Earlier today, I posted that New Jersey’s amnesty program has been very successful – in fact, more than three times their estimates. Some of my colleagues have suggested a federal amnesty program might be a good idea, others believe that there might be abuse of such a program. What do you think? Today’s Fix the…
When NJ announced its tax amnesty program, it had high hopes. With sinking revenues and a gaping hole in the budget, Governor Corzine hoped that the amnesty program would give the state some much-needed relief. His lofty goal? $200 million in just six weeks. Barely two weeks into the amnesty program, the state met its…
On April 20, President Obama put forth Mary L. Smith as his nominee to be the Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division. A hearing to consider the nomination was held last month, on May 12. The report on the hearing was sent to the Senate for consideration earlier this week. And that’s where things…
It seems that the IRS’ on again off again love affair with the idea of certifying tax preparers is on again. Earlier this month, IRS Commish Doug Shulman announced a proposal that would require tax preparers to be licensed and certified. The immediate feedback on the proposal has been mixed. My colleagues at the ABA…
I’m no defense attorney but even I know that making threats to the prosecutor is never a good idea. Jack Chang, a tax preparer and president of Unitax Planners in New York, is facing charges of stealing tax payments from his clients for personal use. He has pleaded not guilty. But that seems to be…
Initially, reports out of my home state of Pennsylvania were that Governor Rendell planned to raise income taxes by about 10% to 3.37%. This week, Governor Rendell outlined his plan to raise income taxes by 16% to 3.57%. Under Rendell, the tax rate has increased once before, in 2004, an increase that was made permanent….
Just a few days ago, IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman asked for public feedback on proposals to clarify a 1989 law regarding the taxation of cell phones. Apparently, he got some. Earlier today, Shulman announced that he, together with Treasury Secretary Geithner, has asked Congress to repeal the tax altogether. (Remember, Congress makes the tax laws,…
Taxpayer asks: I work for a small corporation. We routinely issue w9 forms whenever asked. However, a new customer asked me to send them a w9 form with our name and the address of our other manufacturing location. We have multiple manufacturing locations all covered under the same tax ID, name, etc. She wants her…
The IRS is fighting back on the cell phone issue – only someone forgot to call their PR person first. As blogged earlier, the IRS has asked for feedback on its proposal to set more specific rules for the taxation of personal use of cell phones. The current rules require the entire “value” (whatever that…
If the IRS felt that the announcement that they were looking for ways to resolve the “cell phone tax” issue would allay the fears of taxpayers, they were wrong. In addition to a buzz on the blogosphere, traditional journalists are taking the IRS to task on the matter. Today, the Wall Street Journal lead its…