Using a Tax Shelter? IRS Says Beware

Umbrella,For,Hiding,Piggy,Bank,Savings,Account,From,Tax

People look for many different ways to save on taxes, or even to avoid paying some of the taxes they really do owe. However, despite taxpayers’ best efforts, the IRS is always on the prowl and if you’re using unscrupulous means to avoid paying taxes there is a good chance you will get caught, including employing what the IRS calls “abusive tax shelters and structures.”

According to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen taxpayers should stay away from anyone who promotes or sells phony tax shelters whose only purpose is to avoid paying taxes that are owed. These schemes can end up costing taxpayers much more in penalties, interest and back taxes, said Koskinen.

Koskinen added that these types of schemes “have evolved from simple structuring of abusive domestic and foreign trust arrangements into sophisticated strategies that take advantage of the financial secrecy laws of some foreign jurisdictions and the availability of credit/debit cards issued from offshore financial institutions.”

If you want to save on taxes legally your best bet is to work with a highly capable accounting and tax firm, like GROCO, which knows how to utilize every legal tax measure available in order to get you the best refund possible. Give us a call or contact us online and make sure you avoid the perils of getting involved with the wrong kind of “tax help.”

Posted in

It’s Time for a Tax Scam Refresher Course

Despite repeated warnings from the media and the IRS alike, thousands of people are conned out of money every tax season by scammers. Make sure you’re not one of them. Here is a list of some of the most common scams the IRS sees this time of year. The list is not all-inclusive, as scammers…

Believe it or Not, So Far the IRS Is Refunding More Money This Year

It’s a rarity that anyone ever has anything good to say about the IRS; just as it’s a rarity that the federal tax agency has good news for taxpayers. However, according to recent reports, the IRS does have some very good news to share in regards to tax returns so far in 2015. While earlier…

IRS Guilty of Questionable Hiring and Rehiring Practices

How confident are you that the IRS is going to handle your tax return properly? Even if you’ve already filed, this latest news could affect you. According to new reports, the IRS apparently used some questionable hiring practices as it prepared to begin reviewing the roughly 150 million individual tax returns it expected to receive…

Tax Season Got You Down? Blame Obamacare

What do you hate the most about taxes? Is it the simple fact that you have to file them? Is it the fear of being chosen for an audit? Is it all the confusing changes on tax laws and policies that drive you nuts? There are a lot of reasons people hate dealing with taxes,…