I.R.S. Chief Out After Protest Over Scrutiny of Groups

WASHINGTON — President Obama announced Wednesday night that the acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service had been ousted after disclosures that the agency gave special scrutiny to conservative groups. Read More:

Senate Passes Bill to Widen Tax Collection on the Web

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan coalition in the Senate easily passed legislation on Monday to force Internet retailers to collect sales taxes for state and local governments, sending the issue to the House, where antitax forces have vowed to kill it. Read More:

Final rules require EIN updates

On Friday, the IRS issued final regulations requiring taxpayers that obtain employer identification numbers (EINs) to update their information with the IRS (T.D. 9617). Read More:

For Small Businesses, Tax Law Has Become a Moving Target

TAX planning can be difficult for a small business, all the more so when a lot of the work is left until the last minute — not by the owners or their accountants, but by Congress. Read More:

Significant decline in IRS staff leads to fewer audits

The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), reports that the IRS plans to expend 18% fewer staff hours auditing large businesses with assets of more than $10 million in fiscal year 2013 (which ends Sept. 30) than it did in FY 2011. Read More:

Microsoft Office 2013

An essential tool for many CPAs is a dependable computer running Microsoft Office. Accordingly, CPAs have more than a passing interest when Microsoft releases new editions every three years or so. This year should be no exception. Read More:

Incorrect expert advice about estate return filing deadline does not excuse penalty

An executor of an estate who relied on his accountant's mistaken advice that he had obtained a one-year extension of the filing due date for Form 706, United States Estate (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax Return, was nonetheless liable for a large late-filing penalty...Read On:

Members Memo on articles
May 2013

Be sure and log in to your Members Only Section (top-left column) to see the articles on: House Bills and Legislator Updates by Gallagher Consultants, Inc., IRS Updates by Catherine Murphy, CPA (IRS Stakeholder Liaison), Federal Tax Weekly by CCH Group, blog articles by Paul Neiffer from Farm CPA Today