By Megan L. Brackney Journal of Passthrough Entities May – June 2017 Edition “John Doe” summonses have been in the news again.[1] On January 24, 2017, a federal district court unsealed an order authorizing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to serve a John Doe summons upon a third party to obtain
By Megan L. Brackney Journal of Passthrough Entities January – February 2017 Edition Under the new Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (the “BBA”), there are significant changes to the partnership audit rules. Like TEFRA, the BBA requires partnership-level resolution of partnership income, gain, loss, deduction, and credits. Unlike TEFRA, under the BBA,
By Juliet L. Fink The CPA Journal January 2017 Edition Although the attorney-client privilege has long been recognized under common law, there is no corresponding taxpayer-accountant privilege [other than a limited privilege for “tax advice” in some non-criminal matters under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) section 7525]. Criminal and civil tax cases, however,
By Megan L. Brackney NJ Taxing Times Winter 2016 – 2017 Edition NEITHER THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE (“I.R.C.”) nor Treasury Regulations requires taxpayers to file amended returns. However, the ethical rules of Circular 230, the NAEA, and the AICPA call for tax practitioners to advise their clients about errors or omissions
By Bryan C. Skarlatos and Megan L. Brackney Journal of Tax Practice & Procedure October – November 2016 Edition Tax practitioners often give tax advice on things like how to structure an investment in a business venture, sell an asset, plan for retirement or pass wealth to the next generation. Sometimes a practitioner’s
By Caroline Rule The CPA Journal October 2016 Edition Will the Fifth Circuit Clarify the IRS’s Burden of Proof? District courts and other authorities disagree on whether the IRS must prove willfulness by a preponderance of the evidence or by clear and convincing evidence when seeking a civil penalty for willful
By Megan L. Brackney Journal of Passthrough Entities September – October 2016 Edition In my last column, I discussed the IRS’s prerogative to change its mind—to approve of a tax reporting position in one year, and then assess penalties on the ground that the taxpayer was negligent or did not have
By Kevin M. Flynn The CPA Journal September 2016 Edition Filing a claim for refund of overpaid tax invoices much more than just submitting an amended return to the IRS with an explanatory statement that more than the correct amount of tax was paid. The refund claim, if denied, will form
By Megan L. Brackney Journal of Passthrough Entities May-June 2016 Edition It is the IRS’s prerogative to change its mind. The IRS can conclude the audit of one tax year with no change and then make adjustments in a later tax year on the exact same tax positions present in the
By Juliet L. Fink The CPA Journal May 2015 Edition The IRS whistleblower program has been around since the 1800s. In December 2006, the Tax Relief and Health Care Act made fundamental changes to the IRS whistleblower awards program and the relevant section of the relevant section of the relevant section of
