Our Bay Area readers are no doubt aware that the national election is just days away and depending upon who wins the Presidency, there may be changes in personal income tax deductions. If fact, no matter who wins there may be changes to the income tax code. So what...
Estate And Tax Planning Law Firm
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Federal agencies found to owe payroll taxes, is IRS collecting?
Virtually everyone must pay some sort of taxes. For a sole proprietor, small business owner or other business with employees, one of the types of taxes which must be withheld and paid for employees is the payroll tax. The Internal Revenue Service does not look...
Do high taxes drive millionaires away? Not so much.
While in the midst of a presidential campaign season there is a great deal of talk about taxes. In California, we are facing two new tax-related propositions -- Proposition 30 and Proposition 38. Amid the discussions, an interesting analysis of IRS data has taken a...
California judge disallows a ‘DAD’ tax shelter
Contrary to what may be considered common wisdom, tax law is not set in stone. It is updated on a regular basis as taxpayers and professionals struggle to keep up with it. Likewise, tax shelters are not illegal but can be legitimate ways to mitigate the impact of...
IRS audits tax-exempt bonds, finds nothing
Many of us in California have different types of investments, some of which are designed to minimize our tax liability. One of those is a tax-exempt bond. According to the Small Business Administration tax-exempt bonds are basically loans to a private business that...
IRS audits set to increase over employee classifications
In uncertain economic times, a business may hire independent contractors to perform certain jobs. The benefit to the company is that the work gets done, and the company is not committed to a long-term relationship with the worker. There are no benefits to be paid, and...
IRS plays hardball and increasingly uses summons
Many people in California may be unaware of all of the tools that the Internal Revenue Service has at its disposal. If you are an individual, sole proprietor or business owner, you may one day have the first-hand experience of opening a letter from the IRS in which...
Olympic gold is taxable (likewise silver and bronze)
Olympic athletes often give up a lot to pursue their sport. They may delay college, marriage, children or "real" jobs. They train and practice long and hard with the hope of getting a gold, silver or bronze medal. However, when they win that medal, they come home to a...
IRS drops the ball — identity thieves cash in
As we enter the fall election cycle, California and the rest of the nation is talking about the economy, employment and taxes. Recently the Treasury Department released information that affects all three of those contentious topics. It appears that as much as $5...
Is there a strategy to deal with IRS back taxes? Yes — compromise.
Most of us in the Bay Area file our tax returns like clockwork. Many of us get a refund after the tax deadline. Some of us find that we owe money to the Internal Revenue Service. When we owe a lot of money or we don't have the cash on hand, we may put off paying the...