Tax Strategies

The break-up of Switzerland's oldest bank Wegelin on Friday shows the need to settle a dispute with U.S. authorities over tax cheats hiding cash in secret Swiss accounts, the finance minister said on Saturday.

The Senate Finance Committee plans to hold a hearing Tuesday to discuss finding a long-term way to handle “tax extenders”—tax provisions that frequently require annual or biannual renewals—to provide more certainty for taxpayers, not to mention tax preparers.

The National Consumer Law Center and the Consumer Federation of America are predicting that this year’s tax season will be the final one that refund anticipation loans will be available on a large-scale, nationwide basis.

The President’s annual State of the Union speech is traditionally more than just a memo of the past or a blueprint for the future.

IMGCAP(1)]The impact of the financial crisis and resultant recession, even if now officially ended, continues to be felt.

President Obama’s State of the Union address gave a preview of several of the administration’s tax policies over the coming year, including tax incentives to encourage more U.S.-based multinational corporations to bring jobs back home.

President Barack Obama called for millionaires to shoulder a greater share of taxes, but also agreed to lower corporate taxes fpr companies that hire in the U.S., during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night.

The Internal Revenue Service plans to hold the second in a series of public meetings next Wednesday to get feedback on its plans to create a “real-time tax system” that would be able to catch incorrectly reported tax return information at the time it is filed.

Republican Presidential candidate Rick Santorum’s tax plan would reduce federal tax revenues substantially, according to a preliminary analysis by the Tax Policy Center.

Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., the ranking Democrat on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said Wednesday he would re-introduce legislation later this year to end the tax break on carried interest income.