Tax Preparers Get Busted for Fraudulent Practices
Every tax season is full of stories and tales of people who go to great lengths to avoid paying taxes. In addition there are dozens of reports of unscrupulous tax preparers that get caught trying to cheat the system: either their clients or the IRS, or both.
We want to share a few of those stories with you, which come from Accountingtoday.com. The first tale comes from Latham, NY, where a 52-year-old tax professional has pleaded guilty to false returns. The preparer admitted to preparing 16 returns that contained all kinds of false information, from false deductions for unreimbursed employee expenses to energy efficiency credits. The false returns were submitted between 2008 and 2011. He could face as much as three years in prison and a fine of $100,000.
Elsewhere, the Justice Department has asked a federal judge to permanently bar three Liberty Tax Service franchises in South Carolina after they allegedly prepared false returns in order to give their clients’ refunds a boost. According to the complaint, one franchise filed returns that included a “bogus ‘arts and crafts’ business on one of its client’s return and a bogus ‘hair care’ businesses on another’s.”
Meanwhile, another preparer, in Louisiana, will be spending two years behind bars and another year of supervised release, along with paying a hefty fine of more than $225,000 after he was convicted of filing a false personal income tax return and preparing bogus returns for many of his clients.
These are just a few examples of dishonest tax preparers that are out there. So now that tax season is in full swing, make sure you choose a tax preparer you can trust.
4 Ways to Lead During Turbulent Times
4 Ways to Lead During Turbulent Times By Tim Irwin A couple of years out of college, my future wife, Anne, moved to Washington State from Wisconsin where she’d been living. She and her roommate pulled a large U-Haul trailer with all their worldly possessions on the long trip. They reached the Continental Divide, and…
Leadership Skills: How to Be a Successful Communicator
Leadership Skills: How to Be a Successful Communicator Author: Jacqueline Moore As a business leader, one of the most important leadership skills you’ll ever demonstrate is knowing how to communicate. When you think about it, most business leadership consists of communication of one sort or another. You hold meetings with staff or board members or…
Six Important Managerial Skills For Successful Leadership
Six Important Managerial Skills For Successful Leadership A mark of a good leader is to be able to provide consistent motivation to his team encouraging them to attain excellence and quality in their performance. A good leader is always looking for ways to improve production and standards. Here are six management skills to be an…
Breaking the 4 Minute Mile
Breaking the 4 Minute Mile By Bree Bowman Eagle Scout Speech 6/30/09 For more than 100 years, runners tried to break the 4 minute mile. It was considered the “Holy Grail” of track and field. Many said it couldn’t be done. In fact, doctors wrote articles in medical journals explaining why it was physically impossible…