Author Archives: Russ

Mundane Tax Fraud Downs Friend of Cicero Town President

George Hunter will likely be going to ClubFed. He pleaded guilty today to two counts of tax evasion. Mr. Hunter’s company received $1.8 million in two years from Cicero…without a contract. Mr. Hunter is friends with Larry Dominick, the Ton … Continue reading

Posted in Illinois | 2 Comments

A Ship Over Troubled Waters Sinks Leeds’ Cellino For Now

From the Sport (not Sports) page of the Telegraph and the BBC we find that Leeds beat league-leading Derby two to nil in football (or soccer for us colonials). Derby manager Steve McClaren was quoted by the BBC: “It’s just … Continue reading

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As God as my Witness, I Thought Turkeys Could Fly

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone:

Posted in Taxable Talk | Comments Off on As God as my Witness, I Thought Turkeys Could Fly

One Ringy Dingy, Two Ringy Dingies…

…2400 Ringy Dingies. Yes, I was on hold for two hours today on the IRS Practitioner Priority Service before my call was picked up. It’s November–not a high time for calling the IRS–but add the combination of the IRS Centralized … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Would the Proprietors of “I Married an Idiot” Commit Tax Fraud?

Sometimes you can’t make this stuff up. Perhaps you missed the website imarriedanidiot.com. The website is down, but thanks to the Internet Archive it will continue to be accessible. I’ll leave it to the reader to peruse the web site. … Continue reading

Posted in Tax Fraud | 1 Comment

IRS Clarifies Electronic Signature Requirements

The IRS released a new version of Publication 1345 today (html version only is available for now). Included in it is the following: Note: An electronic signature via remote transaction does not include handwritten signatures on Forms 8878 or 8879 … Continue reading

Posted in IRS | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Upcoming Tax Season

If you’re a tax professional here’s a warning: The 2015 Tax Season will be one you’re almost certain to remember for all the wrong reasons. If you’re a client of a tax professional be forewarned: Your tax professional will be … Continue reading

Posted in IRS | Tagged | 4 Comments

London Calling: The Real Winners of the 2014 World Series of Poker

Nine individuals came to Las Vegas on Monday and Tuesday to compete for the championship at the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Who would be the lucky winner? And who really got to keep the money? You will notice a … Continue reading

Posted in Gambling | 1 Comment

Since the Dead Vote, Why Can’t They Get Tax Exemptions?

I grew up in Chicago. It’s legendary in Chicago that the dead vote. My father told me that during the 1960 presidential election that Democrats waited to see how many of the dead they needed to vote to ensure that … Continue reading

Posted in Illinois, Property Taxes | 1 Comment

Alabama Trying Pop Quizzes to Prevent Identity Theft Refunds

An AP Story notes that states are also trying to crack down on identity theft tax refunds. Alabama will be trying pop quizzes. No, not the pop quizzes you had in school but questions related to your identity (e.g. Did … Continue reading

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