Keeping CPAs Up to Date on Tax Matters
A site devoted to articles on current developments in federal taxes geared toward CPAs in tax practice.
This Joint Committee on Taxation report (JCX-1-25) lists various federal tax provisions that have expired or are scheduled to expire between 2024 and 2034\. The provisions are categorized by the year in which they expire.
Read MoreThis Tax Court case, Ishveen K. Chopra v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2025-2, serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of not only failing to properly substantiate deductions, but also engaging in outright fraud. The Court upheld the IRS’s determination of a $30,520 deficiency and a civil fraud penalty of $22,890. This case provides valuable insights into the standards of proof and the “badges of fraud” that tax professionals should be aware of.
Read MoreA US District Court court granted a preliminary injunction and stay in the case of Smith, et al. v. US Department of the Treasury, Case No. 6:24-cv-00336, US District Court ED Texas, finding that the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) and its implementing rule are likely unconstitutional. The court determined that the plaintiffs, Samantha Smith and Robert Means, demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success on the merits, a substantial risk of irreparable harm, and that the balance of equities and public interest supported preliminary relief.
Read MoreRevenue Ruling 2025-3 and Revenue Procedure 2025-10 provide updated guidance regarding Section 530 of the Revenue Act of 1978, which addresses controversies involving whether individuals are employees for purposes of employment taxes.
Read MoreThe National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) has released the 2024 Annual Report to Congress, along with the 2025 Purple Book, a compilation of legislative recommendations. These documents highlight critical issues facing taxpayers and propose solutions that could significantly impact tax practice. This article will delve into the key findings of the report and the legislative recommendations, offering insights relevant to CPAs in tax practice.
Read MoreBankUnited, Inc. v. United States of America, US District Court Southern District of Florida, Case no. 1:23-cv-20379-KMM, revolves around a tax refund dispute initiated by BankUnited, Inc. (BUI) against the United States of America. The dispute arose from BUI’s 2009 acquisition of a failed bank and the subsequent tax treatment of the acquired assets.
Read MoreThe Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals decided the case of Bachner v. Commissioner, No. 24-1420, on January 7, 2025, which provides a clear illustration of how the IRS and courts handle cases of fraudulent tax returns and the assessment of penalties. This case particularly highlights the complexities surrounding the calculation of underpayments when taxpayers fraudulently overstate their withholdings.
Read MoreThe “Employer Reporting Improvement Act” (H.R. 3801\) makes several amendments to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, primarily concerning employer reporting requirements related to health insurance coverage. Here’s a breakdown of the key provisions and their effective dates:
Read MoreThe IRS has published Revenue Procedure 2024-44[^1], an update on adequate disclosure on tax returns that are filed for purposes of reducing penalties that may be imposed on a taxpayer under IRC §6662(d) or on a tax preparer under IRC §6694. The IRS normally releases these updates annually.
Read MoreMatthew Hutcheson at the very end of 2024 and very beginning of 2025 received both good news and bad news. Mr. Hutcheson, who had been convicted of wire fraud in 2013 and sentenced to 17 years in prison had his remaining sentence commuted by President Biden as part of his end of term pardons and sentence commutations on December 12, 2024. But three days into 2025, Mr. Hutcheson received less upbeat news, as the Tax Court found he owed taxes on the amounts he embezzled that led to those 2013 convictions in the case of Hutcheson v. Commissioner.
Read MoreIn the case of Capitol Places II Owner, LLC, et al v. Commissioner, the Tax Court denied a charitable contribution deduction for a facade easement, finding the building in question did meet the definition of a certified historic structure under IRC §170(h)(4).
Read MoreIRS Action on Decision (AOD) 2024-01[^1] addresses the validity of listing notices issued without following the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) notice-and-comment rulemaking procedures, specifically after the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (AJCA).
Read MoreThe Department of Justice has filed an emergency request for the US Supreme Court to remove the injunction against enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act the Fifth Circuit had put back in place on December 26, 2024.
Read MoreThe Department of Justice has filed to ask the Supreme Court to take action to remove the stay recently reimposed by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals of the enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act.
DOJ’s Request for Supreme Court Action to Remove Stay on Enforcement of CTA
Read MoreTo close out 2024, the IRS released Revenue Procedure 2025-7 providing temporary relief provisions for allowing taxpayers to specifically identify specific blocks of digital assets sold from a brokerage account in 2025. This relief is in addition to special rules adopted earlier this year in Revenue Procedure 2024-28 for allocating unallocated basis as taxpayers transition to the provisions of Reg. §1.1012-1(j).
Read MoreFinCEN updated their website on December 27, 2024 to reflect the latest reversal of direction by the courts in the BOI deadline matter, noting that, for now, there is a stay of the deadline to file BOI reports in place and that voluntary submissions will continue to be accepted during the period the stay is in effect.
Read MoreOn December 26, 2024, an order was issued vacating a previous stay that had been granted regarding the enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) and its corresponding Reporting Rule. The stay had been granted by a motions panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on December 23, 2024, but was vacated by the merits panel of the same court. The order vacating the stay was made to “preserve the constitutional status quo while the merits panel considers the parties’ weighty substantive arguments”
Read MoreThe plaintiffs in Texas Top Cop Shop, Inc., et al. v. Merrick Garland, Attorney General of the United States, et al. are requesting an en banc rehearing based on several arguments related to the panel decision to grant a stay of the district court’s preliminary injunction. The plaintiffs contend that the panel decision conflicts with Supreme Court precedent, improperly weighed the equities, and failed to consider key aspects of the case.
Read MoreAs reported by Reuters yesterday, the plaintiffs in the Texas Top Cop Shop, Inc. case are filing a petition for an en banc rehearing of the matter by the entire Fifth Circuit. They are asking for a decision by January 6, 2025.
Plaintiffs-Appellees’ Emergency Petition for Rehearing En Banc - Texas Top Cop Shop, Inc.
The Tax Court’s decision in Denham Capital Management LP v. Commissioner, TC Memo 2024-114 addresses whether a state law limited partner’s distributive share of partnership income is subject to self-employment tax. The court concluded that the partners were not “limited partners, as such” under section 1402(a)(13), and their distributive shares were included in the partnership’s net earnings from self-employment (NESE). This conclusion is consistent with the court’s prior ruling in Soroban Capital Partners LP v. Commissioner, 161 T.C. 310 (2023), which held that a partner’s status as a limited partner for purposes of the limited partner exception is determined by a functional analysis of their roles and responsibilities, not solely on their state law designation
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