Following the trend of the past several years, the Tax Court continues to review foreign earned income exclusion cases at a relatively high rate. In most of the recent cases, the Tax Court has denied the FEIE claims on a number of different grounds.
Tag Archive for Tax Court
Taxpayers who do not agree with their notice of assessments or reassessments can file a notice of objection, appealing the Minister’s decision. Generally, one would first to go the appeals division as opposed immediately to Tax Court. Sometimes we file a T1 adjustment form where the Ministers’ adjustments are simply based on incorrect information. However, where there is a misinterpretation of the facts or it is a grey area, the appeals process is the best route. The appeal process also stops the tax collection process but still with arrears interest accruing on the account until the matter is resolved.
In its ruling n. 21614 of October 26, 2016 Italy’s Supreme Court considered the issue of the application of the gift tax upon the transfer of property to a trust. The issue arises under the provisions of Law n. 262 of October 3, 2006, which reinstated the gift tax. Article 2 of Law 262, at paragraph 45 and 49, while providing on the scope of the newly reinstated gift tax, refers to “legal arrangements having the effect of creating constraints or limitation on the use, enjoyment and disposition of property”, for the final benefit of a person of for a specified purpose.
In a new decision, the Tax Court upheld heavy penalties imposed by the IRS on a U.S. expat taxpayer who failed to report his ownership in two foreign corporations. The decision certainly serves as a cautionary tale for expats – the IRS is serious about foreign reporting and the U.S. court system has its back.
If you thought FBAR penalties were more bark than bite, a recent U.S. District court case is sure to change your mind.
In United States v. August Bohanec et ux, USDC CD Ca., No. 2:15-cv-04347 (December 2016), the Court found that the taxpayer’s failure to file the FBAR was willful and affirmed the IRS’s enhanced FBAR civil penalty, i.e., a fine equal to the greater of $100,000 or 50% of the balance in their unreported accounts.
A loss from a legitimate business activity is fully deductible against other income. If the loss exceeds income, it can be carried forward to offset business income in future years. If an activity is deemed a hobby by the IRS, a loss cannot be deducted. The IRS has many criteria for determining whether an activity is a hobby or a business [See the author’s article on hobby losses for details].
This article will discuss the requirements to claim a child as a dependent and the requirements for a non-custodial parent to claim an exemption. It also discusses the ”tie breaker” rule, voluntary release of the exemption by the custodial parent to the non-custodial parent, and a recent Tax Court decision that dealt with this issue.
The IRS has stringent rules regarding taxpayers. In the case of using your business car for work, you must be able track everything perfectly. If you don’t, the IRS will not allow you to deduct expenses.
If you plan on deducting the miles you drive to attract and meet prospective clients, you would have to keep an accurate record of your travel. This would include:
Seven defendants were sentenced for their roles in online fraud schemes involving counterfeit checks, “mystery shopper” websites and work-from-home scams. Funso Hassan, 27, of Ibadan, Nigeria, and Anthony Shane Jeffers, 44, of Maryville, Tennessee, each pleaded guilty on April 12, 2016, to one count of conspiracy to commit identity theft and theft of government property and one count of use of mail and an interstate facility to distribute proceeds of a racketeering activity.
Tax Court Did Not Consider To Be A Valid Return
In Reifler, TC Memo 2015-199TC Memo 2015-199, the Tax Court recently held that a joint return not signed by the wife was not a valid return and, as a result, imposed the failure-to-file penalty. In so doing, it rejected the taxpayer’s arguments that the return was valid either because it substantially complied with the valid return rules or because the wife intended to file a joint return and tacitly consented to the filing of a joint return.
Signatures on a tax return not only verify that a return has indeed been filed by the person indicated on the front page of a Form 1040 but also certify that all the statements in the tax return are made under penalty of perjury and are true, correct, and complete to the best of Read More
Recently in Rogers case, the DC court affirmed the Tax Court’s decision that a flight attendant who performed some duties in and over the U.S. and international waters could not exclude all of her wages under IRC 911 as foreign earned income.
The taxpayer worked as an international flight attendant based in Hong Kong. She performed in-flight duties and some pre-departure and post-arrival work and was generally paid according to her flight time. She received vacation time and benefits, and could receive guarantee pay for work that she would have performed on flights that were canceled. When she received guarantee pay, she was required to remain in Hong Kong awaiting reassignment to another flight. The airline provided the taxpayer with an apportionment of her estimated duty time between minutes spent in or over foreign Read More
This article was co-authored by Randall Brody, EA of Tax Samaritan. I wish to acknowledge his keen insight and invaluable contributions to this article.
Picture this. You receive a notice of determination from the IRS informing you that you owe more tax than you reported on your tax return. As is usually the case, the IRS issues a 30-day letter, advising you that you have 30 days to request Appeals consideration of the case.
But a new interim guidance issued by the IRS might make waiting for such a letter the equivalent of “waiting for Godot.” Why? This new guidance severely restricts the rights of certain taxpayers from seeking redress of their disputed tax determinations in Appeals, by Read More
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