Virginia La Torre Jeker, J.D. — US tax matters affecting international clients
It’s been awhile since I have blogged about our friend, Mr. FBAR. For those of you who are not familiar with his nickname, you may know him by his more formal moniker “Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts” (FinCEN Form 114). He springs from Title 31 of the Bank Secrecy Act (not the Internal … Continue reading FBAR “Willfulness” – Fifty Shades of Gray
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has now expanded its compliance campaigns and included “post Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program compliance” on the list. On July 19th, the IRS through its Large Business and International (LB&I) Division announced six new “compliance campaigns” for taxpayers. Significantly, one of these campaigns targets taxpayers who had entered an Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) … Continue reading Did you Join OVDP? You’d Better Still be in Tax Compliance!
I have been keeping readers up to date with the current controversy surrounding imposition of an FBAR penalty for “willful” violations. Here’s an overview of where we are to date. “Willful” Penalty Ceiling: The Cases So Far Last year, two district courts had limited the FBAR “willfulness” penalty to $100,000 because the Department of Treasury did … Continue reading IRS Hits the Jackpot: Another District Court Rejects $100,000 Cap on FBAR Penalty
UPDATE December 2018 - My interview with attorney John Richardson on the new IRS voluntary disclosure procedures. As many will remember, the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) closed on September 28th with the promise that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) would issue new guidance on voluntary disclosures made after that date. The guidance just arrived … Continue reading It’s Finally Here: The IRS Bible for Voluntary Disclosures
In a recent FBAR case involving an unreported foreign account maintained at none other than UBS in Switzerland, the court was called upon to decide whether the FBAR civil “willful” penalty assessed against the taxpayer survived his death. The case is United States v. Schoenfeld (Middle District, Fla. 3:16-cv-1248-J-34PDB), dated 9/25/18, and the court order … Continue reading Recent Case “Willful” FBAR Penalty: Even Death is No Escape!
Henry Seggerman has first-hand experience with this type of situation. Without hesitation, my guess is that he’ll tell you to get the Estate into an IRS Voluntary Disclosure Program (“VDP”). Here is the tale of the unenviable case of the Seggermans! Henry was the son of a prominent New York businessman who passed away. Henry was … Continue reading What if Someone Dies Owning an Undeclared Foreign Financial Account? What Should The Executor & Heirs Do?
Below is a copy of my post as it appeared (May 21 2018) on my former blog "Let's Talk About US Tax" hosted by AngloInfo. We had a very interesting case decided May 16 2018 when a district court in Texas granted Dominique Colliot’s motion for summary judgment (United States, v. Dominique G. Colliot). The … Continue reading Can You Claim a Refund of Your “Willful” FBAR Penalty?
I don’t have much to say about this case, simply because not much needs to be said. In United States v. Gentges (USDC SDNY Dkt. 7:18-cv-07910), the Government is bringing a lawsuit to collect a “willful” FBAR penalty for the tax year 2007 in an amount close to USD904,000. The penalties relate to two Swiss bank accounts … Continue reading New FBAR “Willful” Penalty Case: But You Can’t Blame the IRS!
I have been blogging recently (here and here) about the IRS’ aggressive stance in determining what constitutes a taxpayer’s “willful” failure to file an FBAR and the fact that mounting court cases show the judiciary is buying in to the IRS’ position. Courts appear to be more easily upholding a finding of “willfulness” when it … Continue reading Katholos – New Case Shows IRS Aggression in Asserting FBAR “Willful” Penalty
I have been keeping readers up to date with the current controversy surrounding imposition of an FBAR penalty for “willful” violations. Two courts have limited the FBAR “willfulness” penalty to $100,000 because the Department of Treasury did not update the relevant regulations to match the statute as revised by Congress in 2004. Essentially the dispute … Continue reading The Sky’s the Limit: FBAR Penalty Win for IRS – New Case Upholds 50% of Account Balance
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