It wasn’t long ago that the IRS was completely in the dark as to what information taxpayers and others were reporting to foreign governments. The IRS would never show up on U.S. audit with information obtained from foreign governments. We do see this on audits occasionally, but it is still a rare occurrence. A recent…
Category: Tax Procedure
Tax Procedure
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IRS Penalties for Late-Filed Forms 5471
The Dewees v. United States, 16-cv-01579 (D.D.C. 2017) case is a good reminder that late-filed Forms 5471 should include reasonable cause statements. These statements can be submitted under the IRS’s Delinquent International Information Return Submission Procedures to avoid penalties being assessed. The Facts and Circumstances in Dewees Dewees is a U.S. citizen who lived in…
The Form 1045 Dispute & Possible Solution: Include a Detailed Cover Letter
The Form 1045, Application for Tentative Refund, is used to carryback losses, credits, etc. from the current year to prior years. In many cases it is used when a taxpayer was previously profitable and then incurrs a loss. The now unprofitable business can go back and recoup taxes paid in prior years and get a…
Serial IRS Whistleblower Cannot Remain Anonymous
You would think that an IRS whistleblower could always remain anonymous. That is a fundamental feature of the whistleblower program. In Whistleblower 14377-16W v. Commissioner, 148 T.C. 25, the U.S. Tax Court concluded that a whistleblower claimant could not remain anonymous when litigating his claim in court. This case is one all whistleblowers should read…
Issue for the New Partnership Audit Procedures Raised in TEFRA Case
The Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (“TEFRA”) procedures were intended to make it easier for the IRS to audit partnership tax returns. TEFRA failed to deliver. The rules are nuanced and hard to apply. The new partnership audit procedures are intended to remedy this. With the new partnership IRS audit procedures coming…
Penalty Abatement for Reliance on Tax Advisor Who Made Obvious Errors
The IRS often willing to abate or remove tax penalties. To do so, taxpayers usually have to show that they acted with reasonable cause and in good faith. Relying on a competent tax professional can be one way taxpayers can make this showing. But what exactly is a competent tax professional? The court addressed this…
Wholly Owned Corp and Parent Not the “Same Corporation” for Interest Netting
In Ford Motor Co. v. United States, No. 14-458T (Ct. Cl. 2017), the court addressed whether a wholly owned corporation and its parent were the “same corporation” when computing the amount of interest the taxpayer owed to the IRS. This “same corporation” issue is one that comes up in most interest-netting cases. The Interest Netting…
Two Years to File Refund Suit in District Court, Six Years in Federal Court of Claims
If the IRS owes the taxpayer a refund, the general rule is that the taxpayer has to file a refund claim with the IRS, wait for the IRS to disallow the claim, and then, within two years of the date the claim is disallowed, file suit to recoup the refund. This is the general rule.…
Do You Have to Use the IRS’s Official Forms?
Do taxpayers have to use the official forms published by the IRS? In May v. United States, No. 15-16599 (9th Cir. 2017), the court considered whether a taxpayer is subject to the listed transaction penalty if he fails to file the IRS’s reportable transaction form, but the IRS is otherwise furnished with all of the information…
Duty of Consistency for Different Types of Tax Returns
Taxpayers have to report tax positions consistently from year to year. They cannot get a tax benefit from taking inconsistent positions. The duty of consistency doctrine provides for this. But does this doctrine require items to be reported consistently on different types of tax returns? The court addressed this in Musa v. Commissioner, No. 16-1841 (7th…