TaxEsqBlog -by Ronald J. Cappuccio, J.D., LL.M.(Tax)

IRS Audit Techniques Guides provide clues to what may come up if your business is audited IRS examiners use Audit Techniques Guides (ATGs) to prepare for audits — and so can small business owners. Many ATGs target specific industries, such as construction. Others address issues that frequently arise in audits, such as executive compensation and fringe benefits. These publications can provide valuable insights into issues that might surface if your business is audited. What do ATGs cover? The IRS compiles information obtained from past examinations of taxpayers and publishes its findings in ATGs. Typically, these publications explain: The nature of the industry or issue, Accounting methods commonly used in an industry, Relevant audit examination techniques, Common and industry-specific compliance issues, Business practices, Industry terminology, and Sample interview questions. By using a specific ATG, an examiner may, for example, be able to reconcile discrepancies...

European governments are attacking American businesses trying to get as much tax money as possible. The latest leader in this witchhunt is France. They are not only going after companies for large civil taxes but they are at going after the businesses and the employees of the business for criminal penalties and possibly jail. Leading the list are Google, McDonald's and Bookings.com. All these companies have some relationship to France by having services sold through subsidiaries, but the French do not care about legal structures of business. They just want their tax! This sounds a lot like many State governments. New Jersey is always trying to find "nexus" to pull in out-of-state businesses as being subject to New Jersey taxes. Also any business located in New Jersey is subject to grueling sales and use tax audits and lengthy appeals and court hearings. It is a real problem particularly when the company tries to handle it themselves or have an accountant represent them ...

Filing the revised IRS form 990 is a big burden for Non Profits. Many non-profits are now being required to maintain more sophisticated records and to do complex tax compliance. I anticipate Nonprofits and Churches will be subject to heightened IRS scrutiny and IRS and State Tax audits. Click here for an interesting article .

IRS is Increasing Audit Rates The IRS is greatly increasing the rate of tax audits on higher income taxpayers and businesses. The audit rate started dropping in 1998 because of restructuring at the IRS. It bottomed in 2000, when just 0.5 percent of individual tax returns were audited but doubled that rate by 2007, to 1 percent. Audits of the Wealthy. Audits of those who make more than $1 million a year jumped 84 percent from fiscal 2006 to 2007, according to IRS figures. Those taxpayers have a 9 percent likelihood of being audited. That's nine times as much as the average taxpayer. Small Business Audits. But when it comes to businesses, the IRS is stepping up audits on smaller and mid-sized firms. The IRS targets sole proprietorships that report income on Schedule C with a 6 percent chance of getting audited. "We have increased our focus on mid-market corporations - those with assets between $10 million and $50 million," the IRS said in a statement.