Have you seen the news lately? Lionel Messi (four-time player of the year in futball, soccer as we call it, plays for Barcelona & Argentina (only in the World Cup)) and his father Jorge are to stand trial in Spain on three counts of tax fraud. What did they do, you ask? They were accused …
This is a big topic and very common. I will try to sum up the main areas. As most know, there are tax breaks for travelers who mix in vacation with their business travel. Here are the three main deductions for business travel: 100% of the round-trip transportation costs are deductible as long as it …
In late August, 2015, Phoenix, Arizona voters approved Proposition 104 to increase the city sales tax from .04% to .07% effective January 1, 2016 for 35 years. The current Phoenix sales tax rate (or transaction privilege tax rate) of 8.3% will rise to 8.6%. The additional revenue will be used to fund existing bus service, …
Arizona Form 285, known as a Power of Attorney, is commonly filed in order to grant a taxpayer’s designated representative the authority to communicate with the Arizona Department of Revenue regarding the taxpayer’s account, filings and records. The form requires information identifying the taxpayer and authorized representative, and must be signed by both parties. CPAs …
Under the Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015 which was signed into law on July 31, 2015, the executor of an estate required to file an estate tax return under Code Sec. 6018(a) or (b) must provide a statement identifying the value of the property reported on the estate tax …
Recent years have brought a slew of high-profile data breaches of major organizations. Some of the largest breaches include Target, Anthem Health Care, Home Depot and most recently, Ashley Madison. Even the U.S. Government has not been immune, as the Office of Personnel Management suffered a major breach in June of 2015. These data breaches …
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) recently participated in U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Small Business hearings on tax reform with the goal of ensuring that main street isn’t left behind. One area of focus in this regard has to do with IRS Taxpayer Assistance. While it is recognized that the IRS …
The IRS issued proposed regulations which eliminate the requirement that taxpayers must submit a copy of a Code Sec. 83(b) election with their tax returns. The proposed regulations, if finalized, will apply as of January 1, 2016; however, taxpayers may rely on them for property transferred on or after January 1, 2015. Under an 83(b) …
California is known for its aggressive audit programs and in August 2015, California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) began a new audit program for taxpayers who deducted unreimbursed employee business expenses on their tax return. The audits will begin with the 2011 and 2012 tax years. FTB said it was taking this action because it has noticed …
Understanding and comprehending tax law is often a difficult task in general. It can be even more so if you are looking towards specific applications of tax law in particular industries. Take manufacturing, for example. I have had quite a bit of questions relating to manufacturers and the applicability of use tax for them. Before …
Get a high-level summary of the new leasing standard and what it means for you and your restaurant.