Property Rights & IRS Levies: Louisiana’s Usufruct

To determine whether the IRS can levy or take property, one has to consider what property the taxpayer owns. State law dictates what property the taxpayer owns. The property laws in most states are similar, which makes applying Federal tax collection law relatively easy. But then there is Louisiana law. Louisiana law differs in many……

The Tax Preparer’s Right to Appeal Return Penalties

The IRS has been focusing on tax return preparer audits. The aim of these audits is to impose penalties on tax return preparers. The IRS typically provides a means for tax preparers to appeal these penalties administratively, but there are cases where it doesn’t provide this opportunity. In those cases the IRS will assess the……

IRS Ignore Your Offer in Compromise? What’s Next?

The IRS offer in compromise program provides taxpayers with a remedy for settling back taxes.  It can provide taxpayers with a much-needed fresh start.  Congress has changed the rules for offers.  One change is that offers are deemed accepted if the IRS does not reject them within two years.  This raises the question as to…Continue…

Can “Business Synergies” be an Asset that Increases a Tax Loss?

The tax consequence of a transaction often depends on how one characterizes or describes the transaction. Business synergies are often cited as the rationale for merger and acquisition deals. In a M&A deal, are “business synergies” a separate asset for tax purposes? Can you list “business synergies” as a separate asset and then take a……

IRS Can Avoid Bankruptcy Collection Hold

One of the benefits of filing bankruptcy is that creditors are precluded from taking collection actions.  When a taxpayer who owes unpaid taxes to the IRS files bankruptcy, this collection hold applies to the IRS.  But what if the IRS could simply file a motion and avoid the collection hold?  This is exactly what happened…Continue…

Are Wages Paid to Foreign Researcher Taxable in the U.S.?

If a researcher comes to the U.S. on an Exchange Visitor J-1 Status visa and is paid wages for research, are the wages taxable income? The answer is “maybe” according to Baturin v. Commissioner, 153 T.C. 10 (2019). Facts &… Read More The post Are Wages Paid to Foreign Researcher Taxable in the U.S.? appeared first…

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