The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said in Rep’t No. 2014-40-056 that its audit indicated the IRS does not timely process complaints it receives against tax return preparers.
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TOPICS / TAX
IRS practice & procedure
IRS proposes scrapping COD nonpayment testing period
The Service says the 36-month period for reporting cancellation-of-debt income is ineffective and prone to confusion.
Congress passes tax extender legislation
Included in the extended provisions are the research and development credit, bonus depreciation and higher limits under Sec. 179. The bill now goes to the president for his signature.
CPA practitioners sue to stop PTIN fees
Plaintiffs say the $64.25 first-time fee and $63 annual renewal provide no special benefit under federal law.
AICPA identifies problems with IRS’s electronic signature rules
Verification through records checks and authentication questions may risk clients’ data security and be impractical for some.
Can practitioners give up their email disclaimers?
In June, the IRS finalized changes to Circular 230, Regulations Governing Practice Before the Internal Revenue Service, affecting the provision of written tax advice and certain other related provisions.
G-20 leaders commit to automatic exchange of tax information
“Profits should be taxed where economic activities deriving the profits are performed and where value is created”—so said the leaders of the G-20 major economies as they endorsed the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD’s) global standard for automatic exchange of tax information at the G-20 summit in Brisbane,
Whistleblower awards widened
Final rules expand the definitions of collected proceeds and eligible individuals, and specify the criteria for award amounts. Comprehensive final regulations issued in August provide rules for whistleblower awards under Secs. 7623(a) and (b), as well as rules governing the disclosure of return information under Sec. 6103(h) to pursue these
New IRS appeals process launched
Cases lacking documentation or adherence to procedural requirements or that have new taxpayer information will be returned to Examination. In September, the IRS Office of Appeals began a policy of hearing only cases that are fully developed; hearing officers will not do their own investigations and will send any new
Jeopardy and termination assessment cases
In some circumstances, the IRS may resort to a series of procedures known as jeopardy or termination assessment and collection. If the IRS believes that the collection of an unassessed liability is in jeopardy, it may take steps to begin collection proceedings without following the normal assessment and collection procedures
Changes made to IRS streamlined offshore compliance procedures
The IRS updated its streamlined offshore compliance program to provide procedures taxpayers residing both inside and outside the United States should use to participate in the program. The streamlined offshore compliance program is for taxpayers whose failure to comply with requirements to report offshore assets is nonwillful. It is designed
CPA practitioners sue to stop PTIN fees
Two CPAs have filed suit in the U.S. district court for the District of Columbia, asking the court to stop the IRS from charging fees for issuing preparer tax identification numbers (PTINs), to obtain refunds of fees paid in the past, and to enjoin the IRS from asking for more
Rules for written tax advice finalized
Circular 230 final regs. make ubiquitous email disclaimer no longer necessary. The IRS issued final regulations under Circular 230, Regulations Governing Practice Before the Internal Revenue Service (31 C.F.R. Part 10), on the rules for practitioners to provide written tax advice and certain other related provisions, adopting the proposed regulations
Expanded OVDP a chance to reduce penalties
The new information-reporting requirements of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), P.L. 111-147, took effect on July 1. Among other things, FATCA requires foreign financial institutions (FFIs) to report on their accounts held by U.S. taxpayers. More than 77,000 FFIs signed on and acquired approved status in the initial
New IRS appeals process starts Sept. 2
Starting Sept. 2, the IRS Office of Appeals is changing the way it handles appeals to examination decisions. Under the new Appeals Judicial Approach and Culture (AJAC) project, appeals officers are “no longer going to be examiners or investigators,” Appeals Team Manager Philip A. Oyoto told preparers at the IRS
SEC will scrutinize municipal advisers’ rules compliance
A new SEC examination initiative will scrutinize municipal advisers’ compliance with new rules and regulations that are under implementation. The SEC announced Tuesday that its Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) will examine a significant percentage of municipal advisers for compliance. “The municipal adviser examination initiative will focus on
Whistleblower final rules expand definition of collected proceeds
Comprehensive final regulations issued Thursday provide rules for whistleblower awards under Secs. 7623(a) and (b), as well as rules governing the disclosure of return information under Sec. 6103(h) to pursue these claims (T.D. 9687). The regulations provide the rules for submitting information to the IRS, define key terms, provide rules
New streamlined procedures and changes to the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program are announced
Just in time for the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), which goes into effect July 1, the IRS announced changes to its streamlined filing compliance procedures and its Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) designed to make it easier for taxpayers to comply with their obligations to report offshore assets and
IRS adopts “Taxpayer Bill of Rights”
The IRS on Tuesday released a “Taxpayer Bill of Rights” intended to better communicate to taxpayers their existing statutory and administrative protections. Modeled after the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights and a document of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the 10 broad provisions were announced at a news
What tax preparers need to know about digital currency
Not long ago, few people had heard of bitcoins or digital currency. Now, digital currency routinely makes the headlines. Retailers such as Overstock.com, some sellers on online marketplace Etsy.com, and many other businesses now accept bitcoins as payment. By December 2013, it had been estimated that more than 1 million
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FROM THIS MONTH'S ISSUE
Flip out with the latest Tech Q&A
The September Technology Q&A column shows how to create dynamic to-do lists with Excel's checkboxes and also how to set up multifactor authentication texts that don't rely on phones. Flip through both items and view a video walkthrough in our digital format.
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