Washington

Taxpayers Advocate – 2011 Annual Report to Congress

January 20, 2012

WASHINGTON — National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson today released her annual report to Congress, identifying the combination of the IRS’s expanding workload and declining resources as the most serious problem facing taxpayers. The result, the report says, is inadequate taxpayer service, erosion of taxpayer rights, and reduced tax compliance. The Advocate expressed her continuing [...]

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IRPAC Issues Annual Report for 2011

October 28, 2011

[TaxMama Note: In fact, a developer at Intuit just told me this week that the 1099-K form (the new merchant and 3rd party payer reporting form) for 2011 is not being used. She says IRS will not ask taxpayers to enter any info from 1099-K. Probably a results of the IRPAC recommendations. This was going [...]

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IRS Announces Pension Plan Limitations for 2012

October 21, 2011

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced cost of living adjustments affecting dollar limitations for pension plans and other retirement-related items for Tax Year 2012. In general, many of the pension plan limitations will change for 2012 because the increase in the cost-of-living index met the statutory thresholds that trigger their adjustment. However, other [...]

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In 2012, Many Tax Benefits Increase Due to Inflation Adjustments

October 21, 2011

WASHINGTON — For tax year 2012, personal exemptions and standard deductions will rise and tax brackets will widen due to inflation, the Internal Revenue Service announced today. By law, the dollar amounts for a variety of tax provisions, affecting virtually every taxpayer, must be revised each year to keep pace with inflation. New dollar amounts [...]

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Tax Extension Reminder – Things Not to Overlook

October 14, 2011

Courtesy of the IRS Don’t Overlook Special Individual and Small Business Tax Benefits; Choose e-file, e-pay  [TaxMama Note: Be careful. If you have disclosure statements that you want to go to IRS with your tax return, make sure your tax software company is transmitting those pages or forms.  If you cannot reach them in time, [...]

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Surviving Spouses to Benefit from Portability Election

October 7, 2011

Courtesy of IRS. [TaxMama note: IRS issued this announcement on Sept 29, 2011. Not quite enough time to post this, much less for you to use this information by October 3rd. If you missed the deadline and didn't get to file for an extension, try to get the extension anyway.  The rules for last year [...]

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IRS Exceeds its Performance Goals on its Toll-Free Telephone Assistance Lines, TIGTA Finds

September 23, 2011

[TaxMama Note: IRS managed to handle millions of calls - without outsourcing the job to India or the Philippines. Think about it!] Courtesy of TIGTA – Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration Increased Call Demand and Limited Resources Continue to Pose a Challenge WASHINGTON � The Internal Revvenue Service (IRS) exceeded its overall toll-free telephone [...]

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IRS Announces New Voluntary Worker Classification Settlement Program

September 23, 2011

[Note: Stay tuned to TaxMama's TaxWatch column in MarketWatch.com next week, for an anlysis of this program before you participate in it.] Past Payroll Tax Relief Provided to Employers  Who Reclassify Their Workers as Employees WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service today launched a new program that will enable many employers to resolve past worker classification [...]

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IRS Offers Filing and Penalty Relief for 2010 Estates

September 16, 2011

Courtesy of the IRS [TaxMama Note: As you will see, the form you need, Form 8939, is still in draft form. We still cannot use it. Perhaps that’s why IRS is offering this additional time?  And no, they still don’t say when the form will be available. Basis Form Now Due Jan. 17; Extension to [...]

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