Court Room gavel and balance scale

Government Transparency: Commissioner of Revenue to be Bound by Tax Court Decisions

On April 2, 2024, Senate File (SF) 4742, as a companion to House File (HF) 4934, was subject to a hearing before the Minnesota House of Representatives. HF 4934, like SF 4725, would amend Minnesota Statutes 2022, sections 270C.07, subdivision 1 and 270.33, to ensure that the Commissioner of Revenue (Commissioner) is bound by Minnesota [...]

Legal textbook sitting open with a gavel sitting on the open page.

Government Transparency: Commissioner of Revenue to be Bound by Court Decisions

On Thursday, March 21, 2024, the Minnesota Senate Tax Committee had a hearing regarding Chair Ann Rest’s bill, Senate File (SF) 4725, which amends Minnesota Statutes 2022, sections 270C.07, subdivision 1 and 270C.33 to ensure that the Commissioner of Revenue is bound by Minnesota Tax Court decisions in situations where the Commissioner opts not to [...]

Calendar with the 31st circled in blue, pennies stacked and calculator.

Employee Retention Credit Voluntary Disclosure Program Ends March 22, 2024

The Employee Retention Credit (ERC) is a refundable tax credit for certain eligible business and tax-exempt organizations that had employees and were affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ERC Voluntary Disclosure Program is meant to help employers pay back the money they received after incorrectly filing for ERC claims. Businesses who incorrectly claimed the ERC [...]

Handcuffs over $100 bills and a yellow post it with the word Taxes written on it.

Anticipating Tax Litigators…And the IRS (Part 2 of 2): Tax Strategy Tips

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has had a long backlog that, due in part to funding received in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, it only began to catch up on in mid-2023. In the meantime, the IRS’s backlogs and delays might have lulled taxpayers into a false sense of security. [...]

Yellow files inside a filing drawer.

Anticipating Tax Litigation… And the IRS (Part 1 of 2): Tax Filing and Maintenance Tips

Despite the relative rarity of an individual taxpayer’s file being brought to United States Tax Court or even audited, many taxpayers nevertheless fear the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) coming after them. This is not without good reason. Responding to an IRS audit alone can be time consuming and involves obtaining and compiling numerous documents. That [...]

Calendar with 31st circled in blue, pennies stacked and a calculator.

When Winning Isn’t “Prevailing”: Success in Bankruptcy Court Does Not Translate to Attorneys’ Fees

In June 2016, William Canada, Jr. took the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to bankruptcy court and won. Mr. Canada successfully challenged the IRS’s claim for a $40 million penalty, pursuant to IRC §6707, for failing to report tax shelter transactions under IRC §6111. Per IRC §6707, the IRS imposes a penalty on anyone who fails [...]

Senior couple thinking about financials.

IRS Acted “Against Equity or Good Conscience” to Deny Hardship Due to Depression

On April 20, 2017, the United States Tax Court (Court) held in favor the petitioners, John C. Trimmer and Susan Trimmer (together, the Trimmers) against the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, regarding the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS’s) authority to consider a hardship waiver and the notion that the IRS’s authority on the hardship waiver is not [...]

What’s in a Name?: The ABA Attempts to Define “Cryptocurrency”

Until relatively recently, the number of individuals who bought and sold cryptocurrencies (crypto) and other digital assets was fairly small. Over the last few years, however, that number has continued to grow exponentially. As a result, there has been an increasing number of calls for government regulation on how individuals’ and businesses’ actions on crypto [...]

Tax Questions Every Solo And Small Firm Lawyer Should Be Able To Answer

Appearing in the October of 2021 issue of ALI CLE’s The Practical Lawyer is an article by Kathleen E. (Splett) Pfutzenreuter and Benjamin A. Wagner addressing a variety of tax topics that small and solo firm lawyers should be ready to answer. The tax topics covered include: when to talk to a tax accountant or [...]

Can You Still Obtain A Lien Release Or Certificate Of Discharge In The Middle Of A Pandemic?

The on-going COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on the daily operations for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The IRS has appeared to have done its level best to provide taxpayers with options for securing vital documentation. Though, taxpayers attempting to obtain a lien release or certificate of discharge have experienced some delays in [...]

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