Federal
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September 20, 2024
IRS Must Credit Overpayments, Couple Tell 5th Circ.
A couple claiming they should be allowed to sue the IRS for a roughly $500,000 tax refund in federal court because they overpaid their taxes told the Fifth Circuit that the agency is out of time to challenge their overpayments and must credit their account.
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September 20, 2024
IRS Corrects Proposed Clean Electricity Bonus Credit Regs
The Internal Revenue Service issued corrections Friday to proposed regulations that would broaden the types of power facilities that could be eligible for clean electricity low-income community bonus credit amounts starting in 2025.
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September 20, 2024
Weekly Internal Revenue Bulletin
The Internal Revenue Service's weekly bulletin, issued Friday, included proposed regulations that would adjust the timing for when companies could opt to use the so-called mark-to-market accounting method for gains or losses that arise from foreign currency transactions.
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September 19, 2024
Ch. 7 Trustee Urges Justices To Uphold Return Of Taxes
The bankruptcy trustee of a defunct Utah transportation company warned the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday that overturning a decision forcing the IRS to return tax payments made by company directors to cover their personal debts would encourage shareholder fraud.
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September 19, 2024
Convicted Drexel Professor Won't Get New Tax Evasion Trial
A Drexel University accounting professor was denied a new trial after being convicted on tax evasion charges for failing to report $3.3 million in income from a Trenton pharmacy, a New Jersey federal judge has ruled, reasoning that the professor's case was not prejudiced by keeping accounting records related to his tax returns from the jury.
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September 19, 2024
House Bill Proposes Tax Incentives For Military Housing
A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would seek to increase the availability and affordability of housing for service members in part by excluding the military's basic housing allowance from the income calculation for the low-income housing tax credit.
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September 19, 2024
Calif. Says FDIC's $20M Tax Refund Bid Must Wait
A California tax collection agency asked a New York federal court to throw out Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. claims seeking a more than $20 million tax refund on behalf of the shuttered Signature Bank, saying the agency is entitled to wait for a potential IRS audit to end.
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September 19, 2024
Death Doesn't Preclude FBAR Penalties, Judge Says
The death of a U.S. citizen who failed to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts doesn't stop the U.S. government from enforcing penalties against his estate, a New York federal judge ruled.
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September 19, 2024
Senate Tees Up Vote On Tax Court Nominee
The U.S. Senate set the stage Thursday to proceed with a vote on one of President Joe Biden's picks to fill an open seat on the U.S. Tax Court.
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September 19, 2024
GAO Says IRS Can Be Better Prepped For Reporting Changes
While the Internal Revenue Service could collect billions thanks to recent reporting requirement changes, particularly those related to cryptocurrency, the agency needs to take further steps to be prepared for the changes, the Government Accountability Office said Thursday.
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September 19, 2024
H&R Block Again Asks 8th Circ. To Remove ALJs In Ad Suit
H&R Block asked the Eighth Circuit to reconsider its denial of the company's request to stop administrative law judges from presiding over its coming false-advertising hearing before the Federal Trade Commission, saying the court's one-sentence ruling lacked any explanation despite the significant constitutional issues involved.
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September 19, 2024
IRS Warns Taxpayers Of Offer-In-Compromise 'Mills'
The IRS urged taxpayers to be careful about working with promoters that claim to provide necessary services in order to comply with the agency's offer-in-compromise program, saying Thursday that these "mills" only bring "empty promises and steep costs."
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September 18, 2024
Tax Chiefs Eye Crypto Payment Cos., OTC Traders, IRS Says
Tax investigators in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and the Netherlands are preparing guidance on red flags for cryptocurrency payment providers and over-the-counter trading desks following a joint operation this week, a special agent with the Internal Revenue Service said Wednesday.
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September 18, 2024
IRS Publishes Guidance For Issuers Of Tax-Exempt Bonds
The Internal Revenue Service published guidance Wednesday for issuers of tax-exempt and other tax-advantaged bonds in terms of procedures for filing claims for recovery of overpayments of rebate payments and other processes.
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September 18, 2024
Dems Block Bill Targeting Foreign Funding Of Campaign Gifts
Democrats blocked the House of Representatives from sending legislation to the Senate that would restrict contributions to political committees by tax-exempt entities that receive foreign funds.
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September 18, 2024
Tax Court Wrongly Denied Premium Deduction, 5th Circ. Told
A Texas couple asked the Fifth Circuit on Wednesday to reverse a U.S. Tax Court decision denying their bid to deduct more than $1 million in premiums paid to insurance companies they owned, arguing the Tax Court misclassified underlying insurance arrangements.
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September 18, 2024
IRS On Track With Updated Tool, But Some Risk Remains
While the IRS' project modernizing its individual tax processing engine met its performance goals ahead of the updated system's planned 2025 rollout, the ending of a process for solving issues between the new and old systems creates greater risk, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said Wednesday.
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September 18, 2024
Jury Finds Eatery Owner Guilty Of COVID Fraud, Tax Crimes
A San Diego restaurant owner who worked with food delivery services during the pandemic and saw his business improve was convicted by a California federal jury of tax crimes and lying on loan applications to obtain more than $1.7 million in COVID-19 funds meant for struggling businesses.
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September 18, 2024
House GOP Vows Blowback Over OECD's Min. Tax Backstop
House Republicans again warned the OECD that Congress will retaliate against countries that implement a backstop measure to the 15% global minimum tax, saying China will cheat the system and it will cost U.S. taxpayers about $120 billion.
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September 18, 2024
Tips Lead To $263M IRS Settlement In Offshore Evasion Case
Tips from three whistleblowers have led to the IRS reaching a $263 million settlement with a taxpayer in an offshore tax evasion case, concluding one of the largest-ever tax whistleblower cases, a law firm involved in the case said Wednesday.
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September 18, 2024
IRS Delays Deadlines For Pa. Victims Of Tropical Storm
Taxpayers in four Pennsylvania counties will have until Feb. 3, 2025, to file individual and business tax returns and make payments after portions of the state were hit by Tropical Storm Debby, the Internal Revenue Service said Wednesday.
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September 18, 2024
Treasury Floats Tax Credit Regs For EV Charging Property
The U.S. Treasury Department proposed regulations Wednesday to define which electric vehicle charging ports, hydrogen fueling stations and other infrastructure that businesses, people and tax-exempt entities can build in underserved communities to qualify for a tax credit of up to 30% of installation costs.
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September 18, 2024
Sidley Can't Escape Malpractice Suit In Ga. Over Tax Scheme
A Georgia federal judge has found that Sidley Austin LLP must face its former clients' legal malpractice claims alleging they participated in a tax scheme under the firm's guidance, but threw out indemnity claims seeking reimbursement for paying the IRS $7 million over the scheme.
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September 18, 2024
Latham Adds A&O Shearman Energy Group Co-Lead In DC
Latham & Watkins LLP has hired the former co-head of Allen Overy Shearman Sterling's U.S. energy, natural resources and infrastructure group to its team of transactional tax partners based in Washington, D.C., the firm announced Monday.
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September 18, 2024
Staffing Co. Owed $5M In Worker Retention Credits, Suit Says
An industrial staffing company that was forced to stop holding job fairs during the pandemic claims the IRS hasn't paid it $5.1 million in federal tax credits it's owed for having continued paying employees, according to a complaint in Ohio federal court.
Expert Analysis
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Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Is My Counterclaim Bound To Fall?
A Pennsylvania federal court’s recent dismissal of the defendants’ counterclaims in Morgan v. Noss should remind attorneys to avoid the temptation to repackage a claim’s facts and law into a mirror-image counterclaim, as this approach will often result in a waste of time and resources, says Matthew Selmasska at Kaufman Dolowich.
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3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture
Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents
Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.
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A Guide To Long-Term, Part-Time Employee Determinations
With final regulations under the Secure Act requiring 401(k) retirement benefits for long-term, part-time employees expected soon, Amy Sheridan and David Guadagnoli at Sullivan & Worcester look at how the proposed rules would shift the risk-reward calculus on excluding categories of employees, and what plan sponsors would need to consider when designing retirement plans.
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After Chevron: Delegation Of Authority And Tax Regulators
The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service will face higher standards following Loper Bright’s finding that courts should determine whether agency rules meet the best possible interpretation of the tax code, as well as the scope of the authority delegated by Congress, says Edward Froelich at McDermott.
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Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act
As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.
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How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market
Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.
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Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.
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Contract Disputes Recap: Preserving Payment Rights
Stephanie Magnell and Zachary Jacobson at Seyfarth examine three recent decisions that together illustrate the importance of keeping accurate records and adhering to contractual procedures to avoid inadvertently waiving contractual rights to cost reimbursements or nonroutine payments.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step
From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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After Jarkesy, IRS Must Course-Correct On Captive Insurance
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy decision has profound implications for other agencies, including the IRS, which must stop ignoring due process and curtailing congressional intent in its policing of captive insurance arrangements, says Peter Dawson at the 831(b) Institute.
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Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity
The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.