Practice Management

An tax preparer was sentenced to 57 months in prison for filing false claims with the Internal Revenue Service using the identification of a dead tax return preparer whose practice he had acquired and preparing false documents for numerous fraudulent loans and tax returns.

Dube & Cuttini Chartered Accountants, of Kitchener, Canada, is merging with BDO Canada. The combination is to take effect on Jan. 1, and Dube & Cuttini will operate under the BDO name.

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

The Tax Court held that the owner of a construction company who paid to sponsor his son’s motocross racing activities could deduct the payments since he was able to show that this helped him bring in business.

The Internal Revenue Service is joining with several national tax and accounting organizations to give taxpayers new options and tips on selecting reputable tax professionals and avoiding unscrupulous preparers.

The Internal Revenue Service has decreased its oversight of charities in recent years due to budget cuts and political pressure.

The IRS is freezing hiring, stopping most overtime pay and warning that it won’t answer about half the calls it will receive during the upcoming tax-filing season.

The $1.1 trillion spending bill passed by Congress this week and signed into law by President Obama on Tuesday contains a provision directing the Treasury Department to implement uniform standards for taxpayers claiming refundable credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit to stem improper payments.

Congress’s long-awaited passage of tax extenders legislation provides a short-term extension through only the end of this year of dozens of familiar tax breaks for businesses and individuals, along with a new savings program for the disabled.

Gallina LLP is expanding to Utah by combining with the public accounting firm Leverich Group in Midvale, near Salt Lake City.