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Monthly Archives: November 2015

With Growing Number of Partnerships, IRS Has NOW Been Given the Power to Improve its Partnership Audit Efficiency!

November 3, 2015


The Government Accounting Office (GAO) released it's report GAO-14-732: on September 18, 2014 indicating that the IRS needs to improve its audit and efficiency of partnerships.

What GAO Found

The number of large partnerships has more than tripled to 10,099 from tax year 2002 to 2011. Almost two-thirds of large partnerships had more than 1,000 direct and indirect partners, had six or more tiers and/or self reported being in the finance and insurance sector, with many being investment funds.

Historically the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) audited few large partnerships. Most audits resulted in no change to the partnership's return and the aggregate change was small. the study also found that the IRS audited just 0.8% of large partnerships, those with at least 100 partners and $100 million in assets, as compared to a 27.1% audit rate for corporations with at least $100 million in assets. Most of those partnership audits resulted in no additional taxes, and the GAO said it wasn’t sure whether that was because of high compliance or the agency’s inability to find noncompliance.

According to IRS auditors, the audit results may be due to challenges such as finding the sources of income within multiple tiers while meeting the administrative tasks required by the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA) within specified time frames.

For example, IRS auditors said that it can sometimes take months to identify the partner that represents the partnership in the audit, reducing time available to conduct the audit. TEFRA does not require large partnerships to identify this partner on tax returns.

Also under TEFRA, unless the partnership elects to be taxed at the entity level (which few do), IRS must pass audit adjustments through to the ultimate partners. IRS officials stated that the process of determining each partner's share of the adjustment is paper and labor intensive. When hundreds of partners' returns have to be adjusted, the costs involved limit the number of audits IRS can conduct. Adjusting the partnership return instead of the partners' returns would reduce these costs but, without legislative action, IRS's ability to do so is limited.

Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA) Audit Timeline

Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA) Audit Timeline

A 3-year statute of limitations governs the time IRS has to conduct partnership audits, which is about equally split between the time from when a return is received until the audit begins and the time to do the audit. IRS then has a year to assess the partners their portion of the audit adjustment. 

What GAO Recommended

Congress should consider requiring large partnerships to identify a partner to represent them during audits and to pay taxes on audit adjustments at the partnership level. IRS should take multiple actions, including: define large partnerships, track audit results using revised audit codes, and implement project planning principles for the audit procedure projects. IRS agreed with all the recommendations, but noted that revision of the audit codes is dependent upon future funding.

Now the Congress & the President Have Responded

The Internal Revenue Service will now have an easier time auditing large partnerships, including private-equity firms and hedge funds, under a recently passed legislation. Budget legislation (H.R. 1314) signed by President Barack Obama on November 2, 2015, simplifies the procedures for the IRS to audit and collect adjustments from complex partnerships.

Under the bill, the IRS would apply changes in audits to the partnership itself, not individual partners. Small partnerships with fewer than 100 partners could exempt themselves from the new regime, which would begin in 2018. This new auditnext hit program could however subject partners to pay tax for years they didn't have an ownership interest. Furthermore, it is expected to have the biggest impact on partnerships where there is high turnover, such as master limited partnerships and hedge funds.


The new previous hitauditnext hit process doesn't require the previous hitIRSnext hit to notify every partner about an previous hitauditnext hit. All communication will go through a point person selected by the partnership, which is similar to current IRS audits ofnext hit C corporations, where the actual shareholders are not notified the tax audit and the audit is handled by the officers of the C Corporation.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this measure and one other item, would raise $11.2 billion over the next decade.

The new audit program would be effective for previous hitpartnershipnext hit taxable years beginning in 2018, which allows advisers 2 years to review previous hitpartnershipnext hit agreements for their clients and possibly for their own firms, as many professional firms are structured as pass-through entities. previous hit

  

Is the IRS Auditing Your Partnership or Hedge Fund?

 


Contact the Tax Lawyers at
Marini & Associates, P.A.


 for a FREE Tax Consultation Contact US at 
www.TaxAid.us or www.TaxLaw.ms

or Toll Free at 888-8TaxAid (888 882-9243).

Sources

GAO

The WallStreet Journal

Yahoo News

Read more at: Tax Times blog

Everything You Wanted to Know About and Offer in Compromise

November 2, 2015

Offer in Compromise

ALERT
Please use the most current revision of Form 656-B in preparing and submitting your Offer in Compromise. Use of outdated forms and instructions may cause a delay in the processing of your offer application.

An offer in compromise allows you to settle your tax debt for less than the full amount you owe. It may be a legitimate option if you can't pay your full tax liability, or doing so creates a financial hardship. We consider your unique set of facts and circumstances:

  • Ability to pay;
  • Income;
  • Expenses; and
  • Asset equity.

The IRS will generally approve an offer in compromise when the amount offered represents the most which they can expect to collect within a reasonable period of time. Explore all other payment options before submitting an offer in compromise. The Offer in Compromise program is not for everyone.

If you hire a tax professional to help you file an offer, be sure to check his or her qualifications.

Make sure you are eligible

Before the IRS can consider your offer, you must be current with all filing and payment requirements. You are not eligible if you are in an open bankruptcy proceeding. Use the Offer in Compromise Pre-Qualifier to confirm your eligibility and prepare a preliminary proposal.

Submit your offer

You'll find step-by-step instructions and all the forms for submitting an offer in the Offer in Compromise Booklet, Form 656-B (PDF).  Your completed offer package will include:

  • Form 433-A (OIC) (individuals) or 433-B (OIC) (businesses) and all required documentation as specified on the forms;
  • Form 656(s) - individual and business tax debt (Corporation/ LLC/ Partnership) must be submitted on separate Form 656;
  • $186 application fee (non-refundable); and
  • Initial payment (non-refundable) for each Form 656.

Select a payment option

Your initial payment will vary based on your offer and the payment option you choose:

  • Lump Sum Cash: Submit an initial payment of 20 percent of the total offer amount with your application. Wait for written acceptance, then pay the remaining balance of the offer in five or fewer payments.
  • Periodic Payment: Submit your initial payment with your application. Continue to pay the remaining balance in monthly installments while the IRS considers your offer. If accepted, continue to pay monthly until it is paid in full.

If you meet the Low Income Certification guidelines, you do not have to send the application fee or the initial payment and you will not need to make monthly installments during the evaluation of your offer. See your application package for details.

Understand the process

While your offer is being evaluated:

  • Your non-refundable payments and fees will be applied to the tax liability (you may designate payments to a specific tax year and tax debt);
  • A Notice of Federal Tax Lien may be filed;
  • Other collection activities are suspended;
  • The legal assessment and collection period is extended;
  • Make all required payments associated with your offer;
  • You are not required to make payments on an existing installment agreement; and
  • Your offer is automatically accepted if the IRS does not make a determination within two years of the IRS receipt date.

If your offer is accepted If your offer is rejected
  • You must meet all the Offer Terms listed in Section 8 of Form 656, including filing all required tax returns and making all payments;
  • Any refunds due within the calendar year in which your offer is accepted will be applied to your tax debt;
  • Federal tax liens are not released until your offer terms are satisfied; and
  • Certain offer information is available for public review at designated IRS offices.
  • You may appeal a rejection within 30 days using Request for Appeal of Offer in Compromise, Form 13711 (PDF).


Have A Tax Problem?
 


  Want to Know if Your Qualify for an Offer?
 
 


Contact the Tax Lawyers at 
Marini & Associates, P.A.

for a FREE Tax Consultation

Toll Free at 888-8TaxAid (888)882-9243.

Read more at: Tax Times blog

2 More Swiss Banks, 57 in Total, Are Turning Over Your Names to the IRS – What Are Your Waiting For?

November 2, 2015

We previously posted OVDP Penalty Increased To 50% For 55 Foreign Banks Asset Management Firms! well now make 57 (54 Banks +1 Asset Management Firm) including "The 1st Swiss Asset Management Firm To Turn Over Names of US Clients Over to the IRS!" 

The IRS announced on October 16, 2015 that BBVA Suiza S.A. and on October 23, 2015 that et Galland & Cie SA Reaches Resolution under Swiss Bank Program.

"The multiplier effect that these agreements have on tax compliance cannot be underestimated," said Chief Richard Weber of IRS-Criminal Investigation (CI).
 
"The magnitude of the data provided by each of these agreements leads us to: more & more Banks, more Countries and more Individuals.
 
IRS-CI will continue to use all of the information we gather from these agreements to vigorously pursue individual U.S. taxpayers who illegally conceal assets offshore and to develop innovative strategies to combat international tax evasion worldwide."
The IRS keeps updating its list of foreign banks where the holders of these offshore accounts are subject to a 50% (rather than 27.5%) penalty in the IRS’s Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP). This penalty is based on the highest account balance measured over up to eight years.
 
The complete list is as follows, as of 10/23/15:

  1. UBS AG (effective 8/4/14)
  2. Credit Suisse AG, Credit Suisse Fides, and Clariden Leu Ltd. (effective 8/4/14)
  3. Wegelin & Co. (effective 8/4/14)
  4. Liechtensteinische Landesbank AG (effective 8/4/14)
  5. Zurcher Kantonalbank (effective 8/4/14)
  6. swisspartners Investment Network AG, swisspartners Wealth Management AG, swisspartners Insurance Company SPC Ltd., and swisspartners Versicherung AG (effective 8/4/14)
  7. CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank Limited, its predecessors, subsidiaries, and affiliates (effective 8/4/14)
  8. Stanford International Bank, Ltd., Stanford Group Company, and Stanford Trust Company, Ltd. (effective 8/4/14)
  9. The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited in India (HSBC India) (effective 8/4/14)
  10. The Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Limited (also known as Butterfield Bank and Bank of Butterfield), its predecessors, subsidiaries, and affiliates (effective 8/4/14)
  11. Sovereign Management & Legal, Ltd., its predecessors, subsidiaries, and affiliates (effective 12/19/14)
  12. Bank Leumi le-Israel B.M., the Bank Leumi le-Israel Trust Compay Ltd., Bank Leumi (Luxembourg) S.A., Leumi Private Bank S.A., and Bank Leumi USA (effective 12/22/14)
  13. BSI SA (effective 3/30/15)
  14. Vadian Bank AG (effective 5/8/15)
  15. Finter Bank Zurich AG (effective 5/15/15)
  16. Societe Generale Private Banking (Lugano-Svizzera) SA (effective 5/28/15)
  17. MediBank AG (effective 5/28/15)
  18. LBBW (Schweiz) AG (effective 5/28/15)
  19. Scobag Privatbank AG (effective 5/28/15)
  20. Rothschild Bank AG (effective 6/3/15)
  21. Banca Credinvest SA (effective 6/3/15)
  22. Societe Generale Private Banking (Suisse) SA (effective 6/9/15)
  23. Berner Kantonalbank AG (effective 6/9/15)
  24. Bank Linth LLB AG (effective 6/19/15)
  25. Bank Sparhafen Zurich AG (effective 6/19/15)
  26. Ersparniskasse Schaffhausen AG (effective 6/26/15)
  27. Privatbank Von Graffenried AG (effective 7/2/15)
  28. Banque Pasche SA (effective 7/9/15)
  29. ARVEST Privatbank AG (effective 7/9/15)
  30. Mercantil Bank (Schweiz) AG (effective 7/16/15)
  31. Banque Cantonale Neuchateloise (effective 7/16/15)
  32. Nidwaldner Kantonalbank (effective 7/16/15)
  33. SB Saanen Bank AG (effective 7/23/15)
  34. Privatbank Bellerive AG (effective 7/23/15)
  35. PKB Privatbank AG (effective 7/30/15)
  36. Falcon Private Bank AG (effective 7/30/15)
  37. Credito Privato Commerciale in liquidazione SA (effective 7/30/15)
  38. Bank EKI Genossenschaft (effective 8/3/15)
  39. Privatbank Reichmuth & Co. (effective 8/6/15)
  40. Banque Cantonale du Jura SA (effective 8/6/15)
  41. Banca Intermobiliare di Investimenti e Gestioni (Suisse) SA (effective 8/6/15)
  42. bank zweiplus ag (effective 8/20/15)
  43. Banca dello Stato del Cantone Ticino (effective 8/20/15)
  44. Hypothekarbank Lenzburg AG (effective 8/27/15)
  45. Schroder & Co. Bank AG (effective 9/3/15)
  46. Valiant Bank AG (effective 9/10/15)
  47. Bank La Roche & Co AG (effective 9/15/15)
  48. Belize Bank International Limited, Belize Bank Limited, Belize Corporate Services Limited, their predecessors, subsidiaries, and affiliates (effective 9/16/15)
  49. St. Galler Kantonalbank AG (effective 9/17/15)
  50. E. Gutzwiller & Cie, Banquiers (effective 9/17/15)
  51. Migros Bank AG (effective 9/25/15)
  52. Graubundner Katonalbank (effective 9/25/15)
  53. BHF-Bank (Schweiz) AG (effective 10/1/15)
  54. Finacor SA (effective 10/6/15)
  55. Schaffhauser Kantonalbank (effective 10/8/15)
  56. BBVA Suiza S.A. (effective 10/16/15)
  57. Piguet Galland & Cie SA (effective 10/23/15)

Outside of these banks, the norm within the OVDP remains 27.5%. That is far better than prosecution or much bigger civil penalties. Some taxpayers can opt for the easier and less costly Streamlined program. This list does not impact the Streamlined programs because you must be non-willful to qualify. All of this is part of the June 2014 improvements to the OVDP, which sparked new interest in cleaning up offshore accounts.

With roughly 96 Swiss banks taking the DOJ deal and FATCA requiring the entire world to report to the IRS resulting in increasing disclosures, everyone American is eventually going to be discovered.

Banks worldwide want to know if there US clients are compliant with the IRS.

Within the OVDP, people who pre-cleared before the various effective dates are generally safe from the higher 50% penalty. As additional banks are added to the list, only those American taxpayers that request pre-clearance before their bank is listed, will get the 27 1/2% OVDP penalty. The 50% penalty now applies to all taxpayers with accounts at financial institutions or with facilitators which are named, are cooperating or are identified in a court filing such as a John Doe summons.

Although the 50% penalty is high, willful civil violations can result in tax, penalties and interest totaling 325% of the highest balance in the account for the  most recent six years period. Recent guidance suggests that the IRS could be more lenient in the future, but the IRS’s definition of leniency can still make the OVDP a very good deal that provides certainty.

Do You Have Undeclared Income from a Swiss Bank
 Who Is Handing Over Names to the IRS?

 
Want to Know if the OVDP Program is Right for You?

Contact the Tax Lawyers at 
Marini& Associates, P.A.  

 for a FREE Tax Consultation
at: www.TaxAid.us or www.TaxLaw.ms or
Toll Free at 888-8TaxAid (888) 882-9243

Read more at: Tax Times blog

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