Author Archives: Russ

Wayfair and Economic Nexus

Last week the Supreme Court ruled in South Dakota v. Wayfair that South Dakota’s law forcing Wayfair, an Internet retailer, to collect (and remit) sales tax to South Dakota (a state that it did not have physical nexus to) was … Continue reading

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Gambling with an Edge Podcast

I was the guest on this week’s Gambling with an Edge podcast. You can download the podcast here or on iTunes. The main point of discussion was the new tax law, but we covered some other topics such as bad … Continue reading

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Battling for Tax-Free Bobbleheads: Will Reds Win in Court?

This has not been a good year for the Cincinnati Reds. With just 25 wins in 68 games they have the worst record in the National League. While they have one of the best players in baseball–Joey Votto–the rest of … Continue reading

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IRS Interest Rates Unchanged for the Third Quarter of 2018

The IRS announced yesterday that IRS interest rates will be unchanged for the third quarter of 2018: The rates will be: – 5 percent for overpayments, 4 percent in the case of a corporation; – 2.5 percent for the portion … Continue reading

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IRS Offers Penalty and Filing Relief on New Transaction Tax on Foreign Earnings

Individuals who own foreign entities typically have complex returns. I prepare returns for three such individuals; they’re all on extension. Yet one item needed to be prepared for these individuals by April 18th: the new Section 965 transition tax. One … Continue reading

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A Thriller of a Decision Upcoming

The Wall Street Journal yesterday highlighted Judge Mark Holmes of the United States Tax Court. Judge Holmes’s opinions are extraordinarily readable even to those who know little about tax law. I’ve noted Judge Holmes’s writings in the past (on the … Continue reading

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You Mean My Checking Account Became a Savings Account?

In what is definitely an “Oops” moment, two tax software products from Intuit (Lacerte and Intuit ProConnect Online) incorrectly transmitted information for 2018 California estimated payments. Checking accounts became savings accounts in the transmittal and the payments were rejected: As … Continue reading

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WSOP and Taxes: 2018 Update

The 2018 World Series of Poker (WSOP) begins today here in Las Vegas. There are also several other tournament series that have either begun or will soon begin at the Venetian, Wynn/Encore, Aria, Planet Hollywood, Binion’s, Golden Nugget, and Orleans … Continue reading

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Back to the Old Drawing Board

I’ve written before about certain states’ efforts to get around the new $10,000 cap on state and local taxes that can be deducted on federal tax returns. The IRS announced today they will be proposing regulations later this year on … Continue reading

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The Deep State and Cryptocurrency

There have been plenty of articles about the “Deep State” vis-a-vis President Trump. I’m not going into that; if you’re interested, Google is your friend. Rather, I’m going to look at the Deep State and cryptocurrency. On May 1st the … Continue reading

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