Taxes

One of the greatest challenges of lawmaking is recognizing when a beautiful theory must succumb to an ugly fact. The purity of conceptual policymaking must take the real world into account and acknowledge that things that work well “in theory” sometimes fail spectacularly to meet expectations “in practice.” It would be wonderful if a policy

Can’t impersonate guilt; Breakthrough busted; married lawyers plead; and other highlights of recent tax cases. Tampa, Fla.: Brenda Dozier, 54, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. From July through at least November 2015, Dozier laundered money that had been extorted from U.S. residents by conspirators residing in the States and overseas. India-based

The year’s worst ideas; cyber-currency phrase book; the shutdown and taxes; and other highlights from our favorite tax bloggers. The winners are… Tax Vox (http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox): The top Lump of Coal Awards for the Worst Tax Idea of 2018, including New Hampshire’s fighting collecting sales taxes; Seattle’s “head tax” on large employers and Sen. Bernie Sanders’s

Stat scam; shopping center switcheroo; what a pain; and other highlights of recent tax cases. Houston: Jonathan Adam Van Pelt, former owner of a local staffing company, has admitted he willfully failed to account for and pay federal employment taxes. Van Pelt withheld federal income taxes and Social Security and Medicare taxes from the wages

Pre-season checklist; whether carbon taxes; best Twitter bets; and other highlights from our favorite tax bloggers. In with the new Tax Foundation (https://taxfoundation.org/blog): Our favorite opening of the week: “Champagne will flow, ‘Auld Lang Syne’ will be sung, resolutions will be made (and soon forgot, and never brought to mind), and, in a handful of

You may have heard about new tax reporting rules for businesses using third-party payment apps such as PayPal, Cash App, Venmo, Zelle, etc. This has caused some confusion for app users, but we’re here to help you understand how it will (or won’t) affect your taxes next year. What’s changed? Until this year, payment platforms

Refuge of a scoundrel; elder care and hockey tickets; on the flyer; and other highlights of recent tax cases. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Preparer Faheem Olugbodi, a.k.a. Faheem Abdul Nichols and James Moore, 48, was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to preparing fraudulent returns from 2011 through 2013. Olugbodi admitted collecting

We know it’s tempting, but don’t put off filing your taxes! Taxpayers must stay on top of tax deadlines to avoid possible penalties and interest charges for late filing. Falling behind on your tax filing obligations can be stressful. It’s better to file taxes early or on time so you can stop worrying about your

Phishing and the season’s latest scams; FBAR whistleblowing returns; best sales-tax questions; and other highlights from our favorite tax bloggers. The fun’s back in ‘refund’ Don’t Mess with Taxes (http://dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com/): The good word on processing returns — and the even better news about refunds — from the Office of Management and Budget, leaked first by

Both taxpayers and the IRS will face some unique challenges when filing and processing federal tax returns for tax year 2021. To help you out, here are five tips that will help you avoid delays and ensure a smoother tax filing process for both sides. 1. Collect all tax documents before filing To file the

There are very few tax breaks available for low-income adults who don’t have children. Thankfully, some important changes were made to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) last year, making this vital tax benefit available to many more Americans. Wondering if you might qualify to claim this fully refundable tax credit in 2021? Read on

Condo bunco; life goes on; heavy metals; and other highlights of recent tax cases. Honolulu: Businessman Wagdy Guirguis and CPA Michael Higa have been convicted of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government. Guirguis was also convicted of three counts of filing false corporate income tax returns, one count of failure to file a corporate income