Author Archives: Russ

New IRS Form 944 for Very Small Businesses to Replace Form 941

Posted on October 5, 2005 by Russ

For the very small business owner, the IRS will introduce in 2006 a new form, Form 944. You can view a draft version of the form here. The new form is for businesses who pay $1,000 or less in employment … Continue reading →

Posted in IRS | Comments Off on New IRS Form 944 for Very Small Businesses to Replace Form 941

Bowling for Dollars

Posted on October 5, 2005 by Russ

I remember watching the television show Bowling for Dollars. Chick Hearn, the late Los Angeles Lakers broadcaster, was the host. Contestants bowled a couple of frames and got paid small cash prizes based on how well they did. Charles Lanza, … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax Fraud | Comments Off on Bowling for Dollars

Offshore Shenanigans

Posted on September 30, 2005 by Russ

A company called Derivium Capital LLC is under investigation by the IRS and the Franchise Tax Board for making loans that allegedly weren’t loans, according to Forbes. The scheme aided taxpayers who were sitting on large stock gains. According to … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax Fraud | 1 Comment

Contumacious Conduct

Posted on September 29, 2005 by Russ

What happens when you battle the IRS in Tax Court, but lose? You have to pay what you owe. If you don’t, you can face a lien or levy. Today, the Tax Court stepped in when a one-time loser became … Continue reading →

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Pork Aid

Posted on September 25, 2005 by Russ

According to this story, Louisiana’s senators have asked for $250 billion in aid solely for the state of Louisiana. That’s an interesting number given that current estimate of damage is $200 billion. The proposed relief package includes obvious pork, such … Continue reading →

Posted in Katrina | 6 Comments

When You Don’t Withhold….

Posted on September 21, 2005 by Russ

Harrah’s Entertainment, the big casino conglomerate, apparently forgot to withhold from about 400 winners (mainly Canadians) at this year’s World Series of Poker®. Harrah’s is now “making up” for this by not allowing these players to play in another poker … Continue reading →

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Circular Funding Doesn’t Work

Posted on September 20, 2005 by Russ

When an S corporation has a loss, the loss flows through to its’ shareholders. But shareholders can only take the loss if they have a basis in the corporation; the basis is (in general) the shareholder’s share of the profits … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax Court | Comments Off on Circular Funding Doesn’t Work

Pork

Posted on September 20, 2005 by Russ

With President Bush proposing (and Congress passing) extensive relief for Hurricane Katrina, and the possibility of perhaps another deadly strike by Hurricane Rita in Texas, one obvious question is how do we pay for this. I’ve seen estimates that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Legislation | 1 Comment

Did Your Estimated Payment End Up in the Bay?

Posted on September 19, 2005 by Russ

There are traffic accidents and then there are traffic accidents. A courier transporting approximately 30,000 1040-ES payments lost his load on the San Mateo Bridge…and the payments fell into the San Francisco Bay. The accident occurred on September 11th and … Continue reading →

Posted in IRS | 2 Comments

Hatch Pleads Not Guilty; Return Shopping?

Posted on September 19, 2005 by Russ

Survivor Richard Hatch pled not guilty today to charges that he didn’t report his $1 million in winnings from the reality television show, and charges of filing a false S-corporation tax return, mail fraud, wire fraud, and bank fraud. Hatch … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax Evasion | Tagged | Comments Off on Hatch Pleads Not Guilty; Return Shopping?