Category Archives: IRS

IRS Data Breach Impacted 334,000, Not 100,000 as IRS First Said

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Russ

The IRS announced today that the data breach impacting the online version of the “Get Transcript” application impacted approximately 334,000 taxpayers, not the 104,000 the agency had first said. The IRS will offer free credit monitoring services to victims. The … Continue reading →

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IRS: Free Identity Protection Services After a Data Breach Isn’t Includable in Income

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Russ

The IRS noted Announcement 2015-22 today, that states: [T]he IRS will not assert that an individual whose personal information may have been compromised in a data breach must include in gross income the value of the identity protection services provided … Continue reading →

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Scammers Now Mailing Phony IRS Letters

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Russ

The phone scammers are now going to the US mail. According to both the IRS and tax professionals, the scammers are broadening their efforts. Sure, they’re now committing mail fraud but since they’re already committing one crime what’s another? So … Continue reading →

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Deadline Changes for 2016 Tax Returns and 2016 FBAR

Posted on August 2, 2015 by Russ

Congress passed and President Obama signed the Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015 in late July. That law’s primary function has nothing to do with tax; however, it will have a major impact on entity … Continue reading →

Posted in International, IRS | Tagged | 1 Comment

Judge Threatens IRS, Justice Department; IRS Closely Monitored Tax-Exempt Applications; IRS Responses to Exempt Organizations Were Designed to Stop Inquiries to Congress

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Russ

Yes, I’m still on vacation. But twin developments in the IRS scandal force me to post. Yesterday, the IRS released documents to Judicial Watch regarding the IRS scandal. Judicial Watch had sued the IRS under the Freedom of Information Act … Continue reading →

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Judicial Watch: IRS Used Donor Lists to Target Audits

Posted on July 25, 2015 by Russ

Remember the IRS Scandal? Well, the nuggets continue to drip out. On Friday, Judicial Watch announced that “New Documents Show IRS Used Donor Lists to Target Audits.” Here’s an excerpt: But then, in February 2011, at least five donors of … Continue reading →

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Form 8300 and Poker

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Russ

I’ve posted before on staking, but someone asked me the following question: I’m a professional [poker player] and am going to be staked for the High Roller One Drop Tournament [a $111,111 buy-in tournament]. I’m going to be handed the … Continue reading →

Posted in Gambling, IRS | 1 Comment

The BEA Responds, or Making IRS Customer Service Look Normal (Bad)

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Russ

On Sunday I penned the post, “Making IRS Customer Service Look Good.” I now need to take that back. Why? I was greeted at 7am this morning by a phone call from an analyst from the Bureau of Economic Affairs. … Continue reading →

Posted in BEA, IRS | 1 Comment

IRS “Get Transcript” Application Hacked; 104,000 Tax Returns Illegally Accessed

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Russ

This afternoon IRS Commissioner John Koskinen announced that criminals were able to use the IRS “Get Transcript” application to access approximately 104,000 tax returns. (An additional 100,000 or so attempts were unsuccessful.) From the Wall Street Journal: Thieves used the … Continue reading →

Posted in IRS | Tagged | 4 Comments

730

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Russ

It’s a topic that, frankly, bores the media. It’s a topic that the current Administration would love to go away. It’s a topic that should never have arisen. It’s a topic that underlies the current crisis that impacts the IRS. … Continue reading →

Posted in IRS | Tagged | 2 Comments