Category: Tax

Casualty losses are often challenged by the IRS, as they meet the “large, unusual, or questionable” (“LUQ”) standard for pulling returns for audit. On audit, the IRS insists on an appraisal from a third party that shows the difference in fair market value before and after the casualty event. Even if an appraisal is provided……

Our tax laws acknowledge that a return of capital doesn’t trigger income tax. The fundamental concept is that when property is taken away from a taxpayer and then returned to them, it doesn’t result in an increase in their net worth. Rather, their net worth is restored to where it was before, and since there……

Investors who engage in successful ventures often also invest in less successful ones. In some cases, one venture ends up funding another. When a taxpayer operates through multiple legal entities, this can lead to numerous complexities. For example, “due to” and “due from” intercompany transactions raise questions, even if they do not involve international transfers.……

If you pay tax for another party, can you recover the payment if the tax is not owed? The answer is generally “no,” as you cannot sue the Federal government unless it consents and it only consents in limited circumstances. One such consent is the ability to sue for a refund. The rules that allow……

Whether one likes it or not, the federal government is their business partner. The tax code is often compared to a partnership agreement that sets out the share of the income that belongs to the federal government. Continuing the analogy, the records the business keeps are the support for making the allocation between the taxpayer……

United States persons who have foreign transactions present a number of compliance problems for the IRS. It is difficult for the IRS to know whether taxpayers are simply not paying U.S. taxes on foreign transactions. The IRS officially recognized the significance of its international tax limitations in 2010 when it renamed its large business division……

Taxpayers may find it challenging to obtain a refund from the government, as the courts and Congress have imposed stringent requirements on the refund claims filed by taxpayers. Even minor procedural errors can be detrimental to the claim, resulting in the government gaining an unwarranted windfall. The recent case of Vensure HR, Inc. v. United……

It should not be a surprise to learn that attorneys often hire tax attorneys to help them minimize their taxes. One popular tax savings strategy for attorneys is to structure their contingent fees. A contingent fee is a payment arrangement in which a lawyer provides services on the condition that payment will only be made……