Tax Articles

One of the tax benefits of partnerships is that they are flexible. The parties can agree to differing terms and the values and dollars associated with those terms can be trued-up in subsequent years. The allocation of profit and loss provisions provides an example. Depending on their agreement, the parties can allocate profits and losses……

The IRS is tasked with enforcing our tax laws. The task should be to ensure “substantial compliance” by taxpayers. But all too often the audit process is nothing more than the IRS examining a handful of go-to-adjustment issues. These go-to-adjustment issues involve tax laws that Congress passed that leave room for interpretation. These issues often……

What do you do if a loved one is under audit by the IRS and then dies before the audit is closed? Imagine that the IRS issues a Notice of Deficiency to the taxpayer. Do you have the right to petition the U.S. Tax Court for the taxpayer? The court recently addressed this in Sanders……

Justice is not a word that is often mentioned in tax cases. While justice may be handed out in the opinions, the term “justice” isn’t usually expressly stated in the opinion or in the rules that the courts go by. There are exceptions. One exception is in the rules that allow IRS attorneys to raise……

The IRS administrative function plays a critical role in our tax administration system. The appeals process settles a majority of all tax disputes. It does so using processes and procedures that have developed over many years. To the uninitiated who have not experienced the IRS appeals process, the process can be confusing and, unfortunately, the……

Those who own C corporations have to be careful about what amounts are paid out to or benefit the corporate shareholders. This is particularly true for closely held and family corporations. On audit, the IRS will often assert that these distributions are constructive dividends. This is usually a bad answer for taxpayers as it increases……

The Subchapter S corporation remains a popular choice of entity for small and medium-sized businesses. This is true even after the TCJA of 2017 lowered the income tax rate for C corporations to 21 percent. Unlike many other changes made by the TCJA, the 21 percent flat corporate rate is permanent. It is not going……

There has been quite a bit of talk about the IRS budget increase and its plans to hire an army of IRS agents. Given this news, those who have filed incorrect tax returns may be wondering if they should go back and file amended tax returns. This often depends on whether the time period for……

Executors who administer probate estates often have to deal with back taxes that the decedent owed. They may also have to deal with estate tax liabilities owed by the estate. While the probate process is governed by state law, state law gives way to Federal law when it comes to back taxes. The IRS has……

The U.S. Tax Court is unique in many ways. It has its own rules and the rules do not always comport with the rules that apply in other Federal courts. One example is that a party cannot just “non-suit” a case in tax court. A non-suit is the process of simply dismissing an action that……