I just returned from the American Bar Association Section of Taxation’s annual National Institute on Criminal Tax Fraud in Las Vegas. A topic of discussion was the relatively new New Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures for
Over the past several years our law firm has counseled hundreds of non-compliant U.S. taxpayers in the exploration of their legal options with respect to the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Initiative programs. As a result, we
When the IRS receives payment with amended tax returns for taxes, interest and penalties, the IRS may misapply the payment. This results in IRS notices. Reminiscent of the mistakes of the 2009 OVDP, the IRS
FATCA was enacted in 2010 by Congress to target non-compliance by U.S. taxpayers using foreign accounts. FATCA requires foreign financial institutions (FFIs) to report to the IRS information about financial accounts held by U.S. taxpayers,
Yesterday, as expected, the IRS announced its new New Filing Compliance Procedures for Non-Resident U.S. Taxpayers that taxpayers presenting “low compliance risk” should file delinquent tax returns, including delinquent information returns, for the past three years; and
Our office consults with many clients in determining whether they need to enter into the 2012 IRS Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program. Because of the high 27.5% penalty in the 2012 OVDP program, many of our
The IRS has recently published a useful chart outlining options available to help US taxpayers with offshore interests. The new IRS chart correctly states that it “recognizes that its focus on offshore enforcement efforts and
When is it appropriate to make a quiet disclosure vs. making a disclosure through the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program? This question is not necessarily easy to answer. IRS agents handling OVDI/OVDP cases do not have
The revised IRS OVDP FAQs offer helpful guidance on the opt-out option. The newly revised FAQs illustrate the pros and cons of opting out with six examples. See FAQ 51. The examples describe situations in
The Internal Revenue Service announced on June 26, 2012 (IR-2012-64) that it is tightening eligibility requirements for the open-ended offshore voluntary disclosure program (2012 OVDP) that it announced in January 2012 for taxpayers with unreported
Yesterday the IRS stated that taxpayers’ eligibility to participate in the OVDP could be terminated if the foreign institution where you have your account faces IRS action. Once the U.S. government has taken action against
Under IRS Form 1040, at the bottom of Schedule B, Part III, on Page 2, Question 7(a) states: “at any time during the previous year, did you have any interest in or signatory or other
