Like other fields of human activity, tax law has its own specialized vocabulary. Sometimes the words used have very particularized meanings that require some explanation to make sense. Consider the term “border adjustments.” The term is in play because the U.S. House of Representatives is considering a plan that would, […]
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is cracking down on fraudulent tax preparer services. The federal agency initiated 252 investigations in 2016 alone, searching out any individual or business that it believes was conducting fraudulent practices while preparing taxes. 72.8 percent of these investigations resulted in incarceration. Although these efforts are […]
FinCEN. It sounds like something out of a Hollywood plot line about a secret government agency running clandestine missions that are kept out of the purview of the general public. Is the truth that far from reality? FinCEN is not an unknown entity. United States taxpayers with foreign accounts are […]
Those who prepare income tax returns — CPAs, tax attorneys, Enrolled Agents and non-enrolled tax return preparers — often find themselves the subject of a civil audit or even worse a criminal investigation relating to their tax preparation work. At Brown, PC, we have extensive experience representing tax preparers. Our […]
As a tax preparer, you know you’re in a competitive business. You have to price your services right to make it work financially. But if you cut corners on compliance, you can get into real trouble with the IRS. One way this can happen is with failing to meet the […]
As a paid tax preparer, there are lots of rules you have to comply with in order to participate in the IRS e-file program. Many of those rules concern due diligence requirements for electronic return originators (EROs) to prevent or report fraudulent or abusive returns. At Brown, PC, our tax […]
If you’re a tax return preparer with lower-income clients, you know that the earned income tax credit (EITC or EIC) is important to many of them. On returns filed in 2016, the IRS paid out about $67 billion in refundable credits to more than 27 million taxpayers under the EITC […]
Maybe you knew what you were doing, with your aggressive refund-seeking tax prep business. Or maybe you thought you wouldn’t get in trouble for helping poor people get a little bigger tax refund. But now you’re facing a criminal sentence and a possible restitution order. Can the feds really do […]
As a tax return preparer accused of filing false or fraudulent returns, you could face prison time if convicted, as well as serious financial penalties. At Brown, PC, we can explain what these penalties generally are and how they may affect you. Using 20 years of experience, we can help […]
Investigation and prosecution of tax preparers for allegedly abusive or fraudulent conduct can be a long time in the making. Even if the IRS is suspicious, it takes awhile to comb through the documents and get internal approval to move forward. But then suddenly you may find yourself confronted by […]