Auditors and people; whistleblowers’ comfort; Wayfair developments; and other highlights from our favorite tax bloggers.
Carrots and sticks
- Wolters Kluwer (
http://news.cchgroup.com/ ): How to add value to your audits: You listen to your clients and you understand their businesses. Step back for a moment and see how far ahead that puts you. - TaxMama (
http://taxmama.com ): Our favorite opening of the week: “Believe it or not, one of my favorite activities is spending time with the IRS.” How, if you give them a chance and just keep your crucifix and garlic in your bag, “the terrifying auditors and collections officers become real people…to trust and respect — and frankly, to like very much.” - National Taxpayer Advocate (
https://taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/about/nta-blog ): Some of the factors influencing voluntary compliance certainly include deterrence theory. Unfortunately — and infinitely harder — taxpayers should best “have faith and trust in the fairness of the tax system.” How different types of audits impact taxpayers’ feelings about the IRS. - TaxProf Blog (
http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/ ): So, would rewarding taxpayers for compliance work?
Privileges
- Federal Tax Crimes (
http://federaltaxcrimes.blogspot.com/ ): A look at the latest IRS 2018 Data Book and its table 18, “Criminal Investigation Program Statistics.” - Mahany Law (
https://www.mahanyertl.com/blog/ ): “All inquiries are protected by the attorney-client privilege.” Makes whistleblowers feel more comfortable, but is it always true?
Being of help
- Taxbuzz (
https://www.taxbuzz.com/blog ): There are myriad reasons why taxpayers should enlist the help of an experienced tax professional. Here are more than a few to pass on. - Turbotax (
https://blog.turbotax.intuit.com/ ): What to tell them about using a refund to boost retirement savings. - Sagenext (
https://www.thesagenext.com/blog ): Where businesses are expanding at an uncontrollable speed, linkages follow suit. What’s a linkage? One external linkage is of accounting and technology. (Let’s start with the Industrial Revolution…) - Intuit Proconnect (
https://proconnect.intuit.com/taxprocenter/ ): Business owners are relying on accountants for mentorship, strategic planning and consulting, rather than just an occasional compliance engagement or once-a-year tax meetup. This shift in client expectations from mere calculations to business consultation means that accounting firms must evolve accordingly — or lose clients.
Wayfairest
- Avalara (
https://www.avalara.com/us/en/blog.html : On the ever-evolving front of remote sellers collecting state sales tax, a look at how the Supreme Court has again overruled precedent in Franchise Tax Board of California v. Hyatt, a decision that could make it harder for a state to shield an in-state business from an obligation to collect sales tax in another state. - Tax Vox (
https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox ): How the late great Alice Rivlin made state and local governments better, too.
