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TOPICS / TAX

Coalition, AICPA Fight Government Contractor Withholding Law

The AICPA has added its voice to those calling on Congress to repeal a law that would require federal, state and local governments to withhold 3% on payments made to government contractors, and on Medicare, farm, and certain other payments. The potential impact of the withholding requirement is evident in

2011 Automobile Depreciation Limits Released

The IRS on Tuesday issued the 2011 inflation adjustments to the depreciation limitations and lease inclusion amounts for certain automobiles under IRC § 280F (Revenue Procedure 2011-21). This year, the IRS has provided the limitation amounts for vehicles placed in service in 2011 for which bonus depreciation under IRC §

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DEFYING COURTS, IRS FINALIZES BASIS OVERSTATEMENT RULES The IRS released final regulations defining an omission from gross income for purposes of the extended six-year limitations period for assessment of tax (TD 9511). The regulations finalize without change temporary regulations (TD 9466) that the Tax Court held to be invalid last

Motor Fuel Tax Refund for Off-Road Use

Many taxpayers may be overlooking the refund or credit available under IRC § 6421 for federal excise taxes paid for motor fuels and similar state provisions. The taxes are on fuels used to power vehicles and equipment on roads and highways. Taxes paid for fuel to power vehicles and equipment

Act 2 for Business Tax Incentives

Enacted in the waning days of the 111th Congress, the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (2010 Tax Relief Act, PL 111-312) was a creature of political compromise. But the act nonetheless built upon already attractive incentives that had been passed only a few months

IRS Announces Changes to Lien Process

The IRS has announced a set of new policies designed to help taxpayers pay their back taxes and avoid liens (IR-2011-20). The changes to the IRS’ lien filing practices include: Increasing the dollar threshold above which liens are generally filed. Making lien withdrawals easier after the taxes have been paid.

IRS Provides Transitional Relief for Some Stock Basis Reporting Requirements

On Tuesday, the IRS provided transitional relief from the information reporting requirements that apply to issuers of stock regarding organizational actions that affect stock basis (Notice 2011-18). IRC § 6045B, enacted by the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008, PL 110-343, instituted a number of new information reporting requirements

IRS Starts Accepting Delayed Returns

The IRS on Tuesday announced that it has started accepting returns that it could not accept before because it was updating forms and reprogramming its systems (IR-2011-16). In December, the IRS informed taxpayers that because of the Dec. 17 enactment date of the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job

IRS Revises Withholding Rules for Nonresident Alien Employees

On Wednesday, the IRS announced the 2011 procedures for withholding on wages of nonresident alien employees who work in the United States (Notice 2011-12). The new procedures apply to wages paid on or after Jan. 1, 2011. In 2010, special withholding procedures were instituted for nonresident aliens because they were

Partnership Interests Aren’t Simple Gifts for Charities

Partnership interests (including interests in limited liability entities treated as a partnership) represent a potentially valuable gift to charities and private foundations, but with greater potential complications than gifts of stock. CPAs can alert principals to the following issues.   —By Dennis Walsh, CPA, (nonprofitcpa365@gmail.com) a Jamestown, N.C.-based consultant to

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NEW FORM 1099 REQUIREMENT FOR RENTAL INCOME Taxpayers receiving income from renting real estate should be aware of their new information-reporting responsibilities under IRC § 6041(h)(1), as amended by the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 (PL 111-240). The law requires them to report payments they make totaling $600 or

Multistate Tax Considerations for S Corporations

Many S corporations do business in multiple states and must file income or other tax returns in them. Many states have been more aggressive in going after out-of-state companies doing business in their states. Many of these businesses do not realize they have an exposure to a state’s taxes until

Some Forbearance Payments Deductible, Some Not

The Tax Court held that a corporation could deduct forbearance payments made to its shareholders in return for their promise not to exercise their stock redemption rights under the first two of several agreements. However, the court also held that payments under a subsequent agreement had to be capitalized, since

Save Time and Trouble With General Asset Accounts

Small and medium-size entrepreneurial businesses are sometimes blessed with a good idea but many similar or identical capital assets and not much time or accounting prowess to keep track of them all individually. Larger businesses may seek more efficient tax treatment for standard capital assets, such as laptop computers issued

AICPA Offers Congress 13 Suggested Cleanups for the Tax Code

Noncontroversial and straightforward tweaks to a tax code that contains more than 3.5 million words are not easy to find, but the AICPA has several such proposals that, if enacted, could eliminate a few headaches for taxpayers and CPAs alike.   The AICPA’s second annual compendium of legislative proposals, distributed to

2011 Tax Filing Season Gets Under Way With Many Changes

The IRS started accepting e-filed and Free File returns on Jan. 14, marking the official start of the 2011 tax filing season. However, many taxpayers will not be able to file until some time in February while the IRS updates forms and reprograms its systems to account for legislative changes

Sale of Business Generates Ordinary Income

The Tax Court held that payments to a taxpayer from the sale of his consulting business that he reported as long-term capital gain from his goodwill should instead be taxed as ordinary income. It held that the sales agreement that allocated amounts to the taxpayer as goodwill and to his

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