Following a relentless flurry of press releases announcing criminal charges against tax evaders in the run up to today’s tax filing deadline (see here, here, and here), the Justice Department wasted no time in turning its attention to its next target: employers and individuals who violate the federal employment tax laws. In
On the Eve of Tax Day, Justice Department Warns That Tax Evaders Will Face Prison Time
With only four days remaining until “Tax Day,” the Justice Department’s well-publicized campaign to deter potential tax evaders continues with more stern warnings to taxpayers. In a bleak press release entitled “With the Individual Income Tax Filing Deadline Approaching, Justice Department Warns Willful Violations of Tax Laws Are Criminal,” the Justice Department sounds the warning
As Tax Day Approaches, Justice Department and IRS Turn Up Heat on Potential Tax Cheats
With less than two weeks until the April 18 deadline for filing individual federal income tax returns, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service are issuing stern warnings to potential tax cheats. Today the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina and the Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Charlotte Field
John Doe Summonses: A Key IRS Tool Against Tax Evasion
The Internal Revenue Service continues to make frequent use of a relatively unknown information-gathering tool in its nearly decade-old crusade against offshore tax evasion: the “John Doe” summons. A John Doe summons may be used to obtain information and records about a class of unidentified taxpayers if the IRS has a reasonable belief that such
California District Court Finds Failure to File FBARs was Willful Despite Application for Voluntary Disclosure Program
The Bank Secrecy Act requires U.S. taxpayers to file FBARs with the U.S. Treasury disclosing any interest in, or signature authority over, foreign financial accounts with assets in excess of $10,000. If a U.S. taxpayer fails to file an FBAR, the IRS can assess a penalty of $10,000 per violation per year for up to
IRS Announces 13 Issues Targeted Under its New Audit Campaigns
On January 31, 2017, the IRS announced the initial rollout of its new audit strategy and identified 13 specific issues (campaigns) it will be targeting. The IRS is moving toward issue-based examinations and compliance and will direct resources to areas where compliance present the most risk. Its goal is to improve return selection for audit
Justice Department Sends Stern Warning to Employers With Continuing Crackdown on Employment Tax Fraud
Ensuring that employers collect and pay over to the Internal Revenue Service taxes withheld from their employees’ wages is one of the highest priorities of the Justice Department’s Tax Division. Unpaid employment taxes are a substantial problem for the U.S. government, as amounts withheld from employee wages represent nearly 70 percent of all revenue collected
A Federal Crackdown On Tax Zapper Software
In December, the Justice Department announced criminal charges against John Yin, a software salesman who worked for a Canadian company that sells point of sale (POS) software programs that enabled restaurants to underreport their sales, thereby lowering their tax liability.[1] Commonly called “zapper” programs, these revenue suppression software (RSS) programs are used to delete some
Feds Crack Down on Use of “Tax Zapper” Software by Restaurants and Other Cash Businesses
In December, the Justice Department announced criminal charges against John Yin, a software salesman who worked for a Canadian company that sells “point of sale” software programs that enabled restaurants to underreport their sales, thereby lowering their tax liability.[1] Commonly called “Zapper” programs, these “revenue suppression software” programs are used to delete some or
Israel, the Republic of Korea and Saint Lucia Will Now Provide IRS Information on Bank Interest paid to Nonresident Aliens
The IRS released an advanced version of Revenue Procedure 2016-56 that requires three more countries – Israel, the Republic of Korea and Saint Lucia – to participate in the automatic exchange of information on bank interest paid to nonresident alien individuals for interest paid on or after January 1, 2017. There are now 40 countries