Tax Strategies

According to a report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, the nation's tax gap -- the annual difference between federal taxes owed and those paid -- could in fact exceed the $345 billion estimate from Internal Revenue Service.

The Internal Revenue Service announced that the recently completed 2006 filing season set a series of records, highlighted by 70 million tax returns being filed electronically this year and home computer usage jumping 18 percent.

The Internal Revenue Service won its first court case against the questionable tax shelters known as "Son of Boss" on a procedural point.

Government and software industry officials proclaimed this year's filing season a success, with numbers up in nearly every category.

H&R Block Inc. hopes that it will be able to put at least one refund anticipation loan lawsuit in its past.

The Internal Revenue Service said that the roughly 400 taxpayers who mailed their returns late because of incorrect information in Cleveland's major newspaper will not be penalized by the federal government.

Taxpayers used the Internal Revenue Service Web site at record levels as the filing deadline approached, the agency said.

Anti-virus software provider Symantec said that the Internal Revenue Service is seeking roughly $1 billion in additional taxes, with the majority of that figure coming from Veritas Software Corp. -- a business that Symantex acquired in July.

In the glut of stories that came out around Tax Day, one in particular stood out.

Like most politicians, President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney released the details of their federal income tax returns late last week.