Tag: Houston Tax Attorney

A consistent mistake on a tax return for more than two years may require an accounting method change to correct. The IRS has procedures for making these elections, which generally require a timely filed tax return. But what if you miss the filing deadline–are you out of luck? Private Letter Ruling (“PLR”) 201850013 provides the…

The IRS lien is broad and attaches to the taxpayer’s property. Creative tax attorneys have tried to find ways around the lien with limited success. The recent Saccullo v. United States, No. 17-14546 (11th Cir. 2019) case raises the question as to whether a defectively executed deed be used to defeat the IRS’s estate tax…

If a U.S. person commits tax fraud under the laws of a foreign county, can the foreign country’s tax collector use the U.S. court system to collect from the U.S. person? The court recently addressed this in In re SKAT Tax Refund Scheme Litigation, No. 18-md-2865 (LAK) (S.D.N.Y. 2019). Facts & Procedural History The plaintiff…

Conservation easements can result in significant charitable deductions for real estate owners and investors. But can an owner or investor retain rights to the property and still get the charitable deduction. The courts continue to define when this is possible. The Pine Mountain Preserve LLLP v. Commissioner, 151 T.C. 14, case is the latest case…

If you are contacted by an IRS special agent for an informal meeting, can statements made during the meeting be used against you in court? The answer is “maybe.” The court addresses this in United States v. Henry, No. 2017-0001 (D. VI 2018). Facts & Procedural History The IRS criminal investigation unit received a tip…

If an investment advisor is terminated by the bank he works for and the bank keeps the advisors book of business, is the bank compensating the investment advisor for the sale of his book of business or is it paying compensation for services? One would seem to produce capital gain and the other ordinary gain.…

The IRS Office of Appeals has been making changes to how it conducts appeals conferences.  In this past few years, these changes have made it difficult to obtain an in-person conference.  The IRS recently issued interim guidance AP-08-1118-0013 to authorize appeals to allow for more in-person conferences. About the IRS Office of Appeals The IRS…

A tax return has to be signed to be valid.  But what if the return is signed by someone else?  Is a tax return with a forged signature a valid tax return?  The court addressed this in Coggin v. United States, No. 1:16-CV-106 (M.D.N.C. 2018). Facts & Procedural History The taxpayer relied on her attorney to…

When Congress provides a tax benefit contingent on some activity, there is often a question as to whether the activity can be read broadly to encompass many sub-activities or has to be read narrowly.  The NextEra Energy, Inc. v. United States, No. 17-12304 (11th Cir. 2018) case provides a good example of the subjective distinctions taxpayers have make…

Taxpayers voluntarily submit information to the IRS.  The IRS not only evaluates the substance of this information, but also the taxpayer’s candor in preparing and providing the information.  The perception of candor is just as important as the substance in many cases.  The Guess v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2018-97, provides an example of how things can…