IRS Finally Says Sorry for Seizing Small Businesses Bank Accounts

Small businesses face a tough battle in general, but when they have the IRS breathing down their necks it makes it that much more difficult to find success. Things are even more difficult when the IRS decides seize some of these business’s bank accounts. At least now the tax agency is apologizing for its actions. According to reports, after serious and consistent pressure from Congress, the IRS recently said sorry to several small business owners for taking control of their bank accounts. So why did the IRS takes these measures in the first place? Apparently these companies were guilty of structuring their deposits to barely avoid federal reporting requirements, even though they weren’t doing it with malicious intent. According to the law, any bank withdrawals and deposits greater than $10,000 must be reported to the IRS. It is also considered a felony to structure such transactions to avoid that law. In reality, these laws are actually in place to prevent drug dealers from transferring large sums of money to other countries. However, these seizures by the IRS reportedly cost the small companies who were affected tens of thousands of dollars to remedy. In apologizing the IRS also said that it would be changing its policy in order to protect small businesses from having their accounts seized when they obtain their money legally.

Posted in

The Basics of Asset Allocation

The Basics of Asset Allocation The Two Biggest Investment Mistakes: 1. Failure to diversify. Don’t bet everything on one stock. Don’t put all your money into either stocks or bonds. 2. Failure to cope with inflation risk. Today you need over $2 to buy what $1 bought in 1980, over $4 to buy what $1 bought in…

Stock Basis Reporting on Form 1099-B in 2011

Stock Basis Reporting on Form 1099-B in 2011 By Ron Cohen, CPA, MST Partner Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co., LLP See the new Form 1099-B for 2011 that requires “cost basis” information. Form 1099-B 2011 In the past, the client’s sometimes don’t know or can’t find their cost basis in stocks they have sold. Major…

Bond Risks and How Bond Funds Deal With Them

Bond Risks and How Bond Funds Deal With Them A bond is a promise. In return for the money lent to a corporate or governmental borrower, the borrower pledges to make periodic payments of interest at a fixed rate and to repay the original loan after a set period of time. Both the date at…

Meeting the Challenge of College Costs

Meeting the Challenge of College Costs Your child has entered high school and is just four years away from college. It’s time to get serious about figuring out how much it’s going to cost. Based on recent data from the College Board, if he or she goes to a private four-year university, the cost for…