In the blogs: A-changin'

Future of the IRS; the VAT obstacle; awaiting results; and other highlights from our favorite tax bloggers.

A-changin'

• National Taxpayer Advocate (https://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/taxnews-information/blogs-nta): Senators Mike Crapo and Ron Wyden have released a discussion draft of the "broad and sweeping" taxpayer assistance and service bill. The draft bill runs 163 pages and contains 68 provisions. If ultimately enacted, the TAS Act will rank with the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 and the Taxpayer First Act of 2019 as one of the most significant pieces of taxpayer rights legislation Congress has passed.
• Tax Vox (https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox): Late processing, long holds, loss of staff expertise in IT and cybersecurity: After a slew of Trump administration initiatives, the IRS must try to manage what it anticipates will be 140 million individual returns under severe new constraints. 
• CLA (https://www.claconnect.com/en/resources?pageNum=0): Opportunity Zones, established under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, may live on and even go rural given recent shifts in the Senate and the White House.
• U of I Tax School (https://taxschool.illinois.edu/blog/): Run But Can't Hide Anymore Dept: Tips and tricks to implement AI into your practice begin with understanding how the technology can help and hurt.
• The Buzz About Taxes (http://thebuzzabouttaxes.com/): A new bill, which is unlikely to go far on its own but could be wrapped into bigger packages later, could end double taxation of Americans overseas.

IRC clearly now

• Current Federal Tax Developments (https://www.currentfederaltaxdevelopments.com/): How the IRS has found that most expenses related to taxpayers' in vitro fertilization and surrogacy aren't deductible medical expenses under the Internal Revenue Code.
• Tax Notes (https://www.taxnotes.com/procedurally-taxing): The recent Haydon v. United States involves a refund claim of less than $4,000 but sweeps in some complex tax procedure issues, including the 10-year statute of limitations for claims based on foreign tax credits, as well as the relationship between tax treaties and IRC provisions.
• The National Association of Tax Professionals (https://blog.natptax.com/): Tips for tax pros to handle the new Form 7217, "Partner's Report of Property Distributed by a Partnership," which helps the IRS determine the basis or adjusted basis in a current property distribution.

Overall efficiencies

• Tax Foundation (https://taxfoundation.org/blog): A recent survey of companies' barriers to conducting business in the European Union ranked value added tax first among problems. How policymakers should invest in reforming VAT systems to close both compliance and policy gaps in ways that improve the overall efficiency of their tax systems. 
• Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (https://itep.org/category/blog/): A recent study evaluates how tax and transfer policy reforms could help shrink racial retirement wealth inequality, plus some guiding principles for lawmakers heading into this year's policy wranglings.
• TaxProf Blog (http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/): Can a country reduce its exposure to tax havens, and what are the consequences? A look at the effects of a corporate tax surcharge applied by Ecuador since 2015 to its domestic firms whose owners are in tax havens.

Time will tell

• Canopy (https://www.getcanopy.com/blog): Not all CRM systems are created equal when it comes to accounting firms. What to look for specifically for the profession.
• Taxbuzz (https://www.taxbuzz.com/blog): Why to register an RV under a Montana LLC.
• MBK (https://www.mbkcpa.com/insights): What to remind them about how U.S. gift and estate tax laws apply to non-U.S. citizens.
• Taxjar (https://www.taxjar.com/resources/blog): Seven sales tax compliance tips for e-commerce clients.
• AICPA & CIMA (https://www.aicpa-cima.com/blog): If you or someone you know is sitting for the CPA exam this year, what to tell them about score results are why they are held so long.
• The Rosenberg Associates (https://rosenbergassoc.com/blog/): The site's top-read blogs of last year cover equity, partner retirement, AI and, of course, partners' pay. 
• Don't Mess with Taxes (http://dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com/): What to remind them about the best tax moves to make in February.`