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Regulators Extend FBAR Filing Deadline for Certain Financial Professionals

The IRS and the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced Tuesday that a small group of individuals required to file the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBARs) will receive a one-year extension beyond the upcoming filing date of June 30, 2011. FinCEN issued Notice 2011-1 that

FASAB Guidance Helps With Historical Cost Estimates

The Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB) issued implementation guidance in Statement of Federal Financial Accounting Technical Release (TR) 13, Implementation Guide for Estimating the Historical Cost of General Property, Plant & Equipment, to address the historical cost estimating of general property, plant and equipment (G-PP&E) as it applies to

IRS Announces “Good Faith” Extension of Voluntary Disclosure Deadline

The IRS said on Thursday that it is making available to taxpayers a 90-day deadline extension to participate in the 2011 offshore voluntary disclosure initiative (OVDI). The extension would be available to taxpayers who have made a good faith attempt to fully comply by Aug. 31, but are unable to

Featured Online Content for June 2011

FEATURED VIDEO How IFRS Could Change Corporate Finance Colleen Cunningham, CPA, global managing director of finance and accounting for Resources Global Professionals, explains how a move to IFRS in the U.S. could give rise to new litigation concerns and encourage outsourcing of certain finance functions. The video is available at

IRS Finalizes Circular 230 Regulations

The IRS issued final regulations Tuesday (TD 9527) implementing components of the IRS’ initiative to register and regulate all paid tax return preparers. The regulations, which finalize proposed regulations issued in August 2010 (REG-138637-07), revise regulations under Title 31, part 10, commonly known as Circular 230, which govern the practice

IRS Gives Relief for Late Elections to Combine Real Estate Activities

The IRS established a special procedure by which taxpayers can make a late election to treat all their real estate activities as a single activity for purposes of meeting material participation rules. The guidance, in Revenue Procedure 2011-34, allows eligible taxpayers to avoid applying for a private letter ruling to

Treasury Releases Plan to Review All Regulations

The Treasury Department on Thursday released a plan to review all existing Treasury regulations and identify those that are “obsolete, unnecessary, excessively burdensome, or ineffective.” The plan is part of a larger federal government regulatory review mandated by an executive order issued by President Barack Obama in January. Under the

SEC Staff Presents “Condorsement” as Possible Method for Move to IFRS

A staff paper published Thursday by the SEC’s Office of the Chief Accountant (OCA) presents in detail and solicits comments on the so called “condorsement” approach to incorporating IFRS into the U.S. financial reporting system. “The Staff’s discussion in this Staff Paper is not intended to suggest that the Commission

Bank Profits Up Sharply, but Revenues Falter

Commercial banks and savings institutions reported a big drop in loan-loss provisions and continued improvements in asset quality as industry profits climbed to $29 billion in the first quarter of 2011, and the FDIC’s Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) inched closer to positive territory. However, some of that improvement was offset

CAQ Partnering to Develop Anti-Fraud Tools, Tracking PCAOB Projects

The Center for Audit Quality is partnering with Financial Executives International, The Institute of Internal Auditors and the National Association of Corporate Directors to develop fraud-fighting training and tools, including a series of fraud hypotheticals to be used as teaching tools. “We will provide a set of facts and circumstances

AICPA Speaks Out Against Proposed Model Sales and Use Tax Statute

The AICPA testified at a hearing May 18 to voice its opposition to a model statute drafted by the Multistate Tax Commission (MTC) that would authorize states to require nonresident companies to report sales transactions with in-state consumers in an effort to increase use tax compliance. The MTC is an

New “Killer B” Regulations Issued

The IRS has issued new final regulations on cross-border reverse triangular reorganizations, popularly known as “Killer B” transactions (TD 9526). The regulations finalize with some modifications proposed regulations that were issued in 2008 (REG-136020-07). Killer B transactions are designed to allow corporations to repatriate foreign subsidiary earnings tax-free, in violation

Tax Court Gives Some Petitioners Extra Time to File Motions to Vacate

During the transition to its new eAccess electronic document management system, the Tax Court failed to serve a small number of petitioners with paper or electronic notices of the documents concluding their cases (such as final decisions or orders of dismissal). The Tax Court has notified petitioners in those cases,

Oversight Board Identifies IRS Problems

The IRS Oversight Board released its annual report to Congress on Thursday, describing the IRS’ performance during fiscal 2010 and its progress in meeting the goals in its strategic plan. The board describes the challenges the IRS has faced in recent years in administering new tax laws enacted to provide

FASB, IASB Issue “Largely Identical” Guidance on Fair Value

FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) on Thursday issued guidance on fair value measurement and disclosure requirements that the boards said in a press release is “largely identical” across IFRS and U.S. GAAP. The guidance, set out in IFRS 13, Fair Value Measurement, and FASB Accounting Standards Update

FAF Holding Webcast on Post-Implementation Review

The Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF), FASB’s parent organization, is hosting a webcast May 20 on its post-implementation review effort, which is focused on generating real-world feedback on accounting and financial reporting standards. A pilot of the post-implementation review process has begun on a FASB standard, the details of which will

FASAB Modifies Definition of “Deferred Maintenance”

The Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB) issued a standard that it said is aimed at resolving problems created, in part, by agencies’ use of different interpretations of “deferred maintenance.” The board said that Statement of Federal Financial Accounting Standards (SFFAS) no. 40, Definitional Changes Related to Deferred Maintenance and

Government Contractor Withholding Delayed to 2013

The IRS issued final regulations (TD 9524) further postponing implementation of mandatory 3% withholding on payments from government entities to contractors and providing interim guidance. The final regulations also adopt a $10,000 withholding threshold for any single payment and provide a transition rule under which interest and penalties will not

FinCEN: Suspected Terrorist Financing, Money Laundering up in 2010

The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) said suspicious activity reports (SARs) categorized as Terrorist Financing and BSA/Structuring/Money Laundering rose considerably in 2010 compared with 2009. Terrorist Financing SARs rose 30%; Money Laundering filings, after declining in 2009, increased 9%. The SAR Activity Review—By the Numbers, Issue 16, said

FROM THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Tax Court allows cattle ranch deductions

The Tax Court held that a Texas rancher operated with a profit motive, despite “troublingly large” losses more than 77 times his gross receipts from farming and ranching. Learn more in this Tax Matters article.