The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act which was signed into law in 2010 increased the amounts of the estate, gift and generation skipping tax exemptions and, at the same time, lowered the tax rates for each of these taxes. However, unless Congress takes some action before the end of the year,… Continue reading →
tax preparation
Tax Penalties: What is Failure to Pay?
A tax penalty is assessed when a taxpayer fails to meet a tax filing deadline or fails to make a tax payment when it is due. The IRS and State Tax Agencies impose such penalties as a method of encouraging taxpayers to meet their tax obligations. Both the Failure to File Penalty and the Failure… Continue reading →
IRS Penalties for Hiding Income Offshore
You may remember Mitt Romney’s refusal to make his complete tax returns public due to his offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands in January. Romney at least reported the income to the IRS, if not the American public. The OC Register reported this week that Lake Forest resident Louis Joseph Vadino is being investigated by… Continue reading →
5 Ways to Get Caught Cheating on Your Taxes
As unemployment and the economy continue to loom over America, you may be tempted to cheat on your taxes since what you owe seems like too much to pay. This is never a good idea. With penalties, fees, interest, and in extreme cases, jail time as possible consequences, cheating on taxes is simply not worth… Continue reading →
Amending Prior Returns Can Lower Your Taxes
The first step in resolving an outstanding tax liability should be to verify that the amount of the tax debt being reported by the IRS or State Tax Agency is correct. Because tax law is so complex, important tax deductions or tax credits are often missed when returns are completed by individuals who lack the… Continue reading →
Late Tax Return? What Happens Next
It’s the day after taxes were due, April 18th, 2012. What do you do if you still haven’t filed your tax return? The IRS has some guidelines for what happens with returns that are past due. If the IRS doesn’t hear from you and you don’t file a return: The IRS will increase your taxes… Continue reading →
