The IRS consumes information about taxpayers. By and large, that is what the IRS is–a vacuum for information. It then processes the information and applies statutorily mandated processes to evaluate the information. The processes are geared toward evaluating whether additional tax is owed and then recording that balance on the IRS’s books, so that the……
Tag: IRS Audits
Can a Tax Attorney Recover Attorney’s Fees from the IRS for their Own Case?
The IRS administrative process is intended to catch incorrect tax returns and make adjustments to fix the returns. This includes false and fraudulent tax returns as well as those with honest errors. This includes an IRS audit function, and IRS appeals function, and IRS counsel function. And each step has a management oversight function and……
Can the IRS Disclosure Your Tax Info in Cases Agains Other Taxpayers?
You cooperate with an IRS audit. You provide detailed financial records. You answer questions about your business. Years later, you discover the IRS is using your information in cases against other taxpayers. The IRS is sharing details about your business location, your EIN, even the fact you’re under investigation for a tax promoter penalty. Is……
Tax Court Strikes IRS Timeline for Partnership Adjustments
The partnership audit regime rules are not all that new at this point. But what makes them new is that the IRS hasn’t fully implemented them, is often not following the new rules, and the disputes involving this have just started to trickle up to the courts. Practitioners are also at fault here. Many have……
Can Limited Partners be Subject to Self-Employment Tax?
Investment funds are often structured as limited partnerships. These partnerships allow professional managers to pool investor funds while maintaining operational flexibility. These structures typically have a general partner (“GP”) who manages day-to-day operations. Limited partners (“LP”) provide the capital and earn passive returns. The active manager and passive investor roles have different tax implications. Self-employment……
Substantial Variance Doctrine for Informal Tax Refund Claims
Taxpayers often submit refund claims when they discover that they overpaid their taxes. Taxpayers usually do this by submitting a formal refund claim using the IRS’s prescribed forms. But this is not always required. In many cases, taxpayers will submit so-called “informal refund claims” to the IRS during the course of an IRS audit. The……
The IRS’s Challenges With Ghost Tax Preparation
The IRS conducts very few audits. The IRS has recently focused its limited audit resources on higher-income taxpayers who already voluntarily comply with our tax laws. This has made the IRS audit much less effective and even less of a deterrent for most taxpayers. The IRS does have other deterrent measures in its tax enforcement……
Tax Disputes When You Have Too Many Records
There are quite a few tax court cases involving taxpayers who did not have sufficient records to substantiate their tax positions. This is probably more than half of the cases that end up in the U.S. Tax Court. But what about the opposite situation where there are too many records? How is one to contend……
From Commingled to Contested: The IRS’s Audit of Tax Deductions
The common idea that business expenses are deductible while personal expenses are not is an oversimplification. In reality, the tax rules are more nuanced. Some personal expenses are deductible, and the line between personal and business expenses is often blurry. This complexity is further compounded by the fact that many businesses, particularly small ones, fail……