Taxes

The IRS is warning taxpayers about a new scam involving tax refunds. Here’s how the scam works. Fraudsters are mailing taxpayers what looks like a cardboard envelope from a delivery service. The accompanying letter—complete with a fake IRS masthead—suggests that the notice is “in relation to your unclaimed refund.” The letter includes bogus contact information

A fan of Neymar Jr. made headlines last week when he declared that he was leaving his estate to the football phenom. The anonymous fan told the online newspaper Metrópoles that, in addition to his love for the Brazilian national team, he identified with the Paris Saint-Germain striker. He said, in an interview, “I like

Taxes are complex, and the line between creative tax planning and tax evasion isn’t always clear. How aggressive are you being? Are you claiming something the IRS may view as over the top? Do you have exposure for past years, and would amending your past tax returns make the situation better or worse? What is

A recent case demonstrates the impact that a stock-purchase agreement and life insurance can have (or not have) on the valuation of a closely held company for estate tax purposes. Before diving into the case, some context is helpful. It is not uncommon for closely held businesses to have buy-sell agreements. In many instances, the

Some countries are considering making changes to their international tax laws on transfer pricing, and it may be wise for the United States to consider doing so as well. There is a pattern of countries enacting relatively vague transfer pricing legislation and then leaving it in place untouched for decades. The United States, for example,

The death of New York’s Richard Ravitch, a legendary civic and economic expert and problem solver, prompted the New York Times’ Ginia Bellafante to recall the city’s brush with bankruptcy in the 1970s. Noting Ravitch’s role in bringing unions into the city’s financial rescue, Bellafante wonders “could such an alliance happen today?” Sadly, probably not.

If you live in California or certain other disaster areas, watch your mail. The IRS is sending a special follow-up mailing to taxpayers in several states affected by disasters to let them know that they have additional time to pay their taxes. The IRS is taking this special step to help reassure taxpayers affected by

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) governs some of the most complex laws in the world. Beyond the complexity, the pace of change in the tax code is hard to keep up with year after year. This month, the latest round of proposed tax changes have implications for individuals and business owners. House Republicans released drafts

It is important for all taxpayers to be at least aware of the power of the IRS, in an effort to incentivize compliance. This is due to the IRS possessing many arrows in its quiver to enforce US taxpayers’ payment of a deficiency. The IRS possesses an assessment statute of limitations which is generally three

A Nigerian national who targeted elderly U.S. victims has been sentenced to nearly seven years in prison for his role in the scheme. Emmanuel Samuel, 39, was charged as part of a group of fraudsters that sent personalized letters to elderly victims in the U.S. Earlier this year, Samuel, along with Iheanyichukwu Jonathan Abraham and