Bryan C. Skarlatos was quoted in an October 5th, 2023 article published in The Wall Street Journal titled “IRS Fight Against Pandemic Tax-Credit Scams Won’t Be Simple or Fast.” The Internal Revenue Service has labeled promoters of a popular pandemic-era tax credit, employee-retention credits, or ERC refunds, as unscrupulous scammers. Congress created the ERC to help employers keep workers attached to jobs during the pandemic. While it expired on September 30th, 2021, a cottage industry emerged to encourage small businesses and nonprofits to amend payroll-tax returns and claim the money. Tax lawyers say they expect several busy years defending tax-credit consulting firms and employers as the IRS tries to claw back some of money paid in employee-retention credits.
The article notes:
“If they know they’ve got a bad promoter, they’re going to get all of the clients of the bad promoter,” said Bryan C. Skarlatos, a criminal-tax attorney at law firm Kostelanetz in New York. “You have a pretty good map, and then it is a matter of picking who you go after.”
Read a full version of the article here.
