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Tax Disputes & Litigation
Investigation Reveals that CRA Employees Have Been Accessing Taxpayer Information on an Unauthorized Basis
According to an investigation by CBC News, employees at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) have committed privacy breaches and have continued to “snoop” on the confidential tax files of their partners, spouses, colleagues, neighbours, and others. CBC obtained ten months of internal reports which showed the files of at least 10,000 Canadians were compromised by CRA employees, who used their privileged access to government databases to access taxpayers’ private financial affairs. This occurred despite… Read More
Personal Tax Planning
IRS Announces a “Use it or Lose It” Provision for Current Estate and Gift Tax Exemptions
Earlier this week, the IRS announced that taxpayers taking advantage of the increased gift and estate tax exclusion amounts in effect between 2018 and 2025 will not be adversely impacted when the exclusion amount is scheduled to decrease to pre-2018 levels in 2025. Gift Taxes, Estate Taxes and the Exclusion Amount Gift and estate taxes apply to transfers of money, property, and other assets. These taxes are calculated using a unified rate… Read More
Corporate Tax Planning
New IRS Commissioner Outlines Goals for his Term
Earlier this fall, the Senate confirmed President Trump’s pick to head the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Charles Rettig previously practiced tax law in California for more than 36 years. During that time, he often represented taxpayers in disputes with the IRS and was a member of the IRS Advisory Council (IRSAC) for three years beginning in 2008, and served as IRSAC’s chair from 2010 to 2011. Rettig was confirmed as Commissioner of the… Read More
Bitcoin
Largest U.S. Bitcoin Exchange Ordered to Share Client Information with the IRS
In a recent decision, a California court ordered the largest bitcoin exchange in the U.S. to hand certain customer information over to the IRS to facilitate the IRS’ investigation into underreporting of virtual income gains. What Happened? Coinbase is a San Francisco based exchange dealing in cryptocurrency. Between 2013 and 2015, Coinbase maintained more than 4.9 million bitcoin wallets in 190 countries, serving 3.2 million customers and exchanging $2.5 billion. Believing that… Read More
Bitcoin
IRS Advisory Committee Calls for More Guidance on Cryptocurrency Transactions
The Internal Revenue Service has published a new report in which the Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee (IRPAC) emphasized the rise in popularity of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies and noted that there has been a concurrent rise in questions about the tax consequences around transactions involving these virtual currencies. What is IRPAC? IRPAC is a federal advisory committee under the broader umbrella of the IRS. It’s mission is to “provide an organized… Read More