Terry Jones, the controversial pastor of Evangelical Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, has been making news all week for his plans to burn copies of the Koran. It’s his little protest to mark the anniversary of 9/11. He has the support of his entire church – all 50 members or so of them. And…
A couple of weeks after Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan was detained in Australia over a multimillion-dollar tax bill, he has been granted permission to leave the country. The 70-year-old actor has been embroiled in a tax controversy with the Australian Tax Office (ATO) for five years. He recently returned to Oz to attend his…
It’s an important election year. I’m sure you’ve heard that about a million times. That, of course, leads to discussions about the importance of the political process, getting out the vote and – oh yeah – mudslinging. I’ve already seen ads on both sides that make me queasy. I’m not sure what either party hopes…
So maybe it is a kindler, gentler IRS after all… The IRS has announced that it will drop its civil suit against the Swiss-based UBS, despite the fact that the bank is not technically in compliance with an existing agreement. In a show of not-so-totally surprising deference to the Swiss government, the IRS indicated that…
If you’ve ever received an email or a notice from a tax professional, you’ve probably seen something tacked onto the bottom that looks like this: IRS Circular 230 notice: In order to comply with requirements imposed by the IRS, we at The Erb Law Firm, PC, must inform you that any U.S. federal tax advice…
The IRS wants to remind small businesses that help is available for tax questions. Some key numbers to put in your contacts: Business and Specialty Tax Line (800) 829-4933 Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) Hotline (800) 555-4477 Forms (IRS) (800) 829-3676 You can see more helpful telephone numbers on the IRS web site. Information…
Yet another decision is expected on the legality of same-sex marriages (CNN predicts that it will happen between 9 am and noon PST today). This one focuses on whether to keep a temporary stay in place following a judge’s decision last week to overturn Proposition 8, the state’s ban on same-sex marriages. As then, I…
Taxpayer asks: Dear taxgirl, I need some help. I am being audited by the IRS and I don’t know what to do. I am self-employed (web design) and I do not have many records to back up my tax returns. I didn’t lie on my taxes but I can’t prove it. I don’t know what…
We do a lot of nonprofit and tax-exempt work at my firm. People come into my office with all kinds of ideas for charitable organizations. I thought I’d heard it all – apparently, I hadn’t. The “Case of the Charitable Sperm Bank” has put an interesting twist on the types of charitable activities that taxpayers…
George Clooney isn’t a fan of Facebook. According to the UK media, Clooney reportedly remarked about the social media site: I would rather have a prostate exam on live television by a guy with very cold hands than have a Facebook page. Apparently, Clooney isn’t alone. The Michigan Business School’s American Customer Satisfaction Index included…