Author Archives: Russ

All Rapped Out

Posted on January 17, 2006 by Russ

After taking a few days off for an annual convention, would I return to an in-basket bereft of the usual tax evaders? Hardly. Joe Kristan of Roth Tax Updates reported on some of the more felonius evaders, including Richard Hatch … Continue reading →

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Virtual Profits = Taxes?

Posted on January 10, 2006 by Russ

The TaxProf Blog links to an extremely interesting article by Julian Dibbell on whether virtual profits in online multi-player games are taxable under the Internal Revenue Code. There’s also a link to a second article on CNET titled “The Tax … Continue reading →

Posted in IRS | Tagged | 1 Comment

Why the Franchise Tax Board Is “Fun” to Deal With

Posted on January 9, 2006 by Russ

Let’s assume you disagree with a decision that the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) makes on your tax return. You go through the FTB appeals process, and get nowhere. California then allows appeals to the Board of Equalization (BOE). Today, let’s … Continue reading →

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Nexus, My Nexus, Where Have You Been?

Posted on January 9, 2006 by Russ

There are two concepts that tax accountants have trouble explaining to clients: basis and nexus. And this leads to two recent items that have as their basis nexus. First, on December 31st, the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled that a … Continue reading →

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BOE Flood Relief

Posted on January 6, 2006 by Russ

For taxpayers in Northern California impacted by the recent storms, the Board of Equalization has extended deadlines for filing California sales tax and fees collected by the BOE by one month. Returns (and payments) originally due on January 31st are … Continue reading →

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A Brief Note on Business Information Returns/Filings

Posted on January 3, 2006 by Russ

Now that we’re in 2006, it’s time for me to go back to work. First on the agenda will be business information returns/filings, such as W-2s and 1099s. These forms must be distributed by January 31st, but do not have … Continue reading →

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The TaxProf Blog’s Top 2005 Tax Stories

Posted on January 3, 2006 by Russ

The TaxProf Blog published its top 10 for 2005. Their top ten includes the Kanter/Ballard Tax Court case, the telecommuter tax case, and the federal tax reform initiative. There are other items on the list, of course. I could quibble … Continue reading →

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The 2005 Tax Offender of the Year

Posted on December 31, 2005 by Russ

Boy, what a year. And what choices we have in naming our 2005 Offender of the Year. The nominees include, – Richard Hatch, who had over 300 million witnesses to winning $1 million on Survivor, but didn’t include the winnings … Continue reading →

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The Last Days of ’05

Posted on December 31, 2005 by Russ

With just two days left in 2005, there are only a few things that you can do today or tomorrow that have tax impacts. You could have a baby. Or you could give to charity (if you use a credit … Continue reading →

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Hatch Facing January 10th Trial

Posted on December 28, 2005 by Russ

Richard Hatch, the Survivor winner who allegedly elected to stiff the IRS, faces a January 10th trial date in Providence, Rhode Island on ten counts of tax evasion, filing a false income tax return, wire fraud, bank fraud, and mail … Continue reading →

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