Tax Law Blog | IRS Tax Attorneys

Believe it or not, late filers are most likely than the general population to have tax refunds. You absoultely need to know that there are strict time limits for refunds, audits, and debt collection.

Your plan of action should provide an estimate for how long it will take to get your refund checks. If you owe other tax debts, you need to know how much of your refunds will be applied to other tax years. If you think you might owe next year, you should plan on making estimated tax payments to avoid owing.

He’s been a state legislator, a hot-dog vendor, and a longtime political activist in Philadelphia - and now, T. Milton Street Sr. is a federal prisoner.

Street, 69, the older brother of former Mayor John F. Street, was led off in handcuffs yesterday to start serving a 30-month prison term for failing to file federal tax returns for three years.

“Outrageous,” was how U.S. District Judge Legrome D. Davis described Street’s failure to file returns or pay taxes on nearly $3 million in income. “It’s too much money not to pay a penny of tax on,” Davis said just before imposing the sentence.

Davis also ordered him to pay $413,000 in back taxes.

The estate tax is simply unfair.  It tells every American that no matter how hard you work or how wisely you manage your affairs, in the end the Federal Government is going to step in and take it away.  The estate tax is double and, in some cases triple taxation, it punishes hard work and savings, and it fails to raise the revenues that could possibly justify the damage it causes.

It has been destroying businesses and ruining lives for four generations. Let us not make this mistake with our children.  End the Death Tax now.

Adoption credit.   Beginning in 2007, the credit allowed for an adoption of a child with special needs is $11,390 and the maximum credit allowed for other adoptions is the amount of qualified adoption expenses up to $11,390. The credit begins to phase out if you have modified adjusted gross income of $170,820 or more and is completely phased out if you have modified adjusted gross income of $210,820 or more.

Adoption assistance program.  Beginning in 2007, you may be able to exclude up to $11,390 from your gross income for qualified adoption expenses paid or incurred by your employer under a qualified adoption assistance program in connection with your adoption of an eligible child. This income exclusion starts to phase out if your modified adjusted gross income is $170,820 or more and is completely phased out if your modified adjusted gross income is $210,820 or more.

If the IRS is looking at your personal or business tax returns, it’s time to contact Tax Attorney Kenneth L. Sheppard, Jr., at Sheppard Law Offices.  Mr. Sheppard has built a successful national IRS Tax Resolution practice that includes handling routine as welll as complex individual and business tax issues.  He is prepared to help you resolve your tax problems today!

You DO have legal rights, including the right to a court hearing if the government is acting illegally or unfairly.  Work with Experienced Tax Lawyer Ken Sheppard at Sheppard Law Offices to resolve your IRS problems with:

• Defense in IRS audits, proving that the IRS is wrong
• Offers in Compromise
• Installment Agreements
• Requests for Penalty Abatement
• Preparation and Filing of Delinquent Tax Returns
• Administrative Appeals and Hearings in Federal Tax Court

Contact Tax Lawyer Kenneth L. Sheppard, Jr., for a free one-half (1/2) hour initial consultation in person or by phone.  We help people nationwide solve their federal tax problems.

Contact Tax Attorney Ken Sheppard today. Call 1 (877) 505-9455 toll free.

The Tax Compliance Department is responsible for ensuring the University is in compliance with employer federal, state and local tax regulations, preparing annual W-2 statements for employees and 1099 forms for non-employees receiving compensation from the University.

The Tax Compliance Department also handles non-resident alien taxation and reporting issues, sales tax, unrelated business income and miscellaneous tax issues.
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Collection Financial Standards are used to help determine a taxpayer’s ability to pay a delinquent tax liability.  Allowable living expenses include those expenses that meet the necessary expense test.   The necessary expense test is defined as expenses that are necessary to provide for a taxpayer’s (and his or her family’s) health and welfare and/or production of income.

National Standards for food, clothing and other items apply nationwide.   Taxpayers are allowed the total National Standards amount for their family size, without questioning the amount actually spent.

National Standards have also been established for minimum allowances for out-of-pocket health care expenses.  Taxpayers and their dependents are allowed the standard amount on a per person basis, without questioning the amount actually spent.

Maximum allowances for housing and utilities and transportation, known as the Local Standards, vary by location.   In most cases, the taxpayer is allowed the amount actually spent, or the local standard, whichever is less.

Generally, the total number of persons allowed for necessary living expenses should be the same as those allowed as exemptions on the taxpayer’s most recent year income tax return.

If the IRS determines that the facts and circumstances of a taxpayer’s situation indicate that using the standards is inadequate to provide for basic living expenses, we may allow for actual expenses.

However, taxpayers must provide documentation that supports a determination that using national and local expense standards leaves them an inadequate means of providing for basic living expenses.

Quite often, too much tax is collected. Just because the tax has been paid does not necessarily mean that the government is entitled to keep all of it.

Many people discover that too much tax has been paid when they complete the required information or tax return. For example, when you complete your personal income tax return - after taking into account the available exclusions, exemptions, deductions and credits - you may discover that more tax has been paid than what was due to the government. On the tax return, there is a place for you to tell the government that you want a refund of the excess tax that they collected. After reviewing the return, if the government agrees that too much tax was paid, the government will cut a check for the excess and send this check to you.

In general, a claim for credit or refund of an overpayment of tax must be filed within 3 years from the time the tax return was filed or 2 years from the time the tax was paid (whichever is later). If no return was filed, the claim must be made within 2 years form the time the tax was paid. There are longer periods with respect to net operating loss, capital loss carrybacks, bad debts and worthless securities.

If you believe that too much tax has been collected from you, don’t sleep on your rights - file a claim or a credit or refund today.
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The Revenue Agent’s report is not binding. You may appeal the decision at a number of levels. This may be done before the Agent’s manager, before an Appeals’ officer, and before the US Tax Court.

The ability to access these venues is limited due to the timetables involved. Make sure you stay one step ahead of the deadlines to respond so rights are not lost.
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Contact Kenneth Sheppard, National Tax Attorney.

An excise tax is imposed when certain acts are performed, for engaging in particular occupations, for obtaining certain licenses, and for the enjoyment of certain privileges granted by the government.

There are a variety of excise taxes which arise in all sorts of activities - manufacturing, retailing, wagering, environmental activities, qualified investment entities, “golden parachute” arrangements, and certain group health plans - to name a few.

In addition, anytime you have to pay for a license or a permit - building permits, occupational licenses, dump fees, and even parking meters - these payments can be considered as an excise tax.
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