Tax planning

2008 was a tough year for investors and 2009 so far is shaping up to be more of the same. Nevertheless, investors should not lose sight of the value of capital losses for tax purposes.Capital losses can help lessen the sting of the market's decline. Just as the government shares some of your gains by taxing them, it shares some of the losses by allowing certain deductions and carryovers. This article dusts off a handful of capital loss rules that are particularly relevant in today's economy - rules that may have been forgotten over recent years.

The tiny European countries of Liechtenstein and Andorra are two of the latest tax havens to succumb to pressure from international authorities to share information about assets hidden in bank accounts.

The Internal Revenue Service reported that taxpayers are electronically filing their federal tax returns in record numbers this year.

The Internal Revenue Service released its 2008 IRS Data Book showing big increases last year in tax filings and revenue.

The Internal Revenue Service has been spending tens of thousands of hours auditing nonprofit credit counseling agencies and ordering changes at the vast majority of them, according to newly released data.

The $410 billion spending bill approved Tuesday evening by the Senate to help fund the federal government for the rest of the year includes funding for some nine federal agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service.

Automated sales tax solutions provider SpeedTax and CPA and business advisory firm Wipfli have partnered in a venture to deliver SpeedTax’s software-as-a-service sales tax applications to Wipfli’s Microsoft Dynamics GP customers.

An Arizona tax preparer has been charged with diverting thousands of dollars’ worth of his clients’ tax refunds to his own bank account.

The Internal Revenue Service has begun offering self-assistance options at some of its offices that give taxpayers limited access to computers and phones so they can reach the IRS’s Web site and toll-free phone lines without waiting in a long line, but those efforts can still be frustrating.

An Ohio CPA urges the National Taxpayer Advocate to lobby elected officials to do their own taxes.

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen has tapped a CPA, Charles L. Harrison, to lead the state’s “implementation” of the stimulus funding it receives.

Michigan CPA firms Frank & Freedman and Hirsch, Subelsky & Associates have merged to form Frank, Hirsch, Subelsky & Freedman.

There is an additional standard deduction for those who don’t qualify to itemize their tax deductions, but who do pay state or local real estate taxes, according to the Internal Revenue Service. This deduction is available for the 2008 and 2009 tax years.

In the wake of its decision not to renew contracts with two private debt collection agencies, the Internal Revenue Service now appears set to review other types of outside contracts.

CCH has closely integrated its CorpSystem Sales Tax Office software with Microsoft Dynamics GP.

A Florida man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for hiring a hit man to murder an Internal Revenue Service employee who was auditing him and his construction business.

The Internal Revenue Service has decided not to renew its contracts with two private debt collection agencies.

The Internal Revenue Service said that taxpayers are filing their taxes earlier and receiving larger refunds so far this year, citing early filing season statistics.

All taxpayers dread the prospect of facing an Internal Revenue Service audit. Here is some advice from the New Jersey Society of CPAs on some steps taxpayers can take to minimize the likelihood they will be audited or ensure a more positive experience if they are:

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told lawmakers that he was open to finding other ways to close the budget deficit besides limiting tax deductions for charitable contributions and mortgage interest for high-income taxpayers.