The Justice Department has filed suit against four CPAs, 27 tax preparers and another individual, accusing them of promoting a tax scam that claimed bogus income tax credits for sham sales of methane from landfills.

With the repeal of the federal estate tax set for 2010 and its reinstatement scheduled just one year later, estate tax planning has become more complicated than ever. Wealthy clients need to incorporate flexibility into their current plans while taking advantage of favorable planning opportunities.

The U.S. Treasury Department said that it plans to begin negotiating a protocol with the government of Switzerland to exchange more tax information, opening a window on formerly secret Swiss bank accounts.

The Internal Revenue Service has suspended an enrolled agent from practicing before the agency after his clients complained that he did little to help them settle their tax disputes.

Like many good ideas, Weiser's Buddy System started over drinks.

An early-season surge in tax filing - attributed by most observers to the declining economy - has thus far characterized this year's filing season.

Washington, D.C.-With millions of Americans needing help to survive the recession, job losses and home foreclosure, Congress is urging the Internal Revenue Service to cut some slack for taxpayers who are "struggling to stay afloat while their debts increase."At new hearings into whether IRS practices and policies are causing unwarranted pain for those suffering through the economic downturn, House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman John Lewis, D-Ga., called on the tax service to let people know what steps to take if they owe taxes and want to pay, but cannot.