Tax news February 2013

Tax

Colleges Gear Up for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Season

College students, eager to get a taste of the accounting profession, are once again turning out to assist low-income taxpayers file their tax returns through the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.
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Tax

IRS Issues 2013 Vehicle Depreciation Deduction Limits

On February 25, the IRS issued Rev. Proc. 2013-21, which reflects inflation adjustments to the depreciation limits and lease rates for cars, trucks, and vans first placed in service in calendar year 2013.
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Tax

Crime Watch: February 26, 2013

The United States has asked a federal court in Memphis, Tennessee, to permanently bar Ahmed Grant and Lillian Madyun from preparing federal income tax returns for others. The estimated harm to the government is over $2 million for the 2010 tax year alone, and may be as high as $5 million.
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Tax

Is Pole Dancing a Tax-Exempt Art Form?

If the owners of the Upstate New York strip club Nite Moves have their way, the Supreme Court will be taking up that question. They are challenging a $124,921 tax bill levied by state tax authorities and affirmed by appeals court judges.
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Tax

How to Prepare Clients for the Marketplace Fairness Act

The Marketplace Fairness Act gives states the authority to enforce sales tax collection requirements on most retailers for online sales purchased by residents of the state, even if the retailers have no physical presence in that state.
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Tax

IRS to 2010 Roth Converters: Pay the Piper!

The other shoe is about to drop for hundreds of thousands of taxpayers who converted from a traditional IRA to a Roth in 2010. And the IRS is likely to catch it. In fact, it has just posted a reminder to 2012 filers.
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Tax

2013 Health Care Reform Checklist

The following checklist is intended to provide a list of common steps that plan sponsors should consider in preparing for compliance with health care reform for 2013 and later years.
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Tax

AICPA Asks IRS for Tax Leniency

It's not quite as dramatic as the attorney for a death row prisoner requesting a reprieve from the governor, but the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) has sent a letter to the IRS asking for relief in the 2012 tax filing season.
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Tax

Income Tax Turns 100 in 2013: Die, Monster, Die!

In case you missed the big celebration, federal income tax turned 100 this month. Woo-hoo? February 3, 1913, was the day the Sixteenth Amendment to the US Constitution was passed, ushering in the nemesis of nearly every American, the good ol' income tax.
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Tax

Lindsay Lohan: Home on the Auction Block

Another round of bad news for the "Mean Girls" star Lindsay Lohan (age twenty-six) and her mom, Dina (age fifty). In early February they were greeted by an envelope tacked on the gate of their Merrick, New York, mansion.
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Tax

Battle of the Governors: Low Taxes vs. High Tans

The battle of words between two governors sounds a little like a schoolboy exchange. Texas Governor Rick Perry seems to be thumbing his nose at California Governor Jerry Brown. Brown is clearly annoyed, yet responding as if Perry is more of a mosquito than a threat.
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Tax

IRS Reports Traffic Delay for Refund Inquiries

In an unusual posting, the IRS has alerted taxpayers and professional practitioners that the Where's My Refund? feature and other related applications may not be available due to the extra-high volume of inquiries.
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Tax

IRS Warns of Delays with Schedule 8812 and Form 8867

The IRS is warning tax preparers of possible delays in processing tax returns or issuing refunds for two different forms, Schedule 8812 and Form 8867, because they either have been prepared incorrectly or are incomplete.
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Tax

Little Sympathy for Tax Debtor Casey Anthony

Here's one delinquent taxpayer who may not find many sympathizers as she works her way through bankruptcy proceedings - Casey Anthony. Anthony stood trial for murder after her two-year-old daughter disappeared and was later found dead.
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Tax

State of the Union: Table Is Set for Tax Reform

President Obama delivered a sweeping State of the Union address on a broad array of topics, ranging from the economy to immigration reform to gun control.
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Tax

Crime Watch: February 12, 2013

Hedge fund manager and CPA administrator Jonathan Davey was convicted by a jury in Charlotte, North Carolina, on February 8 for a $40 million Ponzi scheme. Ten other defendants were also convicted in the case.
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Tax

IRS to O.J. Simpson: Where's Our Money?

It's true that the IRS has slapped O.J. Simpson with two different tax liens over the years ($179,435.07 for 2007 to 2010, and $17,015.99 for 2011). California is still trying to collect $318,566.06 going back to 2000, on which Simpson has made no payments.
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Tax

IRS Accepting Returns with Depreciation, Education Credits This Week

The IRS is now accepting tax returns for processing that contain Form 4562, Depreciation and Amortization, and as of February 14, it plans to start processing Form 8863, Education Credits.
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Tax

How about a Little Sex with That Tax Audit?

That's what one Oregon taxpayer said he was offered by an IRS auditor. But it wasn't exactly a request, according to forty-year-old Vincent Burroughs. The "offer" came with a threat of hefty IRS penalties if he said no.
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Tax

Livestock – Depreciate? Inventory? Sell?

There are many different methods available to account for livestock, and it is important that farmers be knowledgeable of their options. Because of those many options, it is imperative that farmers utilize the tax planning services a tax professional can provide.
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Voice of the Editor

What would you do if one of your clients won the lottery? We asked several accountants to weigh in with their advice for the lucky Powerball winner, and the tips we received are useful for anyone who receives a windfall, whether it's a lottery win, an inheritance, a big bonus on the job, or a killing in the stock market.
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Gail Perry, CPA
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, AccountingWEB
editor@accountingweb.com
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