Federal
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December 02, 2024
Weekly Internal Revenue Bulletin
The Internal Revenue Service's latest weekly bulletin included updates to tax interest and applicable federal rates as well as the corporate bond monthly yield curve.
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November 27, 2024
Georgia Couple Asks Full DC Circ. To Review Tax Case
A Georgia couple whose challenge of a 2019 tax collection was denied by both the U.S. Tax Court and a D.C. Circuit panel is asking for the full appellate court to reconsider its ruling.
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November 27, 2024
US Says Prof's 8th Amendment Argument Fails In FBAR Case
An 86-year-old former professor cannot claim that his $545,000 penalty for failing to report foreign bank accounts violates the Eighth Amendment, the U.S. told a federal court, saying the penalty is neither excessive nor a fine, and that he never raised the argument before.
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November 27, 2024
Up Next At The High Court: Transgender Care, Holocaust Art
The U.S. Supreme Court will return to the bench Monday for its December arguments session, which will include blockbuster questions about the constitutionality of state laws banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors and whether Hungary can be held liable for property stolen during World War II.
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November 27, 2024
US Seeks FBAR Penalties Over $1.7M In Foreign Accounts
A Texas woman should face penalties for willfully failing to disclose foreign bank accounts from 2011 through 2013, which held balances exceeding $1.7 million, the U.S. government told a federal court Wednesday.
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November 27, 2024
Attys, Insurance Broker Seek Appeal In $22M Tax Scheme
Two attorneys and an insurance agent plan to appeal to the Fourth Circuit their convictions in a criminal case that accused them of participating in a $22 million tax avoidance scheme, according to Wednesday filings in North Carolina federal court.
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November 27, 2024
Ex-FBI Informant In Biden Case Wants Tax Charges Separate
A former FBI informant accused of making fake criminal accusations against President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, told a California federal court that new tax evasion charges against him should remain separate because the two cases are unrelated.
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November 27, 2024
GOP Threats To IRS Funds Risk Halting Agency Progress
Republicans will likely seek to cut IRS funding when they take control of the House, Senate and White House next year, threatening to roll back the gains in staffing, enforcement and technology the agency has made since it received a funding boost in 2022.
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November 27, 2024
Co. Seeks To Add 3 Chemicals To Taxable Substances List
The Internal Revenue Service is seeking comments on proposals from a chemical exporter to add three chemicals to the Internal Revenue Code's list of taxable substances, the agency said.
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November 27, 2024
Ga. Tax Preparer Admits To Filing False Returns Netting $3M
A Georgia tax preparer pled guilty to filing fraudulent income tax returns on behalf of her clients that cost the federal government more than $3 million, prosecutors announced.
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November 26, 2024
Ukrainian Man Admits To $25M Staffing, Tax Scheme
A Ukrainian man who was recently extradited to the U.S. to face charges that he helped illegally employ immigrants in Florida hotels pled guilty to tax crimes that prosecutors say caused $25 million in tax losses, according to Florida federal court filings.
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November 26, 2024
Tax-Exempt Benefit Regs Would Give Tribes Overdue Power
Recently proposed regulations on tribal general welfare benefits would grant tribes sole discretion to determine which programs and services are tax-exempt benefits and, if finalized, would fulfill the long-overdue purpose of a 2014 law meant to give them more deference.
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November 26, 2024
Jones Walker Welcomes New Commercial, Tax Atty
Jones Walker LLP has added a corporate partner who practices tax law and negotiates, structures and drafts complex merger and acquisition transactions, financings and related contracts and agreements, the firm said.
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November 26, 2024
Tax Court Gives Education Co. 2nd Shot At Nonprofit Status
The U.S. Tax Court dismissed Tuesday a petition from an education company seeking nonprofit status, granting a joint request from the company and the Internal Revenue Service that will give the company time to improve its application.
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November 26, 2024
Jackson Hewitt Workers Get Final OK On $10.8M Settlement
A federal judge granted final approval to a $10.8 million settlement between former Jackson Hewitt Inc. workers and the tax preparation firm over claims the company's franchisees entered into an anti-competitive no-poach agreement despite the provision being removed from the company's franchise agreements.
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November 26, 2024
Ariz. Reps. Urge Exemption Of State Rebates From Federal Tax
Arizona's one-time state tax rebates issued in 2023 should be exempt from federal taxation, three U.S. House members from the state told House leadership, urging a floor vote on legislation to exclude the income following a federal court decision finding the payments taxable.
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November 26, 2024
IRS Delays $600 Payment Reporting Requirement A Final Time
The Internal Revenue Service will push back its implementation of a law requiring peer-to-peer payment platforms such as Venmo and PayPal to report aggregate payments of $600 or more for one final time, it said Thursday, and the threshold for 2025 will instead be $2,500.
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November 26, 2024
Gov't, US-Saudi Former Pilot Close $1.2M FBAR Suit
A U.S.-Saudi citizen who's been a pilot and luxury airplane consultant settled his $1.2 million dispute with the U.S. government over bank accounts in Switzerland that the IRS said he failed to report.
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November 26, 2024
IRS Confirms Commerce Payments In Chips Tax Credit
Semiconductor development projects that received funding awards from the U.S. Commerce Department's CHIPS incentives program are considered investments that can also take advantage of the advanced manufacturing tax credit, the Internal Revenue Service confirmed Tuesday in guidance.
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November 26, 2024
IRS Adds Eight Tax Court Sessions To Calendar
The Internal Revenue Service announced eight U.S. Tax Court sessions for February and named the calendar administrators for the sessions in notices released Tuesday.
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November 25, 2024
Ex-DOJ Attorney Joins Moore Tax Law Group In Chicago
The Moore Tax Law Group has brought on a former trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division, the firm announced.
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November 25, 2024
Calif. Gov. Promises EV Tax Credit If Trump Axes Federal
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday said that he's preparing to save electric vehicle tax credits — at least for residents of his state — if the Trump administration and a Republican Congress eliminate federal ones.
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November 25, 2024
Vanguard, Investors Get Initial OK On $40M Deal In Tax Suit
A Pennsylvania federal judge gave initial approval Monday to a $40 million settlement between Vanguard and investors who claimed the firm breached its fiduciary duty when it triggered a sell-off of assets that left investors with hefty tax bills.
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November 25, 2024
Feds Violated Atty-Client Rules, Tax Evasion Defendant Says
A Brazilian-American businessman accused of using Swiss bank accounts to hide $20 million from the Internal Revenue Service asked a Florida federal court to dismiss all the charges against him, saying federal prosecutors improperly gained access to information protected by attorney-client privilege.
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November 25, 2024
IRS Finalizes Expansion Of Tax Info Disclosures To Census
The Internal Revenue Service published final rules Monday expanding what tax return information can be disclosed to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Expert Analysis
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How Associates Can Build A Professional Image
As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.
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Navigating New Safe Harbor For Domestic Content Tax Credits
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s recent notice simplifying domestic content calculations for certain solar, onshore wind and battery storage projects, which directly acknowledges the difficulty for taxpayers in gathering data to support a domestic content analysis, should make it easier to qualify additional domestic content bonus tax credits, say attorneys at A&O Shearman.
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Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age
As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.
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'Energy Communities' Update May Clarify Tax Credit Eligibility
A recent IRS notice that includes updated lists of locations where clean energy projects can qualify for additional tax credits — based 2023 unemployment data and placed-in-service dates — should help provide clarity regarding project eligibility that sponsors and developers need, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing
When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians
Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent
As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.
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How Cannabis Rescheduling May Alter Paraphernalia Imports
The Biden administration's recent proposal to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana use raises questions about how U.S. Customs and Border Protection enforcement policies may shift when it comes to enforcing a separate federal ban on marijuana accessory imports, says R. Kevin Williams at Clark Hill.
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NCAA Settlement May End The NIL Model As We Know It
The recent House v. NCAA settlement in California federal court, in which the NCAA agreed to allow schools to directly pay March Madness television revenue to their athletes, may send outside name, image and likeness collectives in-house, says Mike Ingersoll at Womble Bond.
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Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge at Robinson Bradshaw.
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A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence
The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.
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To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef
To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?
Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.