Author Archives: Russ

Westinghouse and Sylvania

Posted on February 7, 2007 by Russ

Two famous electronics companies. In fact, I used to work for Westinghouse (“You can be sure if it’s Westinghouse”). But that’s not the story here. Instead, it’s the usual tax evasion, with a twist. >From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette comes the … Continue reading →

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The Kanter Sage Continues

Posted on February 5, 2007 by Russ

I’ve written about the Kanter case before (here , here, and here). In that case, the Tax Court reversed the finding of the trial court judge, and didn’t release the findings of the trial court judge. The case made its … Continue reading →

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Prescription: Tax Fraud

Posted on February 5, 2007 by Russ

I’ve been under the weather the last two days, fighting a bout of the flu. That’s better than these individuals, including some doctors who should (one day) have a prescription to fight off the malady. Dr. Steven Herman was a … Continue reading →

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Tax Myths for the Poker Player

Posted on January 31, 2007 by Russ

That’s the title of the article I’ve written for the 2+2 Online Magazine. If you’re a poker player, the magazine (which is free) is a great resource; I heartily recommend it. My article covers many tax myths that I’ve seen … Continue reading →

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Minimum Wage and Taxes

Posted on January 31, 2007 by Russ

Last night the Senate passed an increase in the Federal minimum wage. Attached to the bill are tax breaks for small businesses and tax hikes for big businesses. There are several issues here, so let’s take a look at what … Continue reading →

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A Slam for Traylor? No, It’s the Slammer.

Posted on January 28, 2007 by Russ

Robert “Tractor” Traylor, a former NBA player for Milwaukee, Cleveland, Charlotte, and New Orleans, pleaded guilty on Friday to a charge of preparing a false tax return. Mr. Traylor, 29, attempted to conceal assets of his cousin, Quasand Lewis, according … Continue reading →

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Will You Really Get that Hybrid Vehicle Tax Credit?

Posted on January 26, 2007 by Russ

There’s a great op-ed piece in today’s San Francisco Chronicle about the hybrid vehicle tax credit. The op-ed, written by Edward McQuarrie, a professor at Santa Clara University, gives the unpleasant details of how many Californians won’t get the full … Continue reading →

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Trumpeter Goes to Jail for Tax Evasion

Posted on January 26, 2007 by Russ

In August 2005 I reported on trumpeter Phil Driscoll. Mr. Driscoll was being accused of tax evasion of over $1 million. He was convicted last year on conspiracy and tax evasion charges stemming from using his ministry to hide income … Continue reading →

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Bitten by a Spider?

Posted on January 26, 2007 by Russ

A web spider, or web crawler, is a program that scours the Internet for data. Wikipedia has a good description of them. And guess who is starting to use them? The taxman. The Belastingdienst, the Netherlands version of the IRS, … Continue reading →

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Tax Day Is Pushed Back One Day

Posted on January 24, 2007 by Russ

The IRS announced today that the deadline to file your tax return has been pushed back to Tuesday, April 17th (the deadline was originally Monday, April 16th because the 15th falls on a Sunday). The IRS release is available here. … Continue reading →

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