In 2018, taxpayers enjoyed an increase in take-home pay as a result of revisions to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) withholding tables that decreased the amount of federal income taxes withheld from their paychecks. The revisions to the withholding tables were made to reflect changes from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“TCJA”).…
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Introduction This is the third article in a series of articles we are writing on IRS audits. The purpose of this series is to demystify the audit process, inform readers about how IRS audits are conducted, and provide readers with an understanding of the audit process. In Part I of this series, we discussed how…
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Introduction This is the second article in a series of articles we are doing on IRS audits. The purpose of this series is to demystify the audit process, inform readers about how IRS audits are conducted, and provide readers with an understanding of the audit process. In Part I of this series, we discussed how…
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Introduction This article is the first article in a multi-part series of articles that I will be doing on IRS audits. The purpose of this series is to demystify the audit process, inform readers about how audits are conducted, and provide readers with an understanding of what to expect if selected for examination. This article…
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The Tax Court recently issued decisions in Kearse v. Commissionerand Commission v. Romano-Murphy (“Romano-Murphy II“). Both cases involved review of administrative determinations made by IRS appeals officers in collections due process (“CDP”) proceedings. Section 6330(c)(1) requires appeals officers conducting CDP hearings to verify that the requirements of any applicable law or administrative procedure related to the assessment…
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Introduction The do-it-yourself (DIY) movement has been very popular in recent years. Some people are attracted to the idea of DIY because they like the feeling of satisfaction that comes with accomplishing a task, whatever it may be. Others perceive DIY as a way to save money (i.e., they are just cheap). Some tasks are…
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In Cavanaugh v. Commissioner, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals addressed the deductibility of settlement payments made by a corporation to avoid liability arising from the misconduct of a shareholder-employee. Affirming the Tax Court ruling from 2012, the Fifth Circuit held that the settlement payments at issue in Cavanaugh were not deductible under IRC § 162(a) because the…
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Conservation easements have been in the news a lot recently. On Wednesday, March 27, 2019, the Senate Finance Committee launch a bipartisan investigation into the potential abuses involving syndicated conservation easement transactions. The Senate investigation is comes on the heels of an enforcement action initiated by the Department of Justice against EcoVest Capital, LLC (“EcoVest”),…
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The Mississippi House of Representatives is currently considering a pair of bills that could have a major impact on trust and estates in Mississippi. The bills, H.B. 1375 and H.B. 1425, are the product of a study committee formed by the Secretary of State and touch on a broad range of subjects, including non-probate transfers, transfer…
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The federal government shutdown is stretching into week four, and there is no end in sight. The shutdown has affected all federal agencies and courts, including the United States Tax Court. One question raised by the shutdown is what effect does it have on Tax Court filing deadlines? The question is important because statutory filing…
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