IRS Instructions as Clear as Mud, Even to the IRS
Tax time is just around the corner and that means it will be time once again to comb through all the jargon that is IRS tax forms. Many taxpayers have long bemoaned tax forms and instructions as just plain confusing and in some cases, downright sinister. However, even though filing taxes on your own accord can be a risky proposition, as long as you stick to the code and follow the IRS’s instructions carefully and exactly, you should be OK, right? Well, not necessarily.
What? How could that possibly be true? The fact is tax instructions don’t actually fall under the tax law. So, in reality, you could even follow the instructions on a tax form with exactness and still end up with an error. Of course, the IRS would understand if that happened to you, right? Well, not exactly. Many taxpayers have used this argument to no avail. In most instances, the courts side with the IRS and rarely hold the agency to what is written in its forms and instructions.
That’s because, unfortunately, according to legal precedence, the only things that hold up in court as tax law are regulations, official statutes and judicial decisions. That means even if you fill out your tax forms incorrectly and it’s the IRS’s fault, you will still be held accountable for those mistakes. It doesn’t seem fair that the IRS is ultimately not responsible to write correct instructions, but nevertheless when it comes to the IRS there isn’t too much that does seem fair.
Four Things to Consider Now for the Upcoming Tax Season
It’s November already. How can that be possible? The more important question is what are you going to do about it? Although it seems like the last tax season just ended a few months ago, the next tax season is just a few weeks away. That means you should already be preparing for your inevitable…
Soccer Star Will Have to Go to Trial for Alleged Tax Evasion
The ongoing tax saga of soccer star Lionel Messi will continue. That news comes after a judge in Spain ruled that the Barcelona FC star would indeed have to stand trial for tax fraud charges in association with his many endorsement deals with foreign companies. The news comes just days after a report stated that…
Common Trust Fund Questions for Beginners
Are you considering a trust fund? Trust funds are a very useful tool for saving and investing money, but a lot of people aren’t totally sure how to use a trust or even how they work. Trust funds essentially hold assets, like property, a business or money, for the benefit of another person, a group…
IRS Wants A Lot More Than a Coke and a Smile From Coca-Cola, Co.
The Coca-Cola, Co. wants everyone to share a Coke and a smile but the IRS just wants the soft drink company to share it’s profits with the government, in the form of it’s tax bill. The IRS claims that the company has skipped out on more than $3 billion in taxes and interest due from…