Unreported Income: Aiding & Abetting Understatements (Tax Preparer Penalties)

1. Aiding and Abetting Tax Understatements (Penalty)Any person who aids or assists in, or gives advice concerning, the preparation or presentation of any portion of a return, affidavit, claim, with the knowledge that the portion, if submitted, will create an understatement of the tax liability of another person must pay a penalty for each document […]

Unreported Income - Attorney Client Privilege

Attorney Client Privilege - US v KovelIf retained by an attorney, client accountants may receive the benefits of Attorney-Client privilege. In United States v. Kovel, 296 F.2d 918 (2d Cir. 1961), the Attorney-Client privilege was extended to accountants retained to assist the attorney in understanding taxpayer’s financial records.
The IRS Restructuring & Reform Act of 1998 […]

Unreported Income: Tax Preparer (CPA) Civil & Criminal Penalties (Summary)

Taxpayers who have unreported income, may subject their tax preparer (CPA) to up to 9 years imprisonment, with the following penalties:
Tax Preparer Penalties1. Penalty for causing an understatement of tax on a return (IRC § 6694), either: greater of ($1,000/or 50% of Income Derived), or if willful: ($5,000/50% of Income Derived)2. Penalty for aiding and […]

Unreported Income: Fraudulent Failure to File Tax Returns

In order to avoid the 75% penalty for fraudulent failure to file tax returns the tax payer must establish:
1) The delinquent filing is due to reasonable cause.2) The delinquent filing is not due to willful neglect.If both elements are established the failure to file penalty does not apply.
Penalty: Failure to file tax return
To establish that […]

Unreported Income: Criminal Penalties: Tax Preparers

Clients, with unreported income, may subject tax preparers to criminal penalties, fines, costs of prosecution and up to 10 years imprisonment (2 felonies, 2 misdemeanors):
1. Any person who willfully attempts in any manner to evade or defeat any tax or payment of any tax imposed by the Code is guilty of a felony.
A person convicted […]

Unreported Income (IRS): CPA Liability

The IRS has a new method for identifying returns with a high probability for unreported income (i.e., Unreported Income Discriminate Index Function (UI DIF)). Unreported income is both civil tax fraud and criminal tax evasion.
Taxpayers who have unreported income may be subject to up to 6 years in prison, 100% penalties and fines, and expose […]

Unreported Income: IRS Civil Tax Fraud and Criminal Tax Evasion

The IRS will often pursue a Taxpayer first, on criminal tax evasion, and then, civil tax fraud (otherwise, the taxpayer could assert, during the civil investigation, his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination).If the IRS pursues civil tax fraud first and wins, they may collect civil penalties, tax and obtain discovery information, and then pursue criminal […]

Unreported Income: IRS Criminal and Civil Tax Issues - Part 1

UNREPORTED INCOME (IRS Criminal Tax Issues)
1. IRC § 7201: Acts to Evade or Defeat Collection of Tax“It is a crime to evade or defeat any tax” (it is a felony to willfully attempt in any manner to evade or defeat the collection of a federal tax).
2. IRC § 7206: […]

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