Practice Management

A federal judge has dismissed a pair of lawsuits against the Internal Revenue Service by over 40 conservative groups over the IRS’s handling of their applications for tax-exempt status.

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

Swiss banks seeking to avoid U.S. prosecution by disclosing how they helped Americans evade taxes asked the Justice Department this week to back off a dozen demands, including that they cooperate with other nations.

Raoul Weil, who once ran UBS AG’s global wealth-management business, referred to accounts hidden by U.S. clients from the Internal Revenue Service as “toxic waste,” a witness at his tax-conspiracy trial said.

Individuals who lost money in the stock market in 2014 may have other investment assets that have appreciated in value. These taxpayers should consider the extent to which they should sell appreciated assets before year end (if their value has peaked) and thereby offset gains with pre-existing losses.

Arnett Foster Toothman PLLC and Carbis Walker LLP have agreed to merge and will take on the new name of Arnett Carbis Toothman LLP come Jan. 1, 2015.

Top 100 firm Carr, Riggs & Ingram LLC has enhanced its presence in Alabama by merging in Boohaker, Schillaci & Co.

The Internal Revenue Service is planning to improve the technology used by its Taxpayer Advocate Service to better handle the many requests it receives from taxpayers seeking help with their IRS problems, but the project has been put on hold due to budget cuts.

The Internal Revenue Service needs to go to greater lengths to safeguard taxpayer information on health insurance exchanges, according to a new government report.

The Internal Revenue Service posted the annual cost-of-living adjustments for pension plans and other retirement plans for 2015, allowing taxpayers to contribute up to $18,000 in their 401(k) plans in 2015.