The IRS utilizes a very broad definition of “responsible person” in the context of trust fund recovery penalties. The term, which may extend to more than one party within a corporation, partnership or LLC, applies to any person who willfully fails to perform a duty to pay trust fund taxes. It may be a corporate officer, director, employee, or shareholder, as well as a manager, employee, or member of a limited liability company. If a person is in any of the aforementioned positions where he or she controls a business’s financial affairs, liability as a responsible person for trust fund recovery penalties is a genuine possibility.
The Trust Fund Penalty – No One Is Safe
Employers are required to withhold federal income and payroll taxes from their employees’ wages for payment of payroll taxes such as federal income taxes and FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) taxes. Such taxes are held in trust by an employer until it makes a federal deposit of the due amounts.
The IRS applies a term, “Trust Fund Recovery Penalty” (TFRP), for the fine related to an employer’s willful failure to pay over necessary federal income and FICA taxes. “Responsible persons” making such payments may be subject to criminal charges for any willful failure to remit these taxes. Most TFRP cases involve corporate officers and companies that are no longer in business, in which case the IRS may only collect TFRP from “responsible persons.”
Fitzpatrick V. Commissioner & The Trust Fund Penalty – The Aggressive IRS Loses A Big Case
How aggressive is the IRS in enforcing and collecting Trust Fund Recovery Penalties? A case from the U.S. Tax Court case illustrates the aggressive nature of the IRS when using the trust fund recovery penalty (TFRP) to collect trust fund taxes. Business enterprises must be careful to ensure that they do not incur Trust Fund Recovery Penalties for any failure to remit federal payroll and trust fund taxes when due.
Uber drivers – employees or independent contractors? (What’s the significance anyway?)
By now everyone is familiar with Uber. And in case you’re not, Uber is an online taxi dispatch company that uses its own mobile app that allows its customers to submit a trip request on their smartphones for drivers who then pick up riders using driver-owned vehicles.
Uber’s business is built on an independent contractor (IC) model, which in Uber’s case means that ideally, Uber drivers receive no benefits, use their own vehicles, and pay all expenses for gas, maintenance, and insurance. Twenty to twenty-five (20 to 25) percent of driver earnings are paid to Uber as a fee to use its service. Some estimate that this contractor model can save businesses up to 30% on labor costs.
SOCIAL SECURITY TAXES DEDUCTIONS
Is There A Right To A Refund Of, Or A Deduction For, Social Security Taxes Paid Based On The Fact That A Taxpayer Has Waived The Right To Receive Social Security Benefits Or Has Donated Social Security Taxes Or Benefits To The Government?
As long as they are taxes, there will be taxpayers that consider any and all arguments, schemes, and angles to avoid paying them. The 21st century has seen a rise in situations where some taxpayers are filing claims for refund of their Social Security taxes using meritless arguments which have consistently failed in the past and which will consistently fail in the future.
SOCIAL SECURITY TAXES DEDUCTIONS
As long as they are taxes, there will be taxpayers that consider any and all arguments, schemes, and angles to avoid paying them. The 21st century has seen a rise in situations where some taxpayers are filing claims for refund of their Social Security taxes using meritless arguments which have consistently failed in the past and which will consistently fail in the future.