A recent decision from the Minnesota Supreme Court illustrates a few important aspects of tax law. First, the statutes can be ambiguous. Second, the Department of Revenue’s attempts to clarify a statute may not reflect legislative intent. Third, sometimes, a court can just confuse things even further. Unfortunately for the taxpayers involved in this case, thatcontinue reading…
What the State Department giveth, the IRS may taketh away p2
Did you know that your passport can be revoked if you owe more than $2,500 in unpaid child support? It seems odd, if only because the state of Minnesota tracks child support debt and the Department of State issues passports. Nevertheless, the state assembles a list of noncustodial parents who are seriously behind on childcontinue reading…
What the State Department giveth, the IRS may taketh away
There is now an additional risk for taxpayers who fall seriously behind on their federal tax obligations. Under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act signed into law in December 2015, the U.S. Department of State will neither issue a passport nor renew a passport if the applicant is a seriously delinquent taxpayer. Further, the Statecontinue reading…
You may think it’s a deduction, but the government thinks otherwise
As you gather your records for your annual tax return, you may be wondering if some of your major purchases or even big-ticket daily expenses are deductible. Before you consult with your own tax attorney, you might want to consult the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants’ list of items and activities that are generallycontinue reading…
Looking at tax fraud vs. tax negligence, and some factors that impact penalties, P.1
When significant discrepancies are noticed in a tax return, the Internal Revenue Service will take notice and reserves the right to conduct an audit to determine the reason for noncompliance. In the audit process, the IRS is particularly concerned about determining whether noncompliance is due to negligence or fraud. The question of whether noncompliance cancontinue reading…