Category Archives: IRS

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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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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Form 8300 and Poker

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Russ

I’ve posted before on staking, but someone asked me the following question: I’m a professional [poker player] and am going to be staked for the High Roller One Drop Tournament [a $111,111 buy-in tournament]. I’m going to be handed the … Continue reading →

Posted in Gambling, IRS | 1 Comment

The BEA Responds, or Making IRS Customer Service Look Normal (Bad)

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Russ

On Sunday I penned the post, “Making IRS Customer Service Look Good.” I now need to take that back. Why? I was greeted at 7am this morning by a phone call from an analyst from the Bureau of Economic Affairs. … Continue reading →

Posted in BEA, IRS | 1 Comment

IRS “Get Transcript” Application Hacked; 104,000 Tax Returns Illegally Accessed

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Russ

This afternoon IRS Commissioner John Koskinen announced that criminals were able to use the IRS “Get Transcript” application to access approximately 104,000 tax returns. (An additional 100,000 or so attempts were unsuccessful.) From the Wall Street Journal: Thieves used the … Continue reading →

Posted in IRS | Tagged | 4 Comments

730

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Russ

It’s a topic that, frankly, bores the media. It’s a topic that the current Administration would love to go away. It’s a topic that should never have arisen. It’s a topic that underlies the current crisis that impacts the IRS. … Continue reading →

Posted in IRS | Tagged | 2 Comments

Not All Private Delivery Services Are Equal

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Russ

Back when I was getting my MBA I did a team project about a California company that offers private delivery services in just Southern California. They were competing against FedEx, and they built a regional network. Recently I received an … Continue reading →

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Don’t Call Us Continues

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Russ

Back in the 1970s Saturday Night Live had this sketch of Lily Tomlin reprising her role as Ernestine the phone company operator (from Laugh-In): That’s how I feel about calling the IRS. I have three matters I need to get … Continue reading →

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