Tom recently presented a seminar to Minnesota attorneys in which he shared some common questions asked by clients dealing with tax controversies and explained how to help them. The questions Tom discussed include:
- Can I challenge the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) decision to pursue me for unpaid taxes?
- Can I get the IRS or the Minnesota Department of Revenue (MDR) to change the assessment against me after they have started collection action like levies and liens?
- Can I discharge income taxes in Bankruptcy?
- Can I negotiate payment plans with the IRS and the MDR?
- Can I settle my debt to the IRS or MDR for an amount less than the balance owing?
- Can I be relieved of an income tax obligation from a return I filed “married-filing-joint” with my spouse, even when my spouse has to pay the obligation?
- Can the IRS, the MDR, and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (MDEED) pursue me, individually, for employment taxes owed by a company I owned or where I worked?
- Are settlement or litigation awards taxable?
- Can I exclude from taxable income the amounts I receive for a personal physical injury?
- Is the money I am awarded for attorneys fees included in my income?
- Can I deduct attorney fees I paid to recover damages?
- Can the IRS or the MDR disallow my business deductions on the basis that I do not have a profit motive for my business?
- How do I determine if my income or losses from a business are passive or non-passive and why does it matter?
- Can I get information from the IRS and the MDR about my case without having to go through litigation?
We have presented the answers to these and more questions in our blog. We hope you find our blog helpful. Please let us know if you have questions we have not addressed. Thank you.