Articles Posted in Tax Litigation and Tax Controversy

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No taxpayer wants to receive news of a tax deficiency, tax audit, or other bad news from the IRS; however, it may turn out that the only thing worse than receiving bad news from the IRS is not receiving notice that you need to take action to correct a past tax filing or past tax mistake. Almost invariably, the longer a taxpayer takes to fix his or her underpayment of tax or outstanding tax bill the greater the amount of interests and penalties he or she is likely to pay. Thus, while it may be painful to receive notice of a tax lien or other adverse action by the IRS, not receiving the notice in a timely manner is worse.

Unfortunately for more than 24,000 taxpayers, a report from the Treasury Inspector General’s Office shows that problems in the tax lien process do occur.

When Can the IRS File a Tax Lien & What is Its Impact?

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The U.S. Tax Code is, essentially, in a constant state of flux. While there are certain bedrock principles, such as the obligation to file and pay taxes, particularities regarding both substantive and procedural handling of tax issues can change with time. Decisions made by judges, changes to the Internal Revenue Code by acts of Congress, and IRS interpretations of the statutory law can all effect how the Code is administered. In some cases, some of these sources of guidance for the tax code may disagree resulting in uncertainty and confusion.

Taxpayers must remain aware of their ever-changing tax obligations and the consequences for their noncompliance. Taxpayers who fail to keep abreast of important changes in the tax code and its procedures risk subjecting themselves to significant tax penalties or even criminal tax charges.

How Long Does the IRS Typically Have to Conduct a Tax Audit?

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As many tax controversy attorneys can state, tax problems can lead to major issues including a tax audit and even criminal tax charges. Even though tax problems are typically serious matters there are certain tax crimes that stand out even among serious offenses. Tax Evasion and tax fraud involving the use of stolen identities and stolen personal information is not only one of those crimes that can be punished particularly severely, it is also a major enforcement focus for both the Department Of Justice and the IRS. Taxpayers facing tax fraud or tax evasion charges should consult a tax lawyer before admitting anything to federal agents or prior to taking any action on the tax problem.

Queen of Tax Fraud Likely to Spend Decades in Prison

In a widely-reported tax conviction, Rashia Wilson was sentenced to more than two decades in prison due to her part in an identity theft and tax fraud scheme. While tax sentences are often harsh, this sentence stood apart in severity perhaps due to her other weapons charges, and her apparent propensity to brag and challenge law enforcement officials over social media. In one online posting, Ms. Wilson wrote:

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You filed your taxes like you were supposed to and you should be able to spend the rest of the year free from worries about taxes. But, then one day it appears. The envelope is fairly nondescript except for the name and address of the Internal Revenue Service emblazoned upon it. Maybe you tear it open immediately or maybe you wait until you are feeling a little braver, but in either case your mind starts racing and you can’t quite shake the feeling that you’ll soon be facing major tax problems.

However, not every notice from the IRS represents a major issue or concern. But, if you do receive a notice that alleges that serious tax mistakes or tax crimes have occurred, the Brager Tax Law Group may be able to help you resolve your issues with the IRS.

Above all else, do not panic if your see a notice from the Internal Revenue Service

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If you are living in the United States it can be difficult to miss the numerous announcements and pronouncements of the impending April 15th tax deadline. And yet, every year thousands of US taxpayers will fail to file and pay taxes.

There are a variety of reasons for this failure. These reasons can include situations where the taxpayer simply doesn’t want to pay tax and is concealing income. In other circumstances the taxpayer may know that he or she would be unable to pay and thought that concealing income by not filing would help their tax situation. In still other circumstances the taxpayer may be a young person who simply did not realize that he or she had a filing obligation or the severity of consequences that can follow a failure to report and pay taxes.

While taxpayers could have filed IRS form 4868 prior to the tax deadline to extend their filing deadline by 6 months to October 15, 2015, those who failed to file or extend by the original filing date no longer have this option. However there may be options to correct the tax problem and to come back into compliance with the tax system.

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The 2007 financial crisis and its aftermath fundamentally changed how Americans think about risk and business. Another effect of the financial crisis was creating a renewed urgency regarding balancing the federal government’s finances. While many in Congress focus on reducing expenditures, the IRS has continued its efforts to increase tax revenues through better identification of tax fraud and tax avoidance even with a decreased budget.

As has been seen in the context of offshore accounts, coming forward voluntarily, making a complete disclosure and taking steps to correct tax problems before the IRS identifies you leads to better outcomes in the majority of situations. If you are concerned that you may have taken overly aggressive positions to minimize taxes that passes through an S Corporation, an experienced lawyer can review your situation and provide peace of mind. If he or she does identify a problem, you can begin taking steps to correct it before being faced with an IRS audit or criminal tax investigation.


What are the tax differences between an S Corp and a C Corp?

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