Skip to Content

Category: Tax Evasion

10 Red Flags for Criminal Tax Evasion (According to the IRS)

Combating tax evasion among high-net-worth and high-income taxpayers is among the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) top law enforcement priorities. The IRS uses a variety of investigative tools and methods to uncover tax evasion, and, in doing so, it often focuses on a number of specific “red flags.” But, while these […]

Read More
Tax Evasion

Why Is IRS CI Investigating You or Your Business?

If you have been contacted by Special Agents from the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation division (IRS CI), one of the first questions you need to answer is, “Why?” IRS CI investigates a broad range of both tax-related and non-tax-related offenses, and determining the specific accusations underlying an IRS CI […]

Read More
IRS

When Does Tax Avoidance Cross the Line to Tax Evasion?

Tax planning is crucial for high-income individuals. While the Internal Revenue Code imposes substantial tax liability for those who are in the one percent, it also provides opportunities for high-income taxpayers to lawfully reduce the amount they owe. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) refers to this as “tax avoidance,” and […]

Read More
Tax Evasion

How small issues can create big problems for taxpayers

The U.S. tax code is among this country’s most complicated and dense bodies of law. And every year, individuals must file their tax returns in compliance with these laws. Unsurprisingly, people make mistakes, miscalculations, and missteps that result in inaccurate returns and payments. Even when these issues seem small, they […]

Read More
Tax Evasion

The difference between avoidance and evasion

In his 2003 book “Perfectly Legal” writer and investigative reporter David Cay Johnston delves into the U.S tax laws. His mission was to show how the very rich escape– in a perfectly legal fashion–the paying of taxes. The book raised both eyebrows and concerns. Is the U.S. tax system rigged […]

Read More
Tax Evasion

If I make a mistake on my taxes is that fraud?

To cut to the chase: no. In order for you to be charged with and found guilty of fraud, the mistake has to be “willful.” You have to have what we in the legal world calls mens rea- or a guilty mind. You need a guilty mind to prove intent. What […]

Read More
Audits

Can I write off my first-class plane ticket?

Anyone who’s ever flown first class to Europe knows that it makes a difference. When you are gastronomically pampered with a five-course French meal, including a cheese selection and a buttery croissant, that is also expertly paired with a 68-degree Bordeaux or bubbly Comtes Grand Cru AND you get to […]

Read More
Audits