The IRS is getting tough with tax return preparers it perceives to be making or helping taxpayers make dubious claims. The IRS has the ability to impose stiff penalties on tax preparers for understating a taxpayer's liability. Other practices the IRS can penalize include promoting abusive tax shelters, fraud or false statements, or any activity that interferes with the IRS' ability to do its work.
A Resource for California CPAs
These penalties, which range from civil to criminal, apply to CPAs, tax attorneys, enrolled agents, actuaries, appraisers and unlicensed tax return preparers.
Givner & Kaye aids preparers in responding to these types of problems. Bruce Givner gave a seminar on these penalties on October 25, 2011, for the California State CPA Society.
Prepare Tax Returns Knowing You Have Backup.
The problem is that tax laws are notoriously ambiguous. Reasonable persons can disagree on what constitutes a deliberate skirting of the law and what constitutes a logical alternate interpretation.
"On top of the law, creative and thoughtful"
"When I have clients with serious, sophisticated tax problems, my first call is to Givner & Kaye. They stay on top of the law, and they are creative and thoughtful. They not only hold my client's hand; they also patiently guide me through what is often a complex and difficult process." Testimonial by J.K., C.P.A.
For this reason the IRS describes a "50 percent" test for noncompliance: if a reasonable person would feel there is a 50 percent or greater chance that a given claim will be disallowed, then the preparer should not make that claim. In addition, the preparer must inform the taxpayer that a claim may result in the return being rejected.
Honoring the Taxpayer Bill Of Rights
When language is ambiguous, when the standard for acceptability is vague, and when millions of dollars hang in the balance, that's when you need Bruce Givner and Owen Kaye. The Los Angeles firm of Givner & Kaye routinely counsels tax preparers through the penalty gauntlet. They are the go-to lawyers in California for preparers under fire.
Call or e-mail Los Angeles tax preparer attorneys Bruce Givner and Owen Kaye. Let us put an end to your tax preparer problems.
