Tax

President Obama has nominated Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., as the next ambassador to China, potentially setting back efforts at comprehensive tax reform.

“It’s never too late for tax planning,” a wise CPA once told me. “You’ve got till the ball drops to take action, and if you do it later than that, then you’ve got an early start for next year.”

The Internal Revenue Service was unable to keep up with demand for telephone and correspondence services last tax season despite efficiency gains from processing more tax returns electronically, adding Web services, and shifting resources away from enforcement, according to a new government report.

The U.S. has signed six more intergovernmental agreements with a half dozen jurisdictions, including several traditional offshore tax havens, to implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA.

Last tax season marked an increasing level of noncompliance by tax preparers with the Internal Revenue Service’s due diligence reporting requirements for the Earned Income Tax Credit, according to a new report reviewing the IRS’s performance during the delayed tax season.

CCH, a part of Wolters Kluwer, has released the 2014 edition of its U.S. Master Tax Guide.

The Internal Revenue Service announced today that the 2013 tax season will start on January 31, and encouraged taxpayers to e-file or use the Free File service to get their refunds more quickly.

When it comes to next tax season, tax preparers’ biggest concerns all revolve around lateness.

The Internal Revenue Service has issued guidance on the application of rules in the Tax Code relating to health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts to same-sex couples in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision earlier this year striking down the Defense of Marriage Act.

The popularity of the shelter, known as the Walton grantor retained annuity trust, or GRAT, shows how easy it is for the wealthy to bypass estate and gift taxes.