The ultimate purpose in filing bankruptcy is to obtain a discharge of most, if not all, of your debts. A bankruptcy discharge releases the debtor from personal liability for certain specified types of debts, i.e., the debtor is no longer legally required to pay those debts that are discharged. The discharge is a permanent order which prohibits the creditors from engaging in any and all forms of collection activity on such debts.
IRS Audits – What Are My Chances?
It’s considered by many taxpayers to be one of the most frightening events that could happen related to their everyday business affairs. What is this frightening event? An IRS audit, of course. But is a tax audit really that scary in real life? The numbers reveal that only 1% of all taxpayers experience an audit, and of this one percent, about one in five result in a meeting with the IRS.
Presently, the IRS audits half as many taxpayers as it did five years ago. However, the amount of tax recovered per audit has increased. The IRS uses an elaborate computer selection process, auditing only those returns which will almost certainly yield some adjustment.
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.
Marvel Entertainment And Cancellation Of Indebtedness Income
Issue
Under the tax code, when cancellation of indebtedness income excluded from gross income results in a reduction of combined net operating losses, and a business entity can carry forward this reduction to offset income in following tax years, must this net operating loss be reduced at the combined entity level or at the individual entity level?
Related Tax Rules And Regulations
Internal Revenue Code Section 108
Facts
Top Tax Cases Of 2015: Bhutta v. IRS – Treaties And How They Affect Income Of Foreign Nationals
Issue
How can treaties between the United States and other countries affect the income of foreign nationals in the United States?
Facts
Bhutta, a citizen of Pakistan and a foreign medical school graduate, entered the United States in 2009 to participate in an internal medicine residency training program. During the three-year residency training program, for which he received an annual salary, Bhutta treated patients, with supervision; conducted and presented research; and supervised and trained third- and fourth-year medical students. His supervising and training of medical students consisted of having the medical students observe him during “rounds”, preparing the students for monthly examinations, and evaluating the students monthly.
Who qualifies as a real estate professional for tax purposes?
Issue
Who qualifies as a real estate professional for tax purposes? More specifically, how does a taxpayer establish that he or she materially participate in rental activities, so that the rentals become non-passive, and any losses can be used without limitation?
Related Tax Rules and/or Regulations
Internal Revenue Code Section 469
Facts
Escalante earned income from teaching and his ownership of rental properties that he managed himself. His teaching contract required him to work a minimum of six hours per scheduled work day. As is customary with this type of contract, it contemplated that there would be a substantial number of hours spent outside the classroom engaging in tasks and activities like lesson planning, grading papers, parent-teacher consultations, and faculty meetings.
Relating to the allocation of partnership liabilities and the tax implication of a foreclosure
Issue
What is the allocation of partnership liabilities and the tax implication of a foreclosure?
Related Tax Rule or Regulation
Internal Revenue Code Section 465
Internal Revenue Code Section 704
Internal Revenue Code Section 731
Internal Revenue Code Section 752
Internal Revenue Code Section 1001
Tax Regulation § 1.1001-2(c),
Case Study
REPORTING GAMBLING LOSSES AND INCOME
Americans love to gamble. Humans love to gamble for that matter. Whether you bet on football, play poker or bet on the horses, your winnings are taxable and you must report them on your tax return. The rules apply even to casual gamblers. Gambling income includes winnings from lotteries, raffles, horse races and casinos. It also includes cash and the fair market value of prizes you receive, such as cars and trips.
SURGEON WHO HID MONEY FROM WIFE AND IRS IN DIVORCE ACTION MAY GET PRISON TIME OF UP TO 95 YEARS FOR TAX FRAUD AND EVASION
Tax evasion is a serious crime. It is an enormous task and undertaking that rarely succeeds unless exorbitant monetary penalties and prison time are the ultimate goal. Taxpayers risk everything when they attempt to conceal any part of their financial portfolio, including any amount of their assets, from the IRS.
WHAT? I HAVE TO PAY TAXES ON MY LAWSUIT AWARD?
You’ve just received an award as the prevailing party in a lawsuit and it’s just a few weeks before the April 15th tax deadline. As you organize your documentation for the preparation of your taxes, you suddenly wonder if you have to pay taxes on the legal proceeds that you received a few weeks earlier. Are they indeed taxable? Whether you must include the amount of the proceeds in your income depends on all the facts and circumstances of each individual case. It also depends upon the type of injury incurred.