Tax Archives - Page 33 of 36 - Professional Tax Resolution

Category Archives: Tax

Deceased Guitarist Should Have Opted for Tax Settlements

Posted on by

Bo Diddley, who died at the age of 79 in 2008, had sold some of his music rights to pay for his medical care after a stroke. Shortly after, Diddley incurred a large tax debt, as the IRS is claiming taxes on the sale.

Diddley’s managers were given permission by circuit judge Robert Roundtree to sell off his music catalog to pay for his outstanding IRS debt of $1.1 million. The assets are estimated to be worth $4.3 million. However, the guitarist’s 22 heirs are opposed to selling the rights to the numerous songs in his music catalog. The fees and commissions charged by Diddley’s managers, agents, and estate attorney were also objected to by the heirs.

All of this headache could possibly have been avoided had Diddley opted for one of the types of tax settlements. If you need tax debt help, call Professional Tax Resolution and speak with one of our licensed tax experts.

Make the IRS an Offer They Can’t Refuse, and Reduce Your Tax Debt with This Tax Settlement Option.

Posted on by

Chances are, you have heard the claims that your federal taxes can be settled for “pennies on the dollar” Sounds too good to be true, right? Although many of the companies advertising these claims are a scam, the IRS does have the authority to settle, or “compromise,” on tax debts, accepting less than the full amount owed. This settlement type is called Offers in Compromise, and it is just one of a few different options.  While only a select group of taxpayer’s qualify for this program, with the tough economic times we’ve all been through the past several years, the chances of qualifying are better than ever. If you can answer yes to any of the three questions below, it’s worth getting expert advice on how to make an Offer in Compromise.

Is your home underwater and your income less than your expenses? We’ve all seen our home’s value drop dramatically during this economic recession. It is possible you have negative equity or maybe you’ve lost your home altogether. Perhaps you lost your job as well, or are making far less than you were in the past. With more people in these types of situations than ever before, the IRS figures they will not be able to collect the full amount owed by you. That makes you a good candidate to make an Offer in Compromise.

Is it possible the government is wrong? Mistakes do happen. IRS examiners work under tremendous pressure. Perhaps yours misinterpreted the law, or maybe the examiner got the law right, but got the facts wrong. Maybe you have new evidence that would have affected the calculation of your tax liability. It makes sense to have an independent third party examine your records to determine if the IRS might doubt the accuracy of your tax liability and thus accept an Offer in Compromise.

Is the tax correct, but unfair? The IRS has the authority to reduce tax debt when collecting it would create economic hardship, or simply be unreasonable. The IRS gives an example of a couple with assets to satisfy their tax debts, but with an ill child requiring long term care. The couple’s assets and income are necessary to provide for the child. An Offer in Compromise is a legitimate consideration.

An Offer in Compromise is a negotiation. The taxpayer makes an offer, including a lump sum payment or payments over time. The IRS might accept the offer, reject it, or make a counter offer.

Contact one of our licensed tax experts at Professional Tax Resolution to find out if you qualify for an offer in compromise, or one of the other settlement options and see what we can do for you.

Potential Tax Debt for Los Angeles Religious Center

Posted on by

The tax-exempt Kabbalah Centre and many of its charities is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service for financial improprieties. Many of the charities are backed and supported by celebrities. Madonna had even replaced the CEO of one of the charities, Raising Malawi. The singer later moved the charity out of the Kabbalah Centre’s office after learning plans of building a girl’s school in Malawi were abandoned despite raising millions of dollars for that purpose.
The former CFO has accused the Centre of financial improprieties and plans on coordinating with the IRS in bringing the group down. Several instances of tax fraud had been uncovered that could potentially bankrupt several directors due to tax debt and penalties. (buildersmerchant.com)
If you have incurred business tax debt, Professional Tax Resolution can help. Talk with one of our licensed tax professionals and see what options you have for tax settlements. We can provide tax debt help.

Increased Funding for IRS Enforcement Means Avoiding the IRS Is Harder Than Ever

Posted on by

More Funding on the Way to Collect Outstanding Tax Debt

If you have an outstanding tax liability and have managed to stay under the IRS radar so far, your time may very well be running out. The Obama administration has submitted a $13.3 billion budget request for the Internal Revenue Service for fiscal year 2012, a $1.1 billion increase over the agency’s 2010 budget. The largest portion of this increase ($339 million) and almost half (approximately $6 billion) of the total 2012 budget will go toward enforcement.

Although recently the overall goal of the government has been to cut spending, the reasoning behind requesting increased funds for the IRS is that the extra expenditure will more than pay for itself. Because the IRS is the government’s primary source of revenue, analysts project that increasing the IRS budget will actually reduce the budget deficit by increasing tax enforcement revenues. Economists generally agree that every dollar invested in tax enforcement nets three or four times that in revenue. This would mean that the proposed 2012 budget increase for enforcement initiatives will net over a billion dollars in revenue.

Although enforcement is not the only focus of the proposed IRS budget for fiscal year 2012, all of the recommended changes are aimed at beefing up and streamlining the tax collection process in one way or another. The main budget items in the 2012 budget are outlined below.

  • Enforcement The budget proposes to strengthen enforcement efforts by addressing offshore tax evasion, improving tax debt collection processes and enforcing the information reporting requirements for businesses that were approved by Congress in 2008.
  • Preparer Oversight The budget allocates funds for increasing the examination requirements for tax preparers, enforcing preparer compliance with IRS rules and procedures and pursuing those preparers who engage in unethical conduct or fraudulent behavior.
  • Taxpayer Service The budget requests resources to improve the IRS website and provide new and improved online services. It also requests funds to add additional staff to improve the level of telephone service.
  • System Modernization The budget allocates funds for continuing the implementation of the taxpayer account database and modernizing electronic filing and payment options.

Although the funding requested by the proposed 2012 budget may meet some resistance in Congress, the handwriting is on the wall. With more and more resources bring allocated to the IRS for enforcement and modernization, it is going to become more and more difficult for taxpayers who have not filed or already have an outstanding tax debt to remain under the IRS radar. Since it is always better to approach the IRS before they approach you, the clear message in all this for taxpayers is that they should take whatever steps are necessary to become income tax compliant.

If you have an outstanding tax liability, we can help you resolve it. For more information about our services, visit us today at www.professionaltaxresolution.com. With over 16 years of experience, we have a thorough understanding of tax law together with the experience to know which tax settlement option will best fit with your specific set of circumstances. Contact us today at (949)-596-4143 or info@protaxres.com to receive a free, no obligation consultation.

Is the IRS Finally Easing Up On Taxpayers? For Tax Liens, the Answer is Yes.

Posted on by

The number of tax liens levied by the IRS has increased dramatically over the past several years. Lien filings increased from 168,000 in 1999 to 1.1 million in 2010, a gain of over 550 percent. While it can be argued that tax liens are a necessary part of collecting tax revenue and promoting tax compliance, there is also a concern that they place an excessive burden on taxpayers who are already financially strapped. In an attempt to relieve taxpayer stress in the current economic environment, the IRS has announced that it will initiate a series of new policies and programs to help taxpayers pay their back taxes and avoid getting a tax lien. These changes are outlined below.

  • The dollar threshold for issuing a tax lien is being lifted from $5000 to $10,000.
  • The IRS will agree to withdraw a tax lien when the taxpayer signs up for a direct debit installment agreement or switches from an existing installment agreement to a direct debit agreement. However, the lien will only be withdrawn after a probationary period to insure that the taxpayer’s direct debit agreement is in place and working as planned.
  • The IRS is promising to streamline the process for withdrawing a tax lien once the balance of the outstanding tax debt has been paid in full. As has previously been the case, the taxpayer will still have to submit a formal written request that the lien be removed once the tax debt is paid.
  • New Offer in Compromise guidelines have been instituted to make this tax settlement option available to a much larger group of taxpayers. The maximum tax debt ceiling allowed for qualification has been raised from $25,000 to $50,000 and taxpayers with annual incomes up to $100,000 can now qualify for an Offer in Compromise.
  • Small business with as much as $25,000 in tax debt will now be eligible to apply for an installment agreement where previously the maximum tax liability allowed to qualify for an installment option was $10,000.

These changes should address some of the concerns highlighted by national taxpayer advocate Nina E. Olsen in her annual reports to Congress. She has argued that tax lien filings have ruined the credit of millions of Americans and as a result, have made it even more difficult for them to pay the debt they owe the IRS. A tax lien is picked up by all three credit-rating agencies and can lower a credit score by as much as 100 points. Since credit reports are often used by employers, landlords, car dealerships, credit card issuers and mortgage lenders, a tax lien can effectively make someone unemployable and unable to obtain housing and transportation for the seven years it remains on the credit file after the tax debt is cleared and the tax lien is lifted. The recent changes to IRS policy outlined above should help to relieve taxpayers of some of these financial hardships. IRS Commissioner Doug Schulman has said that it is his aim “to promote tax compliance while minimizing the burden on taxpayers.” He further maintains that the IRS must continually revise and update its policies in order to fulfill this mission.

If you have an outstanding tax debt and are facing a possible tax lien or wage garnishment, we can help you select the tax settlement option that will best meet your needs. For more information about our services, visit us today at www.professionaltaxresolution.com. Contact us today at (949)-596-4143 or info@protaxres.com to receive a free, no obligation consultation.