Extra Time Provided for Filing 2020 Taxes may offer Financial Planning Opportunity
The federal income tax filing due date for individuals for the 2020 taxes has been extended from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021. Individual taxpayers can also postpone federal income tax payments for the 2020 tax year due on April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021, without penalties and interest, regardless of the amount […]
Have you hired the right Tax Preparer to prepare your Taxes?
Tax Season is here. Tax Preparers have different levels of skills, education and expertise and Taxpayers ought to take a closer look at what constitutes a “Qualified” Tax Preparer. There are various types of regulated Tax Preparers, including Certified Public accountants (CPAs), Enrolled Agents, and Attorneys. CPAs, Enrolled Agents and Attorneys are “Qualified” by IRS […]
19 possible Questions that your Tax Preparer ought to Ask regarding Foreign Accounts and Assets
Many Taxpayers with international entanglements seek the assistance of tax return preparers without U.S. international tax reporting experience. Because US International tax reporting is complicated and often overwhelming for US Taxpayers, international tax specialist CPA is the appropriate choice for the work. When an inappropriate US international income tax compliance preparer is not hired, the […]
How does the IRS enforce the Nation’s Tax Laws for the benefit of all Taxpayers?
On December 17, 2020, the IRS published a document entitled “Closer Look”. It explains the IRS aspiration for balancing the Taxpayer burden with the potential benefit of its compliance effort when deciding which compliance tool to use. The goal of the IRS is to minimize taxpayer burden while encouraging voluntary compliance through utilizing the most […]
Included in the AML ACT of 2020 is the Corporate Transparency Act which outlines Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements
The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) is within the AML Act of 2020. It establishes Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting Requirements to facilitate important national security, intelligence, and law enforcement activities; and confirm beneficial ownership information provided to financial institutions to facilitate the compliance of the financial institutions with anti-money laundering, countering the financing of terrorism, and […]
New Criminal Offenses related to Foreign Political Figures and Money Laundering Entities
Regarding assets belonging to Senior Foreign Officials, Section 6313 of the AML Act of 2020 prohibits the concealment of the source of those assets in monetary transactions or involving Institutions of primary Money Laundering concern as two new criminal offenses. Both offenses are punishable by a fine of up to $1,000,000 or 10 years of […]
Foreign Bank and the New Longer Arm of the US Treasury and DOJ
Before passage of the AML ACT of 2020 (the “ACT”), The US Department of the Treasury, and the US Justice Department (DOJ) had US legal authority to subpoena foreign banks with US correspondent accounts for related US records including records held in a foreign country. AML ACT of 2020 expands the subpoena reach of the […]
FinCEN provides further SAR Clarity
On January 19, 2021, FinCEN issued Answers to Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Suspicious Activity Reporting and Other Anti-Money Laundering Considerations. The answers to seven questions were provided by FinCEN in response to recent Bank Secrecy Act Advisory Group (BSAAG) recommendations, as described in more detail in FinCEN’s Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on Anti-Money […]
Should Banks Continue To Do Business with Entities for Which a SAR is Filed?
Should Banks Continue To Do Business with Entities for Which a SAR is Filed? This article appeared at the Daily Business Review on 12/23/20
IRS Agents Use Methods of Proof
The IRS has tools inside of its Internal Revenue Manual (“IRM”) available to its agents for determining a Taxpayer’s taxable income as well as documenting its adjustments and corrections through what it calls “Methods of Proof”. The IRM describes seven Methods of Proof for use by its agents who are pursuing its civil or criminal […]
“Reasonable Cause” When Dealing with the IRS
On November 5, 2020, the IRS removed the Delinquent Information Submission Procedure Program from its Offshore Compliance Options Menu. Before the removal of this program, a US Taxpayer could file a “delinquent” international information tax return with what is known as a Reasonable Cause Statement from which the IRS could waive non-compliance penalties if a […]
What can I do if I made a willful mistake and willfully failed to comply with my tax obligations?
Voluntary compliance is the foundation of the US tax system. Although the majority of US Taxpayers voluntarily comply with their obligations, some fail to do so (willful mistake). Submitting a voluntary disclosure via the Voluntary Disclosure Practice may resolve a Taxpayer’s non-compliance and limit exposure to criminal prosecution The Voluntary Disclosure Practice (VDP) is managed […]
