George W. Colburn, CPA
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The IRS has outlined key provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21), signed into law on July 4, 2025, that introduce new deductions beginning in tax year 2025. The deductions apply through 2028 and cover qualified tips, overtime pay, car loan interest, and a special allowance for seniors.


Funding uncertainty and a constantly changing tax law environment are presenting challenges to the Internal Revenue Service as it works to meet legislative and executive mandates to improve the taxpayer experience.


Audits on high-income individuals and partnerships have increased in recent years as audits on large corporations have decreased in response to the Internal Revenue Service’s focus on the former group, the Treasury Inspector General For Tax Administration found.


The IRS has released guidance clarifying the withholding and reporting obligations for employers and plan administrators when a retirement plan distribution check is uncashed and later reissued.


The Treasury Department and the IRS have withdrawn proposed rules addressing the treatment of built-in income, gain, deduction, and loss taken into account by a loss corporation after an ownership change under Code Sec. 382(h). The withdrawal, effective July 2, 2025, follows public criticism on the proposed regulations’ approach.


The Treasury and IRS removed this final rule from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) that involved gross proceeds reporting by brokers for effectuating digital asset sales.


A more then 25 percent reduction in the Internal Revenue Service workforce will likely present some significant challenges on the heels of a 2025 tax season described as a "measured success," according to the Office of the National Taxpayer Advocate.


The Internal Revenue Service Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee (ETAAC) released its 2025 annual report during a public meeting in Washington, D.C., outlining 14 recommendations—ten directed to the IRS and four to Congress. 


The fate of many of the tax incentives taxpayers have grown accustomed to over recent years will likely remain up in the air until Congress and the Administration finally face off weeks before year-end 2012. While the results of Election Day will have bearing on the outcome, no crystal ball can predict how the ultimate short-term compromise will unfold. As a result, some year-end tax planning must be deferred and executed ”at the eleventh hour” only after Congress passes and the President signs what will likely result in a stopgap, temporary compromise for 2013. Tax rates for higher-bracket individuals and a long list of “extenders” provisions such as the child tax credit, the enhanced education credits and the optional deduction for state and local sales tax, hang in the balance. Real tax reform for 2014 and beyond, in any event, won’t be hammered out until 2013 is well underway.


The tax code provides for 50 percent first-year bonus depreciation for 2012. If property qualifies for bonus depreciation, the taxpayer can deduct 50 percent of the cost of the property in 2012. This can help a business bear the cost of investing in needed equipment, as well as facilitate cash flow and provide operating funds for the business. It is not too late to qualify for 50-percent bonus depreciation for 2012.


In recent years, the IRS has been cracking down on abuses of the tax deduction for donations to charity and contributions of used vehicles have been especially scrutinized. The charitable contribution rules, however, are far from being easy to understand. Many taxpayers genuinely are confused by the rules and unintentionally value their contributions to charity at amounts higher than appropriate.


In 2013, a new and unique tax will take effect—a 3.8 percent "unearned income Medicare contribution" tax as part of the structure in place to pay for health care reform. The tax will be imposed on the "net investment income" (NII) of individuals, estates, and trusts that exceeds specified thresholds. The tax will generally fall on passive income, but will also apply generally to capital gains from the disposition of property.


Whether or not the IRS will allow a deduction for year-end bonuses for services performed during that year depends not only on the timing of the payment, but also the events surrounding the payment. If your business is planning to provide year-end bonuses to employees, you may find the following tax tips useful in your planning.


As 2013 draws closer, news reports about “taxmageddon” and “taxpocalypse,” describing expiration of the Bush-era tax cuts, are proliferating. Many taxpayers are asking what they can do to prepare. The answer is to prepare early. September may seem too early to be discussing year-end tax planning, but the uncertainty over the Bush-era tax cuts, incentives for businesses, and much more, requires proactive strategizing. Ultimately, the fate of these tax incentives will be resolved; until then, taxpayers need to be flexible in their year-end tax planning.


Some individuals must pay estimated taxes or face a penalty in the form of interest on the amount underpaid. Self-employed persons, retirees, and nonworking individuals most often must pay estimated taxes to avoid the penalty. But an employee may need to pay them if the amount of tax withheld from wages is insufficient to cover the tax owed on other income. The potential tax owed on investment income also may increase the need for paying estimated tax, even among wage earners.


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