Tax Blog/Blawg

With the looming increase in tax rates on investment income and capital gains in particular, a large number of stock market investors have been selling long-term positions to lock in the 2012 rate, which currently tops out at 15%.  Come January 1,2013, gain on the same sale could be taxed at a rate as high as 23.8%, consisting of a long-term capital gains tax rate of 20% plus a Medicare surtax of 3.8% imposed on joint filers with AGI greater than $250,000 and single filers with AGI greater than $200,000.  (See Internal Revenue Code § 1411).

A question attracting attention as the year draws to a ...

Employment Tax: Yet Another Opportunity to Come Clean -

Whether a worker is performing services as an employee or as an independent contractor depends on the facts and circumstances.  This determination may be difficult for many companies and may lead to significant exposure.  In order to facilitate voluntary resolution of  potential worker classification issues and achieve the benefits of increased tax compliance and certainty for all parties, taxpayers, workers and the government, the IRS established the Voluntary Classification Settlement Program (“(VCSP”) on ...

As one of many U.S. multinationals that reportedly implemented the Double Irish international tax structure, Starbucks has reportedly paid a U.K. tax rate of 2.8 percent over the last decade.  Not satisfied with this levy, last month the British Parliament called Starbucks and other U.S. multinationals before the body to discuss the structure.  Last week, in response to Parliament’s pressure, Starbucks announced that it would voluntarily forgo U.K. deductions to ensure it pays £10 million ($16 million) in tax during 2013 and 2014.  It remains to be seen whether Starbucks’ ...

The world of international tax enforcement is changing at a frenetic pace, especially when it comes to the rules about penalizing taxpayers who fail to file Forms TD F 90-22.1 (Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts), or foreign bank account reports (“FBARs”) as they are commonly known.  The latest installment in this area is United States v. Williams, a recent decision by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals holding that the taxpayer “willfully” violated his FBAR duties and thus deserved maximum sanctions.  This judicial opinion, already the subject of much criticism ...

Despite the recent increase in online commerce, traditional methods of moving product, such as so-called “direct selling,” are alive and well.  Indeed, according to a recent IRS study, direct selling is a significant industry, with annual sales of nearly $30 billion and more than 13 million salespersons in the United States alone.  The IRS has intensified worker-classification audits over the past few years, generally claiming that workers should be treated as employees instead of independent contractors.  Theoretically, these audits should cause little concern for direct ...

Previous Blawg articles have cautioned my readers about the problems they can face if they do not take care of their Federal employment taxes, ranging from collection action against their business, to the trust fund recovery penalty being asserted against individuals determined to be “responsible officers.”  Since Federal agencies are also required to pay employment taxes for their employees, it is only fair to wonder if the IRS is dealing as harshly with them.  The answer warrants a letter to your Congressman.

On September 5, 2012, the Treasury Inspector General For ...

Obviously, there will be “nothing” to do unless the business owes taxes or has not filed all its tax returns.  These comments are prompted by the fact is that the IRS has just issued a Manual Administration Supplement No. 855 to instruct its employees about how to proceed in the case of insolvency proceedings.

If the company files bankruptcy, the IRS will file a Proof of Claim and, depending upon the nature of its claim—is a Federal Tax Lien filed?are the taxes assessed?—it will proceed to pursue its rights based on its priority relative to other creditors.  If the proceeding is ...

Earlier this year, my former colleague Jonathan Prokup and I published an article in the Journal of Taxation and Regulation of Financial Institutions.  In the article, we considered the federal tax consequences of Treasury's capital purchase program – the centerpiece of TARP.  Under the program, Treasury invested several hundred billion dollars into hundreds of our country's banks to alleviate their perceived liquidity problems, which many believed to be the cause of the unfolding financial crisis.

Our article concluded that, even though most TARP instruments were nominally ...

For tax year 2011, individual taxpayers with certain specified foreign financial assets found themselves subject to a new reporting requirement, Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets. Form 8938 is required if a taxpayer has a specified foreign financial asset in excess of various thresholds.  See Form 8938 – Foreign Reporting Trap for the Unwary.  Unlike Form T.D. 90-22.1, Report of Foreign Bank Account and Financial Accounts which is due by June 30^th of every year, Form 8938 is attached to a taxpayer’s Form 1040.

Although many aspects of the Form 8938 and FBAR ...

Concerned about the extent of international tax non-compliance, Congress enacted the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”).  Among other provisions found in FATCA was Section 6038D, which requires certain individuals to annually report to the IRS data about their interests in foreign financial assets.  Sounds simple enough, right?  Well, this seemingly straightforward obligation has been causing significant havoc for taxpayers and their advisors in 2012, as they wrestle for the first time with tricky new issues when deciding whether and/or how to complete Form 8938 ...