past due taxes: INNOCENT SPOUSE DOCTRINE CAN PROVIDE YOU RELIEF - 11/02/21 10:12 AM
              The breakdown of a marriage can be one of the most difficult times in a person’s life.  Sadly, this event is often compounded by unexpected income tax bills and collections.  Fortunately, the Innocent Spouse doctrine can provide you relief.    
The Innocent Spouse doctrine states, in a nutshell, that a spouse, innocent of their [former] spouse’s bad behavior should not share liability for that bad behavior.  Married persons are jointly liable for their tax bills and divorce often leaves a person with half the bill for the penalties on their former spouse’s unpaid taxes.  This is where a the Innocent Spouse … (1 comments)

past due taxes: IRS STEPS UP ENFORCEMENT – WHAT NOW? - 06/23/21 10:51 AM
              The IRS’ COVID lull in enforcement formally ended June 15th with the issuance of 5 million Notices of Intent to Collect.  Nearly 1 in 6 American taxpayers has past due income taxes, so it is likely that someone you know will be tagged by the IRS' stepped up enforcement. 
The IRS spent the past eighteen months preparing for this new spate of enforcement by onboarding AI technology to supplement the information garnered from recent ‘John Doe’ subpoenas sent to Coinbase, Kraken and other cryptocurrency brokers and the trove of data willingly supplied by taxpayers seeking PPP, unemployment and EIDL COVID support.  … (0 comments)

past due taxes: HAVE NOT FILED TAX RETURNS, PART II - 03/15/21 10:55 AM
This is part 2 of my series of blog articles on what to do if you have not filed tax returns for several [or many] years.  You can read the first article in this series here.    
The first thing you need to do is consult with an attorney.  There are several steps involved in ‘coming correct’ after having not filed tax returns, and many factors to consider for each step.  Because a non-filer is out of compliance with the law, among the most important considerations will be making sure the case is not inadvertently turned into a criminal case.  This is … (0 comments)

past due taxes: SO, YOU HAVE NOT FILED TAX RETURNS - 03/08/21 07:50 AM
So, you have not filed tax returns in several, or even many years.  Why bother now?    
The simple answer is that you are more likely than ever to get caught.  The IRS has begun using sophisticated algorithms to detect and locate non-filers.  Even if you work in an all cash business, periodically you will get on a plane, buy gas, obtain an ID card, or interact with the 21st Century in other ways.  Every such incident will leave a datapoint and sooner or later the IRS connect those datapoints with a name that does not appear on recent tax returns.
If you … (1 comments)

past due taxes: WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU RECEIVE AN IRS COLLECTION LETTER – PART 1 - 03/01/21 02:19 PM
              IRS collection letters arrive in envelopes conspicuously labeled with the IRS logo, as though to inform your mail carrier and neighbors that you have received an IRS collection letter.  Some of these letters contain ominous pronouncements such as: “NOTICE OF INTENT TO LEVY”. 
Pre-COVID, approximately 1 in 6 American taxpayers owed money to the U. S. Treasury.  This number is sure to grow as Americans file their first post-COVID tax returns and discover just how much of the assistance they received from the Federal Government they are required to return to the Federal Government in the form of income taxes on … (6 comments)

 
David Ratowitz, Tax, Real Estate and Bankruptcy Law Firm (Ratowitz Law Group)

David Ratowitz

Tax, Real Estate and Bankruptcy Law Firm

Park Ridge, IL

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Ratowitz Law Group



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