021 Tax Season (Part 1)

Posted on June 14, 2021 by Russ

I’ve had good Tax Seasons and bad Tax Seasons, but the first part of the 2021 Tax Season was unique.  And uniqueness doesn’t mean good nor does it mean bad.  Both points were present this year, and continue to be … Continue reading →

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Bozo Tax Tip #1: Lies, Deceit, and Nefarious Schemes!

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Russ

The following two stories are true.  Only the names have been changed to protect the Bozos. I was at the barber shop a couple of weeks ago and overheard a barber (not mine) telling someone, …I just filed my tax … Continue reading →

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