Practice Management

Avalara, a provider of Web-based sales tax compliance services for small-and-midsized businesses, announced that it has seen dramatic growth for the first half of 2006.

The Internal Revenue Service released final drafts of Schedules M-3 and Form 8916 for the 2006 tax year, as well as a new Form 8916-A, "Reconciliation of Cost of Goods Sold Reported on Schedule M-3."

In response to a bill that would ban Internet poker, the nonprofit Poker Players Alliance has released a study making a case for the online games to be legalized and taxed by the federal government.

The Internal Revenue Service announced the release of its spring 2006 issue of the Statistics of Income Bulletin. For the first time, the bulletin takes a detailed look at individual non-cash charitable contributions.

The Congressional Research Service, which provides nonpartisan public policy research, has released its review of the presidential advisory panel on tax reform's two major proposals.

The failure to get a revamped computer program online to screen for fraudulent 2006 tax returns will cost the federal government between $200 million and $300 million, the Internal Revenue Service has estimated.

A federal court has barred a Jackson Hewitt franchise from preparing federal income tax returns claiming an improper federal income tax exemption for casino proceeds paid to Native Americans.

Professional services provider Jefferson Wells has acquired the Phoenix tax practice of Holt & Frank PLLC. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Changes to the Internal Revenue Service's Offer in Comprise Program went into effect July 16 -- with the most noticeable difference being that taxpayers who submit lump sum offers to the agency must now make a 20 percent nonrefundable, up-front payment to the IRS.

The Internal Revenue Service has ruled that employer incentives encouraging their employees to purchase environmentally friendly hybrid cars, are considered taxable compensation.