Author Archives: Russ

When It’s Too Good to be True (Tax Shelter Edition)

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Russ

When reading Tax Court decisions, always be on the lookout for the word “scheme.” It’s usually a heads-up that what you’re reading isn’t going to cut it (from a tax perspective). So when the decision begins, These consolidated cases involve … Continue reading →

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Can You Spin Garbage Into Gold?

Posted on August 18, 2018 by Russ

I guess I’ll spoil the post: Rumpelstiltskin could spin straw into gold. Rumpelstiltskin, Inc. thought it could do the same for garbage, spinning it into tax credits. The Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service disagreed. So did the Tax Court. … Continue reading →

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Return to Sender

Posted on July 24, 2018 by Russ

A client was selected for a correspondence audit; the IRS asked the client to submit all the documentation regarding a tax credit taken on a recent return. The client had all the documentation, made his photocopies, and mailed off the … Continue reading →

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We’re Not Gonna Take It…

Posted on July 21, 2018 by Russ

You may have heard that earlier this week four states sued to stop parts of the new tax law from going into effect. The states–New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Maryland–don’t like the new $10,000 cap on deducting state and … Continue reading →

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The Real Winners of the 2018 World Series of Poker

Posted on July 15, 2018 by Russ

Over the past two weeks 7,874 competitors (myself included) paid $10,000 to enter the main event of the World Series of Poker. Who would win the money? And how much of the winnings would they actually get to keep? One … Continue reading →

Posted in Gambling | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Amazing, Incredible, Expanding Postcard!

Posted on June 29, 2018 by Russ

When I was a child, people used postcards to save on postage. Postage for postcards ran a nickel. That was less than a phone call. Today, with the emergence of cellphones, the only postcards I receive are advertisements. But the … Continue reading →

Posted in IRS | Tagged | 2 Comments

The FBAR Is *Not* Due Tomorrow

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Russ

Most tax-related deadlines are on the 15th of various months. Income tax returns for individuals are due on April 15th; the extended deadline is October 15th. But just to have fun with us there are some exceptions. One of these … Continue reading →

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Wayfair and Economic Nexus

Posted on June 24, 2018 by Russ

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

Posted on June 22, 2018 by Russ

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?

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Russ

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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