Author Archives: Russ

The Last Roundup at Nifty Fifty’s

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Russ

Last Thursday William Frio was sentenced to five years at ClubFed. Mr. Frio was the accountant for Nifty Fifty’s, the Philadelphia-area restaurant chain with food themed from the 1950s and a tax strategy from the 1850s. Beginning in 1986, Frio … Continue reading →

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Speaking: Ethics in the Digital World

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Russ

I’ll be back in my old stomping grounds of Orange County next Tuesday; I’ll be speaking to the Orange County Chapter of the California Society of Enrolled Agents on “Ethics in the Digital World.” I’ll be noting all the bad … Continue reading →

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Not Remitting Employment Taxes Doesn’t Work in Japan Either

Posted on August 9, 2015 by Russ

In the United States, one of the quickest ways of getting in tax trouble is by withholding employment taxes and not remitting those taxes to the IRS. The rate of investigation is as close to 100% as you can get–and … Continue reading →

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Criminal Charges Dropped Against Roni Deutch

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Russ

Back in 2009, the law firm of Roni Deutch was a huge deal. She was the “Tax Lady,” and her face and advertisements were plastered all over television. Then she was sued by the state of California. And then came … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Scams | Tagged | 1 Comment

Scammers Now Mailing Phony IRS Letters

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Russ

The phone scammers are now going to the US mail. According to both the IRS and tax professionals, the scammers are broadening their efforts. Sure, they’re now committing mail fraud but since they’re already committing one crime what’s another? So … Continue reading →

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Deadline Changes for 2016 Tax Returns and 2016 FBAR

Posted on August 2, 2015 by Russ

Congress passed and President Obama signed the Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015 in late July. That law’s primary function has nothing to do with tax; however, it will have a major impact on entity … Continue reading →

Posted in International, IRS | Tagged | 1 Comment

Judge Threatens IRS, Justice Department; IRS Closely Monitored Tax-Exempt Applications; IRS Responses to Exempt Organizations Were Designed to Stop Inquiries to Congress

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Russ

Yes, I’m still on vacation. But twin developments in the IRS scandal force me to post. Yesterday, the IRS released documents to Judicial Watch regarding the IRS scandal. Judicial Watch had sued the IRS under the Freedom of Information Act … Continue reading →

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Vacation

Posted on July 25, 2015 by Russ

It’s time for my annual vacation. If something earth-shattering in the tax world happens while I’m relaxing, I’ll take time out to post on it. Otherwise, enjoy the fine bloggers listed in the blogroll on the right. I’ll be back … Continue reading →

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Judicial Watch: IRS Used Donor Lists to Target Audits

Posted on July 25, 2015 by Russ

Remember the IRS Scandal? Well, the nuggets continue to drip out. On Friday, Judicial Watch announced that “New Documents Show IRS Used Donor Lists to Target Audits.” Here’s an excerpt: But then, in February 2011, at least five donors of … Continue reading →

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FTB Disables “MyFTB” Registrations Until 2016

Posted on July 24, 2015 by Russ

California’s Franchise Tax Board announced yesterday that they disabled registration for “MyFTB,” the online interactive FTB system, until 2016. Beginning July 23, 2015, we disabled the ability to register for a MyFTB account while we enhance the registration process. This … Continue reading →

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