Practice Management

The Internal Revenue Service is reminding taxpayers that the agency isn't kidding around when it comes to frivolous cases aimed at delaying tax collections.

Interest rates for the third quarter will remain unchanged, the Internal Revenue Service said.

* Block, HSBC to Settle RAL Lawsuit: H&R Block and HSBC Taxpayer Financial Services Inc. reached a tentative agreement to settle a 1998 Chicago class-action lawsuit related to refund anticipation loans.

With the rising deficits and a series of tax reductions enacted in the first term of the Bush administration, many tax practitioners are starting to feel that the tax situation for their clients is never going to get much better than it is right now.

In a move to deepen its penetration into southwestern markets, middle-market software and consulting concern Enterprise Resource Group, headquartered here, has acquired Houston-based Burch Consultants.

The Internal Revenue Service has been shifting its priorities from taxpayer service to enforcement and its management of the Business Systems Modernization program - an ongoing umbrella program of upgrades - from contractors to IRS staff.

As part of cost-cutting measures and a move toward online services, the Internal Revenue Service will no longer mail out its compilation of federal tax forms and instructions for tax professionals, known as Package X.

The National Society of Accountants has called on the Internal Revenue Service to grant Circular 230 practice privileges to public accountants in states that have practice rights similar to public accountants in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Due to a decline in use and increasing costs, the Internal Revenue Service is discontinuing its TeleFile program.

The passage of H.R. 3, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Act of 2005, will effectively destroy the Internal Revenue Service's offer-in-compromise program, according to the American Association of Attorney-CPAs.