[Updated 2021] The U.S. government is getting quite sophisticated in its hunt for unreported foreign accounts and those they believe are laundering money. While most people who haven’t reported their offshore bank and brokerage accounts don’t have a clue about the disclosure rules, some do. The people who have decided not to cooperate with the […]
Battle of the Titans
by Brian Mahany We hear of many people making claims against their tax preparers for not properly advising them of their foreign account reporting requirements. Lately some taxpayers are suing Swiss banks for allegedly providing them bad advise – like, “don’t worry you won’t get caught.” Now in what may be the ultimate lawsuit, billionaire […]
Does The New FATCA Law Help Foreign Dictators?
by Brian Mahany Most of our posts are designed to help folks understand tax laws and to prevent people becoming victims of fraud. Although we often have strong opinions on tax policy, we try not to politicize this blog. Uncle Sam’s relentless pursuit of unreported foreign bank accounts and offshore income has generated many strong […]
Islamic Banks Next Target of IRS? (IRS Whistleblower Rewards Post)
[Arabis translation below – الترجمة العربية أدناه] Beginning in 2007, the IRS began cracking down on Americans and other U.S. taxpayers with unreported foreign accounts. Owning an offshore account isn’t illegal but failing to report the account is. First, Swiss banks began to be the targets. The government accused UBS and several other Swiss banks […]
America's Tax Gap – Who Is At Fault And What Should We Do About It
by Brian Mahany America’s tax gap – the difference between what the IRS collects and what it should collect. Estimates differ widely but everyone agrees that it is measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars annually. In the last comprehensive study, the IRS estimated it collects 84% of what is due each year. President […]
Ominous Storm Clouds Gather for Those with Unreported Overseas Accounts
[Post updated June 2019] I feel like a broken record lately about the current IRS offshore tax amnesty (called the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Initiative). I keep writing about it because people keep calling with questions. Invariably, we are asked “will I get caught if I don’t report?” There is no easy answer to that. Surprisingly […]