This is a question about international tax laws. Can a U.S. citizen who owns and operates a vessel outside of the U.S. avoid paying U.S. employment taxes for its crewmen by using a foreign legal entity? The court considered this issue in DAF Charters LLC v. Commissioner, 152 T.C. 14, for a single-member LLC formed…
Tax Articles
Tax Litigation When the Administrative Process Failed
There are cases where the administrative process does not reach the right conclusion. There are also cases where the administrative process isn’t available or fully completed. This can happen with tax disputes handled by the IRS. When it does, does this mean that the taxpayer cannot litigate the tax dispute? The record rule comes into…
Non-Taxable Subsidy or Taxable Benefit?
Some payments are not subject to Federal income tax. State subsidies are an example. But what is the difference between a non-taxable subsidy and a taxable benefit? The court addresses this in Ginsberg v. United States, No. 2018-1788 (Fed. Cir. 2019), in the context of the New York state brownfield tax credit. Contents1 Facts &…
IRS Not Limited in Collecting Restitution Assessments
The IRS is authorized to assess criminal restitution for certain tax crimes. This process allows the IRS to collect the criminal restitution as if it was a tax. The law authorizing these collections is relatively new and evolving. The recent Carpenter v. United States, 152 T.C. 12, case highlights why it is important for those…
What if the IRS Loses Your Mail?
The IRS manages to lose a lot of mail. To be fair, some of the mail is likely lost before it even gets to the IRS. When this happens, can the taxpayer lose out on their rights? The court revisits this issue in Baldwin v. United States, 17-55115 (9th Cir. 2019). Contents1 Facts & Procedural…
Time Frame for IRS Whistleblower Claims
The IRS is slow in making awards to whistle-blowers. It can take years just to get the final rejection letter from the IRS. This can be very frustrating for informants. In the Whistleblower 769-16W v. Commissioner, 152 T.C. 10 (2019), case, the IRS asked the court to send the case back to the IRS whistleblower…
Return Preparer Liable for Returns She Didn’t Prepare
The IRS has been increasing its focus on tax return preparers who file false or fraudulent tax returns. Congress recently beefed up the due diligence requirements preparers have to comply with and the penalty amounts have also been increased. But these laws only apply to tax returns the preparer actually prepared. In Tolentino v. United…
Tax Refunds for Equitable Innocent Spouse Relief
Innocent spouse relief can provide a remedy for spouses who file joint tax returns. This relief is particularly useful if the innocent spouse can obtain a tax refund for amounts previously paid. But not all innocent spouse requests can result in refunds. One has to be careful what they ask for. The Henry v. Commissioner,…
Does an IRS Appeals Protest Count as a Refund Claim?
Taxpayers generally have to submit refund claims to recoup taxes paid to the IRS. The law generally says that these claims have to be in writing, but not necessarily on the IRS’s official forms. Taxpayers submit a number of documents to the IRS. Written protests submitted to the IRS are an example. Can such a…
Did You Update Your Address With the IRS?
Note: the appeals court reversed this case. You can read about the appeals case here. The IRS relies heavily on the U.S. Postal Service to deliver notices to taxpayers. Many of these notices are received by taxpayers. This often comes up when the taxpayer has changed addresses. When the taxpayer does this and the address…