The IRS has produced a “Dirty Dozen” list of 12 fraudulent and illegal tax schemes, representing “the worst of the worst” in tax scams, according to IRS Commissioner Doug Schulman.
Among the scams included in the list are: hiding income offshore, identity theft and phishing, return preparer fraud, filing false of misleading forms, frivolous arguments, nontaxable social security benefits with exaggerated withholding credit, abuse of charitable organizations and deductions, and abusive retirement plans.
The IRS warns that while such activities may appear to present opportunities to retain wealth illegally by defrauding the government, these scams frequently result in heavy fines, full repayment of taxes (plus interest), and often jail time.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Former UBS client pleads guilty to offshore tax evasion
Richard Werdiger, a former client of Zurich-based UBS AG, has pleaded guilty to concealing assets from the IRS in offshore bank accounts.
The 63-year-old is one of 7 former UBS clients believed to have concealed over $100 million from the IRS. Werdiger was accused of hiding $7 million in 3 accounts in Panama and Lichtenstein.
The former UBS client has agreed to pay $3.5 million in civil penalties and faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on June 14. The accusations form part of a larger IRS crackdown on offshore tax evasion, which has previously made UBS a focus of interest.
The 63-year-old is one of 7 former UBS clients believed to have concealed over $100 million from the IRS. Werdiger was accused of hiding $7 million in 3 accounts in Panama and Lichtenstein.
The former UBS client has agreed to pay $3.5 million in civil penalties and faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on June 14. The accusations form part of a larger IRS crackdown on offshore tax evasion, which has previously made UBS a focus of interest.
Friday, March 11, 2011
IRS offers information on offshore tax amnesty program in eight new languages
The IRS has released information on its 2011 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Initiative in several languages, following requests from taxpayers and tax professionals to make the program more accessible to persons who primarily speak non-English languages.
Information on the new amnesty program is now available in Chinese (traditional and simplified), Farsi, German, Hindi, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. The program creates an incentive for persons owing taxes to the IRS on hidden offshore accounts to come forward and pay their fines, by offering amnesty from some of the harsher penalties that could be applied.
A similar version of this program was offered last year and resulted in thousands of self-disclosures. This current program is less forgiving of tax cheats than the first iteration, but still offers ample motivation for persons guilty of offshore tax fraud to pay their fines and forgo potentially harsher punishment.
Information on the new amnesty program is now available in Chinese (traditional and simplified), Farsi, German, Hindi, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. The program creates an incentive for persons owing taxes to the IRS on hidden offshore accounts to come forward and pay their fines, by offering amnesty from some of the harsher penalties that could be applied.
A similar version of this program was offered last year and resulted in thousands of self-disclosures. This current program is less forgiving of tax cheats than the first iteration, but still offers ample motivation for persons guilty of offshore tax fraud to pay their fines and forgo potentially harsher punishment.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Government crackdown on tax attorney fraud continues
The US Justice Department has accused Scott Waage, a tax lawyer in San Diego, of using illegal tax schemes to withhold $10.8 million in clients’ assets that should have been paid to the IRS.
The complaint alleging Waage’s use of fraudulent tax shelters comes on the heels of another complaint filed against attorneys Charles Klink and Caleb Grodsky, who allegedly used an illegal tax scheme designed to help them avoid paying corporate taxes on income generated from the sale of their clients' business assets, according to the National Law Journal (subscription required).
According to the complaint, Waage advertised himself as a “visionary tax attorney.” He started his own law firm, now titled Strategic Law Group, which allegedly promoted illegal tax schemes that Waage used (for his own assets as well as those of his clients) to defraud the government of millions of dollars.
The complaint alleging Waage’s use of fraudulent tax shelters comes on the heels of another complaint filed against attorneys Charles Klink and Caleb Grodsky, who allegedly used an illegal tax scheme designed to help them avoid paying corporate taxes on income generated from the sale of their clients' business assets, according to the National Law Journal (subscription required).
According to the complaint, Waage advertised himself as a “visionary tax attorney.” He started his own law firm, now titled Strategic Law Group, which allegedly promoted illegal tax schemes that Waage used (for his own assets as well as those of his clients) to defraud the government of millions of dollars.
Friday, February 25, 2011
US pursuit of tax fraud scheme providers continues in Switzerland
Arrest warrants were issued following the Wednesday indictment of four bankers believed to have been hiding as much as $3 billion from the IRS.
Although all four bankers are employed by the Zurich-based Credit Suisse Group, the bank itself was not charged in the indictment. However, the indictment states that bank officials "knew and should have known that they were aiding and abetting U.S. customers in evading their U.S. income taxes."
The US government alleges that the fraud goes back to as far as 1953, and that in 2008, Credit Suisse was maintaining thousands of hidden accounts for US customers. Additionally, the indictment claims that that the fours bankers encouraged clients not to participate in President Obama’s tax amnesty program last year.
The AP notes that this is the first major criminal prosecution not involving Swiss-based UBS AG. In that landmark case, the UBS turned over thousands of names and paid a $780 million fine for helping US citizens conceal assets from the IRS.
Although all four bankers are employed by the Zurich-based Credit Suisse Group, the bank itself was not charged in the indictment. However, the indictment states that bank officials "knew and should have known that they were aiding and abetting U.S. customers in evading their U.S. income taxes."
The US government alleges that the fraud goes back to as far as 1953, and that in 2008, Credit Suisse was maintaining thousands of hidden accounts for US customers. Additionally, the indictment claims that that the fours bankers encouraged clients not to participate in President Obama’s tax amnesty program last year.
The AP notes that this is the first major criminal prosecution not involving Swiss-based UBS AG. In that landmark case, the UBS turned over thousands of names and paid a $780 million fine for helping US citizens conceal assets from the IRS.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Hunting down tax cheats in Switzerland gets easier
Switzerland has taken steps towards improving cooperation with countries seeking to pursue tax evaders hiding funds in the country.
Before the change in policy, which will take effect following Parliament’s approval, countries seeking information on tax evaders could receive administrative assistance from the Swiss government only with the full name and address of the parties of interest; the new policy will allow governments to use more varied search methods and provide less complete information.
However, the Swiss Ministry has said that it will not allow for “fishing expeditions,” whereby a government might attempt to gain information on parties that are not reasonably suspected of any wrongdoing.
The policy change comes on the heels of increased pressure from the US government to pursue tax evaders in Switzerland and other countries, including a sustained inquiry into UBS, Switzerland's biggest bank, which was recently completed.
Before the change in policy, which will take effect following Parliament’s approval, countries seeking information on tax evaders could receive administrative assistance from the Swiss government only with the full name and address of the parties of interest; the new policy will allow governments to use more varied search methods and provide less complete information.
However, the Swiss Ministry has said that it will not allow for “fishing expeditions,” whereby a government might attempt to gain information on parties that are not reasonably suspected of any wrongdoing.
The policy change comes on the heels of increased pressure from the US government to pursue tax evaders in Switzerland and other countries, including a sustained inquiry into UBS, Switzerland's biggest bank, which was recently completed.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
IRS announces new amnesty program for tax cheats
As previously indicated, the IRS has announced a new amnesty program for tax cheats who have concealed money in foreign bank accounts. The program comes on the heels of increased IRS scrutiny of foreign banking, notably UBS and Deutsch Bank AG.
The new program bears many similarities to a prior tax amnesty program which ran from March through October of 2009, and resulted in 15,000 Americans’ confession of illegal tax avoidance. The current program is less lenient, so as not to reward those who have waited, but also offers a few specific caveats for smaller accounts held by persons who can prove minimal knowledge or involvement in the offshore account. Persons to whom those specifications would have applied in the first amnesty program are invited to return now and have their fines reassessed.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the primary incentive for Americans to come forward is to avoid jail time or harsher fines. IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman stated that the program “gives people a chance to come in before we find them.” The new program is “the last, best chance for people to get back into the system,” he said. The deadline has been set for August 31, 2011.
The new program bears many similarities to a prior tax amnesty program which ran from March through October of 2009, and resulted in 15,000 Americans’ confession of illegal tax avoidance. The current program is less lenient, so as not to reward those who have waited, but also offers a few specific caveats for smaller accounts held by persons who can prove minimal knowledge or involvement in the offshore account. Persons to whom those specifications would have applied in the first amnesty program are invited to return now and have their fines reassessed.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the primary incentive for Americans to come forward is to avoid jail time or harsher fines. IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman stated that the program “gives people a chance to come in before we find them.” The new program is “the last, best chance for people to get back into the system,” he said. The deadline has been set for August 31, 2011.
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