Last month US Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) introduced a budget amendment SA 621 to repeal the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) FATCA requires foreign financial institutions to disclose to the IRS about their U.S. customers’ accounts. The U.S. loses
With the IRS aggressively targeting taxpayers with unreported offshore accounts, tax professionals must know benefits and pitfalls of offshore accounts. Our firm presented technical seminars titled Navigating Foreign Waters: The Complex Requirements of Foreign Accounts Compliance on US tax laws to tax professionals on foreign account disclosure,
IR-2015-09, Jan. 28, 2015 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today said avoiding taxes by hiding money or assets in unreported offshore accounts remains on its annual list of tax scams known as the “Dirty Dozen” for the 2015 filing
George Landegger, CEO of pulp and paper company, pleaded guilty last week in New York to a federal charge of failing to file a required report to the IRS about the account. He admitted that he maintained the undeclared account
National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson today released her 2014 annual report to Congress, which expresses concern that taxpayers this year are likely to receive the worst levels of taxpayer service since at least 2001 when the IRS implemented its
Last week a federal judge approved the IRS issuing “John Doe” summonses requiring FedEx, DHL, UPS, and numerous other intermediaries to produce information about U.S. taxpayers who used Sovereign Management & Legal Ltd. for offshore accounts and assets. They include
We just returned last week from attending the Criminal Fraud and Tax Controversy Conference in Las Vegas, sponsored by the American Bar Association Section of Taxation where many government officials were in attendance. Below are some interesting observations: On the
last month the IRS released more than 6,500 pages from the Internal Revenue Service on the agency’s Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program and how it trains its agents. The documents included material used in training IRS personnel in the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program,
Many clients are asking our office about the new compliance solutions to clean up past errors in disclosing foreign assets. In June 2014, the IRS announced major changes to its offshore voluntary compliance programs, providing new options to help taxpayers
US government fees charged to Americans for renouncing their citizenship will rocket from $450 to $2,350 on September 12, 2014. The fivefold increase is probably related to the recent dramatic rise in renunciations triggered by the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance
Many of our clients are interested in the new Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures, which were recently announced by the IRS. Therefore, we are providing more general information on the Procedures. General Eligibility: The modified Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures are designed for only
Taxpayers who are in the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program to report their overseas assets can request the favorable penalty structure under newly expanded streamlined compliance procedures without giving up the audit and criminal liability protection offered by the OVDP, according
The IRS recently announced Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures in an effort to encourage U.S. taxpayers to come into compliance with their reporting and filing requirements associated with varying interests in foreign financial accounts and assets. The streamlined procedures require the
The IRS announced substantial changes to both the Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures for Non-Resident, Non-Filer Taxpayers and the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) on June 18, 2014. Effective July 1, 2014, the IRS is making it easier for individuals to
The Internal Revenue Service announced last week changes to its programs for taxpayers with undeclared offshore accounts, the latest step in a five-year campaign against such accounts held by U.S. taxpayers. The modifications greatly eased penalties for people who were unaware
The United States’ IRS is moving to entice more taxpayers to disclose their unreported assets and income just weeks before implementation of the U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). The IRS has announced a Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures (SFOP),
The IRS today made significant changes to its offshore voluntary compliance programs, with the intent of providing new options to help both taxpayers residing overseas and those residing in the United States. The agency says the changes are anticipated to provide
The IRS has announced a Streamlined Domestic Offshore Procedures (SDOP), which will significantly alter all future voluntary disclosures. The SDOP is a game changer for residents and non-resident (who would use the Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures (SFOP)) taxpayers alike. The
All taxpayers are reminded about FBAR reporting this year, as the process has changed. If you have a financial interest in or signature authority over a foreign financial account, including a bank account, brokerage account, mutual fund, trust, or other
The U.S. Department of Justice last Thursday issued a release stating that it extended for one month the deadline for so-called category two Swiss banks suspected of helping wealthy Americans evade taxes to turn over information by one month. We
While over 77,000 banks and financial institutions have registered under FATCA—the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, the Internal Revenue Service has introduced an online tool that will allow users to check on whether a foreign financial institution has registered for
The U.S. Treasury announced that on April 11, 2014, India agreed “in substance” to sign a Model 1 FATCA Model Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the US. The IGA would therefore require Indian financial institutions to report information on U.S. account holders to
By April 30, 2014, unless granted a 60-day extension, all Swiss banks participating in the US Department of Justice (DOJ) amnesty program will be required to provide substantial client information on its US account holders. We have previously posted on
The US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) will definitely come into effect on 1 July this year with no possibility of further delay, according to officials of the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS). FATCA, which was signed in March
Ottawa and Washington have reached a compromise over how to apply a U.S. law targeting would-be American tax dodgers living in Canada. Canada has signed an agreement with the U.S. on the automatic sharing of bank information between the two
We have previously posted on the U.S. Justice Department’s program offered to Swiss banks and targeted to identifying U.S. taxpayers that have not disclosed foreign accounts to the IRS. It has now been stated that that one-third of all Swiss
A host of Swiss banks have signaled their readiness to work with U.S. officials in a crackdown on wealthy Americans evading taxes. Many more are expected to follow in the coming weeks, as Switzerland’s cherished bank secrecy slowly gets wound back.
Last week, the U.S. signed six more intergovernmental agreements with a half dozen jurisdictions, including several traditional offshore tax havens, to implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA. Over the past week, the U.S. Treasury Department has signed
Last week the Tax Division of the Department of Justice strongly encouraged Swiss banks that want to seek non-prosecution agreements to resolve past cross-border criminal tax violations to submit letters of intent by the Dec. 31, 2013 deadline required by
Last year, the IRS announced its third offshore voluntary disclosure initiative. Like the earlier initiatives, the 2012 OVDP is designed to encourage taxpayers with unreported offshore accounts and assets to voluntarily disclose them to the IRS. The 2012 OVDP is
