Tech trends; one cost of cutting ID theft; prime states for Wayfair challenges; and other highlights from our favorite tax bloggers.
The hot seat
- Intuit ProConnect (
http://taxprocenter.proconnect.intuit.com/ ): Favorite opening of the week: “Every year, we promise ourselves that the next tax season will be different in terms of staffing. We even promise to start the recruiting process earlier, hoping to find the ideal candidate.” Building toward an answer, here are “4 Tips to Onboard Your Tax Staff for Long-Term Retention.” - Kansas Society of CPAs (
https://exchange.kscpa.org/blogs/susan-day1/2019/11/22/technology-is-driving-the-future-of-tax-is-your-fo ): The KSCPA recently sat down with Susan Day for a Q&A of technology and tax industry trends. - Mauled Again (
http://mauledagain.blogspot.com/ ): How a recent episode of “Hot Bench” opened with “The thing Americans fear most [is] being audited by the government” and went from there into the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Revenue questioning a couple about a suspicious return, the couple then questioning their preparer and the preparer unearthing a software error.
Good news and bad
- TaxMama (
http://taxmama.com ): The good news: IRS efforts to reduce tax ID theft and the related millions of dollars of refunds is working. The bad news: IRS efforts to reduce tax ID theft and the related millions of dollars is slowing down refunds. - Tax Girl (
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/ ): Hear that noise? It’s the collective sighs of tax professionals around the country learning that the IRS is in the midst of a hiring spree. - National Taxpayer Advocate (
https://taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/about/nta-blog ): What the NTA supported in the TFA, and WHY. - Wolters Kluwer (
http://news.cchgroup.com/ ): Big New Little Words Dept.: A look at the recent IRS declaration that cryptocurrency owners have income from forks and airdrops. - Rubin on Tax (
http://rubinontax.floridatax.com/ ): Applicable federal rates for December. - Procedurally Taxing (
https://procedurallytaxing.com ): A recent designated order in American Limousines, Inc. v. C.I.R. presents a look at the confluence of two topics that frequently arise in this blog: primarily, collection due process and summary judgment.
Gentle reminders
- Liberty (
http://www.libertytax.com/tax-lounge ): What to remind them about tax brackets — and how to prepare when they change. - Summing It Up (
http://blog.freedmaxick.com/summing-it-up ): What to tell clients seeking alternative investment options with their retirement accounts and self-directed IRAs. - Canopy (
https://www.canopytax.com/blog ): International involvements can really mess up a company’s tax situation. What to remind them about filing a 5472. - Taxjar (
http://blog.taxjar.com/ ): Handling Cyber Monday’s increased online sales — and increased (mushrooming, even) sales-tax loads. - Turbotax (
https://blog.turbotax.intuit.com/ ): What to remind them about the PATH Act expiring ITINs. - Boyum Barenscheer (
https://myboyum.com/blog/ ): The gap yawns at many companies between the budgeting process and risk management. For your business clients, some common types of risks to research, assess and incorporate into adjustments to next year’s budget.
That’s progress
- Avalara (
https://www.avalara.com/us/en/index.html ): For the past six months, the Utah Tax Restructuring and Equalization Task Force has studied Utah’s tax structure and held town hall meetings around the state to solicit taxpayer ideas. It released new draft legislation on Nov. 22, and some taxpayers are decrying the plan that would increase the sales tax on food, tax a variety of currently exempt services, and eliminate several sales tax exemptions. - The Wandering Tax Pro (
http://wanderingtaxpro.blogspot.com/ ): Federally declared disaster areas that qualify for tax relief in 2019 (so far). - TaxProf Blog (
http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/ ): From The New York Times, how Dem tax plans would slam blue states. - Tax Foundation (
https://taxfoundation.org/blog ): Ever since Wayfair a year ago last summer, tax observers have wondered which state’s remote sales tax regime will be the next to show up in court. Five states (Alabama, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana and Texas) could be good bets. - Don’t Mess With Taxes (
http://dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com/ ): What progress has been made in collecting and remitting sales taxes (and even figuring out if an online retailer owes them in the first place) since the Supreme Court’s decision.
