It is common for a US taxpayer to ask “what happens if you don’t file an FBAR or a Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Assets with the IRS? Why do I have to worry about filing an FBAR in San Diego or anywhere in the US,...more
Could Artificial Intelligence (AI) increase the likelihood of an IRS audit in your future? How does the IRS use AI to identify US taxpayers who attempt to hide assets, under-report income or otherwise cheat the IRS? In...more
After a yearlong investigation, the US Senate Finance Committee probed into a FATCA Loophole and delivered an investigative report titled “The Shell Bank Loophole” that exposes a tax evasion scheme under a FATCA loophole...more
We all know the French proverb; the more things change the more they stay the same. It has a place in the current controversy over the sudden collapse of Mt. Gox, Bitcoin’s leading dealer. Bitcoin is a virtual or...more
IRS Large Business and International (IRS LBI) currently has 59 Active Compliance Campaigns. The purpose of the IRS compliance campaign strategy is to redefine large business compliance work and build a supportive...more
On January 31, 2017, the IRS Large Business and International Division (LBI) announced a compliance campaign strategy to redefine large business compliance work and build a supportive infrastructure inside the LBI. ...more
Under Internal Revenue Code section 7609(f), the IRS may issue a “John Doe” administrative summons to discover the identities of unknown taxpayers. A “John Doe” summons can be a powerful enforcement tool because it allows the...more
The IRS currently offers the following five programs for noncompliant taxpayers: (i) the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP), (ii) Streamlined Domestic Offshore Procedures, (iii) Streamlined Foreign Offshore...more
Since 2008, the U.S. Government has largely focused its enforcement actions against Swiss banks that may have assisted U.S. taxpayers in evading federal taxes. In August 2013, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) introduced the...more
As the Department of Justice is wrapping up its prosecution of over a dozen Swiss banks, federal prosecutors and IRS special agents are analyzing a treasure trove of previously undeclared taxpayer account information that...more
When Senator Levin, the Democrat from Michigan, announced his retirement from the Senate in 2014, you could hear a collective sigh of relief from the corporate business community. Senator Levin had dedicated himself to...more
The U.S. government has filed criminal charges against another Swiss Bank — Bank Julius Baer — and simultaneously secured guilty pleas from two Julius Baer bankers who had been fugitives for the past five years. Pursuant to...more
The investigation and prosecution of tax evasion has, in the past decade, grown from a specialized subcategory of law enforcement into a first-tier policy concern for the international community. Financial institutions,...more
Just one day after the October 15 deadline for filing personal income tax returns on extension, the Internal Revenue Service issued a strongly-worded warning to non-compliant taxpayers: take action now to fix your problem, or...more
On July 30, 2015, the Justice Department’s Tax Division announced that three more Swiss banks — PKB Privatbank AG, Falcon Private Bank AG and Credito Privato Commerciale in liquidazione SA (CPC) – have cut deals with the U.S....more
Today the Justice Department announced that Société Générale Private Banking (Suisse) SA (SGPB-Suisse) and Berner Kantonalbank AG (BEKB), have reached resolutions under the department’s Swiss Bank Program. With today’s...more
On June 3, 2015, the Justice Department announced that two more Swiss banks, Rothschild Bank AG and Banca Credinvest SA, reached resolutions under the DOJ Swiss Bank Program. Yesterday’s announcement brings the total Swiss...more
The first non-prosecution agreement signals expanded US tax enforcement opportunities at home and abroad. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced the first non-prosecution agreement (NPA) with BSI, SA, (BSI)...more