Tax practice

The Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board met in early May to discuss the status of the IRS Private Debt Collection Program, as well as the budget for the IRS’s 2009 fiscal year.

The 2007 tax filing season set a number of records at the Internal Revenue Service -- highlighted by the more than 76 million electronically filed individual tax returns and more than 140 million visits to the IRS Web site.

For every achievement that the Internal Revenue Service reaches when it comes to technology, there seems to remain a disconnect with the agency’s capability of fulfilling its longer-term strategic plans.

Rankings can be very subjective, but they are still captivating. Everyone has an opinion of what they think is the best movie or song. As a Baby Boomer, I remember for years listening to a local station’s Top 500 classic rock and roll rankings to see if “In the Still of The Night,” was still ranked No 1.

Churches, charities and other tax-exempt organizations that paid the federal excise tax on long-distance or bundled telephone service qualify for this year’s one-time telephone excise tax refund, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

The Government Accountability Office wants to see better descriptions and more cost and expected performance information on the Internal Revenue Service’s new initiatives in the agency’s future budget submissions.The IRS’s budget request for 2008 includes a spending increase of almost 5 percent, to $11.6 billion, and the GAO noted that the agency’s budget proposes shifting a greater proportion of spending to enforcement, continuing a trend.

Embarrassingly for Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, one of the loudest proponents of reducing the tax gap, two mistakes he made in recent years on his own property taxes have recently come to light.A political ad sponsored by the Montana Republican State Central Committee has brought to light local property taxes in both Washington and Montana that tripped up Baucus, D-Mont.

The Treasury Department issued rules last week aimed at dismissing some of the uncertainties around Roth 401(k) plans.

The Internal Revenue Service announced that while the phase-out of the tax credit for Toyota and Lexus hybrids continues, General Motors Corp. and Nissan hybrids still qualify for the full credit.

REPORT: BETTER JOB NEEDS TO BE DONE FOR 'INNOCENT SPOUSES'

Insurance company demutualizations became popular in the late 1990s. Facilitated by revised state laws, mutual insurance companies were attracted to conversion to stock companies for the same reasons that companies have long sought to be publicly held - greater access to capital. The policyholders of mutual insurance companies were generally granted cash or stock in return for their interest in the mutual insurance company.

The Internal Revenue Service is preparing to redesign its Form 990, “Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax,” according to published reports.

In recent hearings before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures, both the American Institute of CPAs and the New York State Society of CPAs called for the repeal of the oft-debated alternative minimum tax.

Lacerte users want respect from their tax software vendor. And if they don’t get it soon, they’re going to look at alternatives.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has released preliminary data for the tax-filing season on returns received and processed as of March 10.

The Internal Revenue Service has issued for public comment draft versions of revised Form 1120-F, U.S. Income Tax Return of a Foreign Corporation, and related schedules, including Schedule M-3, new for 2007.Taxpayers with $10 million or more in total reportable assts filing Form 1120-F for tax years ending on or after Dec. 31, 2007, will be required to file Schedule M-3. Three other new schedules for Form 1120-F include: · Schedule H, Deductions Allocated to Effectively Connected Income Under Regulations Section 1.861-8; · Schedule I, Interest Expense Allocated Under Regulations Section 1.882-5; and, · Schedule P, List of Foreign Partner Interest in Partnerships. The new schedules will provide for increased disclosure of information regarding such items as allocable interest expense and home office deductions, as well as effectively and non-effectively connected income that is included in Form K-1 reported by a partnership to a foreign corporate partner and that is reportable by the partner on Form 1120-F. The new schedules also provide a consistent reporting format for all taxpayers. In addition, Schedules M-1 and M-2, previously included in Form 1120-F, are now separate forms. Schedule M-1, Reconciliation of Income (Loss) per Books with Income per Return is used by corporations with assets under $10 million. Schedule M-2, Analysis of Unappropriated Retained Earnings per Books, is used by corporations of all asset sizes. The draft form and schedules are available on www.IRS.gov, and any comments should be submitted by May 25, 2007, via e-mail to SchM3@irs.gov.

When it comes down to it, it’s with surprisingly little debate or complaint that the general populace submit to the payment of taxes.

The Internal Revenue Service is calling for nominations to its Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council, a group that provides an organized public platform for IRS officials and public representatives to discuss relevant tax issues. Applications will be accepted from May 1, 2007, through June 15, 2007. The IRSAC is comprised of up to 30 members, who are appointed to three-year terms by the commissioner. Nominations are currently being accepted for five to seven appointments that will begin January 2008. IRSAC membership includes representation from the tax professional community such as tax attorneys, CPAs, enrolled agents, enrolled actuaries and appraisers, as well as members of the large and small business communities. More information is available on the tax professional's page at www.irs.gov.

Financial Executives International, a 15,000-member body of chief financial officers, controllers and other c-level financial executives, has thrown its support behind the Senate's efforts to modify Sarbanes-Oxley's Section 404. In a letter to Sens. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., and Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the chairman and ranking Republican, respectively, of the Senate Banking Committee, FEI president and chief executive Michael Cangemi lauded their leadership in "allowing the SEC and the PCAOB to resolve the challenges of improving Section 404." Cangemi told Dodd and Shelby that FEI's position is that "Section 404 needs to be made more efficient. However, we remain encouraged that the forthcoming SEC and PCAOB guidance will achieve a greater balance in the implementation of the annual compliance process of Section 404." FEI's letter comes on the heels of an overwhelming 62-35 defeat in the Senate of an amendment put forth by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., which would have made 404 compliance optional for companies below a certain market cap. Shortly thereafter, the chamber voted unanimously 97-0 to approve an amendment from Dodd, suggesting that the SEC and the PCAOB forge ahead with their previously announced plans to develop guidance for smaller filers to make SOX more manageable.

The Internal Revenue Service has granted further relief for taxpayers in New York State in the Presidential Disaster Area of Orange, Rockland and Westchester Counties that was struck by severe storms and flooding during the period from April 14-18, 2007. Deadlines for affected taxpayers to file returns, pay taxes and perform other time-sensitive acts falling on or after April 14, 2007, and on or before June 23, 2007, have been postponed to June 23, 2007. In addition, the IRS will waive the failure to deposit penalty for employment and excise deposits due on or after April 14, 2007, and on or before April 30, 2007, so long as the deposits are made by April 30.