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Exclamation Point Sign - Accountant Advice May Not Protect from FBAR Penalties

Wrong Answer on Schedule B Dooms Taxpayers' Attempt to Rely on Accountant's Tax Advice as Reasonable Cause to Avoid FBAR Penalties

Many American taxpayers and business owners use accountants or CPAs to prepare their taxes. Their involvement in the tax process may be as little as signing the return and cutting a check, without ever really considering their accountant’s advi… Read More
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$1 Million - FBAR penalty

Criminal Bribery Charges Lead to $1 Million FBAR Penalties

For many taxpayers, the failure to file reports of foreign financial accounts happens by accident, or at least inadvertently. Even many penalties issued for willful violations are the result of a taxpayer’s negligence rather than any complex ta… Read More
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Expatriate at Airport Worried about Exit Tax

Enforcing the Exit Tax Against Expatriates: California State Bar Recommends Change

In theory, surrendering your U.S. citizenship for tax purposes can be expensive. However, the IRS sometimes has difficulty enforcing the exit tax against expatriates. Now the State Bar of California is recommending legislative changes that would make… Read More
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Categories: Tax News
Red Penalty Stamps - FBAR Penalties

FBAR Penalties Build Up Over Years, Even Through Criminal Penalties

As a U.S. taxpayer, you may believe that one run in with the IRS is enough. If you have faced FBAR penalties or criminal prosecution for tax evasion or failure to file necessary forms, you may assume you don’t have to worry anymore. But FBAR penalt… Read More
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1st Page of Manafort - Gates Indictment

Paul Manafort Indicted for Conspiracy, Tax Fraud, and FBAR Felonies

On October 31, 2017, it was announced that Trump adviser Paul Manafort and his assistant Richard Gates were indicted in federal court on charges of conspiracy, tax fraud, and FBAR reporting felonies. These charges were some of the first arising from… Read More
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Man in Handcuffs Jailed for Felony Tax Obstruction

Bad Records Keeping a Felony? Supreme Court to Weigh In

Could lazy records keeping or document retention result in felony tax obstruction charges? Could not following an accountant’s advice land a business owner in prison? If the Supreme Court of the United States upholds a recent Second Circuit dec… Read More
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Categories: Tax / IRS Penalties
AICPA Accountant Criticizes IRS Dispute Resolution Process

AICPA Criticizes Changes to IRS Dispute Resolution Process

When U.S. taxpayers find themselves in dispute with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) they can face confusing processes, a rotating roster of agents and employees, and an often opaque decision making process that can make them feel outnumbered and i… Read More
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Homes Damaged by Hurricane Harvey

Hurricanes & Natural Disasters: What You Need to Know About Casualty Deductions

Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma have rocked the southern states over the past weeks. Hundreds of thousands of people are returning to find their homes and businesses damaged, even destroyed. They may be able to use casualty deductions to offset s… Read More
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Categories: Tax Deductions
Rand Paul

Court Says Sen. Rand Paul, Plaintiffs Can't Challenge FATCA / FBAR

Senator Rand Paul and several individual plaintiffs asked an Ohio federal court to strike down the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), the Bank Secrecy Act’s Financial Bank Account Reporting (FBAR) requirement, and certain intergovernme… Read More
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Categories: FATCA, FBAR
Taxpayer Advocate Calls for IRS Transparency - Hand writing Transparency

Taxpayer Advocate Calls for IRS Transparency

Taxpayers facing an IRS audit or investigation often feel like the decisions come out of nowhere. Lack of transparency isn’t a new problem for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In fact, a recent report from the National Taxpayer Advocate expl… Read More
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Categories: IRS Audits, OVDP