Upcoming Virtual Currency FBAR and FATCA Reporting Enforcement
Under current FinCEN regulations, a foreign account holding virtual currency is not reportable on the FBAR. However, FinCEN in its FinCEN Notice 2020-2, proposes amending reports of foreign financial accounts (FBAR) regulations to include virtual currency accounts as a type of reportable account. FATCA requires foreign financial accounts reporting as well. For individuals, FATCA applies […]
THE TAX GAP TO RISE TO APPROXIMATELY $7 TRILLION
The US Treasury reports that it is expecting the tax gap to rise to approximately $7 trillion over the course of the next decade if left unaddressed. In May 2021, the US Department of the Treasury issued the “THE AMERICAN FAMILIES PLAN TAX COMPLIANCE AGENDA” describing the Biden Administration (Administration) initiatives for restoring IRS enforcement […]
Forensic Audits are Trending
The demand for forensic auditing services is soaring during our ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. In the space of Certified Public Accountants (CPA) service offerings, forensic auditing is a recognized tool for detecting and preventing fraud or financial crimes. Keep in mind when engaging with a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) for […]
Additional IRS Funding Will Increase IRS Enforcement
How IRS Finds “Mismatches” via its Automated Compliance Programs
The IRS uses the information it collects to detect, prevent, and reduce noncompliance and fraud. The US Government accountability Office (GAO) produced a Tax Administration Report on December 2020 (Better Coordination Could Improve IRS’s Use of Third-Party Information Reporting to Help Reduce the Tax Gap). IRS research (via GAO) discloses that when third-party reporting exits, […]
How is your Organization’s Performance with Respect to Fraud?
US Regulations including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), Sarbanes-Oxley Act and Anti-Bribery legislation require that Management in a business have a zero tolerance for fraud and have an Audit Committee in place that will establish the procedures for receipt of complaints and anonymous employee tips with respect to irregularities in accounting methods, internal controls, […]
IRS Global High Wealth Group is a Tool to Reduce the Tax Gap
In its April 28, 2021 Press Release (the “Release”) “Investing in the IRS and Improving Tax Compliance”, the US Department of the Treasury addresses available enforcement activities relating to reducing the U.S. Tax Gap; estimated to reach approximately $7 Trillion over the next ten years. The Release states that providing the IRS with the resources […]
High-Income Individuals and Corporate Tax Returns are Targets of IRS Additional Funding Program
The 2022 discretionary funding request (request) made by the Biden Administration will invest in a “fair and robust” tax system that includes tax compliance enforcement directed at High Income and High Net Worth Individuals and Corporations. The funding program request states that the tax reforms are targeted to ensure that “the wealthy and well-connected pay […]
IRS Examination Functions Have Shifted
The commentary in A Closer Look: Impacting the Tax Gap by IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig discusses how the IRS has shifted its examination focus to tax returns that include high income taxpayers, pass-through entities, multinational taxpayers involving international tax issues, large pension plans, private foundations, virtual currencies and Non-filers. The commentary sheds a lot of […]
IRS is on a Mission is to Reduce the Tax Gap
The difference between the amount of tax owed by Taxpayers for a given year and the amount that is actually paid timely for that same year is known as the “Gross Tax Gap”. The IRS looks at this number as an estimate of the annual amount of noncompliance with the US tax laws. In the […]
Out of Compliance Taxpayers Beware of The J5
In 2017, following the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers data leaks, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) issued a “call to action” for countries to do more to tackle enablers of tax crimes. The result of this “call to action” was the 2018 establishment of an operational alliance known as the “Joint Chiefs […]
Agencies Request Information to Assist with BSA/AML Laws and Regulations Compliance
On April 9, 2021, the federal banking regulatory agencies (the Federal Reserve, FDIC and OCC) together with FinCEN and the National Credit Union Administration issued a joint statement addressing how risk management principles described in the Supervisory Guidance on Model Risk Management (Guidance) relate to systems or models used by banks to assist in complying […]