In the Blogs: It’s a Jungle Out There

Highlights of some of our favorite tax-related blogs from the past week.

‘Back talky’

  • Don’t Mess With Taxes: Online sales tax collection, “the Holy Grail for state revenue offices,” begins in Alabama on Nov. 1.
  • Taxjar: November sales tax due dates, in order of state.
  • Solutions for CPA Firm Leaders: The first person to mention money, the adage goes, loses. How to bring up the thin-ice topic of your fee.
  • Turbotax: What to tell your freshly SE clients about their new, on-their-own, tax rates.
  • John R. Dundon II EA: How Warren Buffet’s 2015 personal return – released this year amid the presidential campaign’s hoopla – clearly shows the general tax benefits of charitably giving (“Stay with me here as it can get a little back talky…”)

It’s a jungle out there

  • BNA blogs: This month Honolulu became one city that elected to fund its zoo with property tax revenue after the city zoo reportedly lost its accreditation (after a century). Seems some local residents are letting out howls over the matter.
  • Due Diligence: In this week’s collection: “Trash Hauling, Politicians & NJ … No, It’s Not an Episode of ‘The Sopranos’ ”; “New Freedom Mortgage Investigation – Improper Crediting of Payments”; “Sleeping with the Enemy? Qui Tam Whistleblower Post”; SEC Fines Ex-LPL Broker for Churning”; and “Contractor Seeks to “Assassinate” Gov’t Official – FCA Post.”
  • Procedurally Taxing: A former Tax Court judge bangs the gavel on herself and pleads guilty. The trial transcript is enlightening, especially for those who’ve never attended a guilty plea hearing, regarding “how detailed the court is when accepting a plea seeking to foreclose all opportunity for the defendant to later argue that they were not really guilty.”
  • Mauled Again: Starting with tile on a laundry room floor, a look at how a project can mushroom into much more than we plan on. The point? “There is a parallel phenomenon when it comes to tax, or any other, legislation.”
  • Federal Tax Crimes: A look at United States v. Ogbazion, in which the court addressed several claims by the defendant for dismissal of counts in his criminal indictment. Sounds of only passing interest to the profession -- until you realize that the defendant was a principal in a national franchisor of prep services.

The kids are all right

  • Liberty Tax: Eight ways your clients can find out if they qualify for the Child & Dependent Care Credit.
  • Tax Vox: A look at Clinton’s concept for changing the CTC to the benefit of lower-income workers: credit starting with the first dollar of earnings, and doubling the credit for children under age 5 and accelerating the phase-in.
  • H&R Block: Like puppy love and learning to do one’s laundry, some of life’s lessons are timeless. “5 Simple Tips for Teaching Your Kids About Money” examines our species’ time-tested tricks, from working on a budget together to, somehow, teaching the importance of saving.

Good and bad

  • Taxable Talk: What did happen during the blogger’s 16th season? The Good: the better job by the IRS with the Practitioner Priority Service. The Bad (and maybe perennial): “Late, late and later arriving paperwork for clients.”
  • The Tax Times: Some more good: The IRS brought in more than $10 billion in taxes, interest and penalties with its OVDP.
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