Prepare For IRS Audit

The LB&I Commissioner, Douglas O’Donnell said that from July 15th to September 30th 2020, the IRS is expected to review several hundred tax returns as part of its global high-wealth, GHW Program which looks at high-income individuals and the businesses they control. The cases will focus on high income taxpayer’s pass-through businesses and related tax returns where the individual has controlling interest. Commissioner O’Donnell stated this in a New York University Tax Controversy Forum.

According to information provided by the IRS:
GHW was formed to take a holistic approach in addressing the high wealth taxpayer population; to look at the complete financial picture of high wealth individuals and the enterprises they control. A GHW enterprise case consists of a key case, generally an individual income tax return, and related income tax returns where the individual has a controlling interest and significant compliance risk is deemed to exist. Controlling interest can include significant ownership of or significant influence over an entity or multiple entities within the enterprise. The enterprise case may include interests in partnerships, trusts, subchapter S corporations, C corporations, private foundations, gifts, and the like. GHW personnel work with other personnel from other business operating divisions within the IRS to address noncompliance across the entire enterprise. GHW consists of two functions, Workload Services (WLS) and the field examination groups.
The GHW is responsible for business and financial enterprises controlled by individuals with assets or earnings in the tens of millions of dollars. LB&I Compliance, Planning and Analytics (CP&A) has primary responsibility for overall coordination of the Annual Examination Plan and workload identification.
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