Taxation & Estate Planning

Miami Hosts Duties of the Tax Practitioner to the Client and to the System

Posted on April 01, 2011
Scott D. Michel (Caplin & Drysdale, Washington, D.C.) and Diane M. Ring (Boston College) discuss The Ethical Framework: Duties of the Tax Practitioner to the Client and to the System at Miami today as part of the LL.M. speaker series convened by Patricia Brown: The presentation examines the challenges facing...

GE Flubs Tax Pushback Against the New York Times

Posted on April 01, 2011
Columbia Journalism Review, GE Flubs a Pushback Against The New York Times: The Company Can?t?or Won?t?Get its Story Straight on Taxes, by Ryan Chittum: General Electric went into full public-relations pushback mode after The New York Times?s damaging story Friday on how it avoids paying U...

Harvard Law's Lonely Women

Posted on April 01, 2011
The Careerist, Harvard Law's Lonely Women, by Vivia Chen: Call me naive, but I was genuinely shocked that this big, prestigious bastion of liberalism [Harvard Law School] didn't have a tenured woman of Asian descent until this year [when it tenured Jeannie Suk (pictured left)]...

GAO Releases Two Tax Reports

Posted on April 01, 2011
The Government Accountability Office yesterday released two tax reports: 2011 Tax Filing: IRS Dealt with Challenges to Date but Needs Additional Authority to Verify Compliance (GAO-11-481) Tax Preparer Regulation: IRS Needs a Documented Framework to Achieve Goal of Improving Taxpayer Compliance (GAO-11-336)

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Pepperdine Hosts Symposium on The Most Maligned Supreme Court Decisions

Posted on April 01, 2011
Pepperdine hosts a symposium today on Supreme Mistakes: The Most Maligned Decisions in Supreme Court History: This symposium will focus on notable United States Supreme Court decisions. However, rather than showcasing the Court?s best or most popularly acclaimed decisions, the symposium will spotlight the most widely criticized decisions the Court...

Kleinbard: The Global Tax Avoidance Dance

Posted on April 01, 2011
Edward D. Kleinbard (USC), The Global Tax Avoidance Dance: America's most successful multinationals make great products and offer superior services. But they have another, less enviable quality in common -- they have become world leaders in tax avoidance...

Death of Leo Raskind

Posted on April 01, 2011
Tax Prof Leo J. Raskind (Minnesota) died on March 22 at age 91. From the Minnesota press release: Raskind taught copyright, antitrust, intellectual property, and tax law at the Law School from 1970-92. He then became Brooklyn Law School's "permanent" visiting professor and taught there until he retired in 2006...

How Large Are Tax Expenditures?

Posted on April 01, 2011
Tax Policy Center, How Large Are Tax Expenditures?, by Donald Marron: Tax expenditures are getting increased scrutiny from budget hawks and tax reformers. New Treasury estimates, released as part of President Obama's recent budget, indicate that these tax preferences will reduce individual and corporate income tax revenues by almost $1...

Work, Child, and Education Tax Incentives

Posted on April 01, 2011
Tax Policy Center: Tax Simplification: Clarifying Work, Child, and Education Incentives, by Elaine Maag (Urban Institute): The federal income tax code is riddled with complex provisions concerning children. Families with children qualify for and receive substantial assistance, but the provisions are difficult for parents to understand and for the IRS...

GE Responds to NY Times Criticism of its Tax Planning

Posted on March 31, 2011
Following up on last week's post, NY Times: G.E.: Tax Imagination at Work (and follow up commentary by Jon Stewart and 60 Minutes): Bloomberg, Immelt Says GE?s 2011 Tax Rate to Be ?Much Higher? as Losses End: General Electric Co. (GE)?s tax rate will rise this year and beyond after...

U.S. News Law School Rankings: Financial Value (Salary-to-Debt)

Posted on March 31, 2011
U.S. News & World Report has released a list of the ten law schools with the best financial value (first year salary to student loan debt ratio): With tuition increasing at nearly every law school for the 2011-12 school year, incoming students may want to consider the initial value a...

Tax Court: Woman Can Deduct Funds Withdrawn by Abusive Boyfriend

Posted on March 31, 2011
The Tax Court yesterday held that a women could deduct funds withdrawn from her businesses by her abusive boyfriend as theft losses. Herrington v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2011-73 (Mar. 30, 2011); In 1991 petitioner was working two jobs to support herself and her two young children...

Mann: The Water-Energy Nexus Through the Lens of Tax Policy

Posted on March 31, 2011
Roberta F. Mann (Oregon) has published Like Water for Energy: The Water-Energy Nexus Through the Lens of Tax Policy, 82 U. Colo. L. Rev. 505 (2011). Here is the abstract: Water is essential for life. Inadequate potable water supplies lead to poverty, disease, starvation, and civil strife...

Haile: Sin Taxes -- When the State Becomes the Sinner

Posted on March 31, 2011
Andrew J. Haile (Elon) has published Sin Taxes: When the State Becomes the Sinner, 82 Temp. L. Rev. 1041 (2009). Here is the abstract: To fill budget gaps, several state legislatures have proposed increasing existing taxes on tobacco and alcohol products...

Sen. Boxer Tells ABA to Get Tough With Law Schools on Reporting Employment Data

Posted on March 31, 2011
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today released this letter requesting the ABA to increase its oversight of law school reporting of admissions and post-graduation employment information: As you know, recent news articles have raised concerns about the reporting of admissions and post-graduation information by the American Bar Association and law schools...

Repetti Presents Horizontal Equity Revisited Today at Indiana

Posted on March 31, 2011
James R. Repetti (Boston College) presents Horizontal Equity Revisited (with Diane Ring (Boston College)) at Indiana-Bloomington today as part of its Tax Policy Colloquium Series. Here is the abstract: In the years since a 1993 article by McDaniel and Repetti (?M-R?) evaluating the intellectual landscape of Horizontal Equity (?HE?), the...

Burman Presents Tax Expenditures and Budget Reform Today at NYU

Posted on March 31, 2011
Leonard E. Burman (Syracuse University, Maxwell School) presents Tax Expenditures, the Size and Efficiency of Government, and Implications for Budget Reform (with Marvin Phaup (George Washington, Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration)) at NYU today as part of its Colloquium Series on Tax Policy and Public Finance convened...

Blank Presents In Defense of Tax Privacy Today at San Diego

Posted on March 31, 2011
Joshua D. Blank (NYU) presents In Defense of Tax Privacy, 61 Emory L.J. ___ (2011), at San Diego today as part of its Tax Law Speaker Series. Here is the abstract: The debate over whether tax privacy?a set of statutory rules that prohibits the federal government from publicly releasing any...

Kahn Presents Penalty Taxes Today at Brooklyn

Posted on March 31, 2011
Jeffrey H. Kahn (Washington & Lee) presents Penalty Taxes at Brooklyn today as part of its Faculty Workshop Series. Here is the abstract: President Obama signed into law an historic overhaul of the United States health care system. One of the most discussed provisions of the health care reform was...

Fleming Presents Issues on Limitations on Benefit Clauses Today in Italy

Posted on March 31, 2011
J. Clifton Fleming (BYU) presents Current Issues on Limitations on Benefit Clauses in the United States at the University of Ferrara (Italy) today as part of its conference on Limitation of Benefit Clauses: Limitations on benefits provisions generally prohibit third country residents from obtaining treaty benefits...

Hickman Presents Unpacking the Force of Law Today at Northwestern

Posted on March 30, 2011
Kristin E. Hickman (Minnesota) presents Unpacking the Force of Law at Northwestern today as part of its Advanced Topics in Taxation Workshop Series hosted by Charlotte Crane and Tom Brennan. Here is the abstract: The Supreme Court?s 2011 decision in Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research v...

Georgetown Hosts Symposium on The Intersection of Tax, Gender and Sexuality

Posted on March 30, 2011
The Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law hosts a symposium today on Confronting the Intersection of Tax Law, Gender and Sexuality: Panel #1: Tax Law in the Context of Feminist Goals Primary Speaker: Nancy Staudt (Northwestern) Commentators: Shari Motro (Richmond), Lawrence Zelenak (Duke) Panel #2: Tax Law, Gender Identity...

Kahng Presents Undertaxed Business Owners, Overtaxed Workers at BC

Posted on March 30, 2011
Lily Kahng (Seattle) presents Costly Mistakes: Undertaxed Business Owners and Overtaxed Workers (with Mary Louise Fellows (Minnesota)) at Boston College today as part of its Tax Policy Workshop Series hosted by Diane Ring and Jim Repetti. Here is the abstract: Our central thesis is that the current income tax regime...

Mann: Changing Tax Policy to Fit Cap-and-Trade

Posted on March 30, 2011
Roberta F. Mann (Oregon) has published How to Love the One You?re With: Changing Tax Policy to Fit Cap-and-Trade, 2 San Diego J. Climate & Energy L. 145 (2010). Here is the abstract: Recognizing that a federal cap-and-trade program will affect the tax system both directly and indirectly, this paper...

IRS Puts Confidential Taxpayer Information at Risk 10 Million Times Per Year in Verifying Income to Lenders for Loans

Posted on March 30, 2011
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration today released The Income Verification Express Services Program Needs Improvements to Better Protect Tax Return Information (2011-40-014): The IRS must ensure that sensitive taxpayer information is protected against improper disclosure when responding to requests from lenders...

60 Minutes: The New Tax Havens

Posted on March 30, 2011

Johnson: Mayo and the Future of Tax Regulations

Posted on March 30, 2011
Steve R. Johnson (UNLV) has has published Mayo and the Future of Tax Regulations, 130 Tax Notes 1547 (Mar. 28, 2011): The years 2009 to 2011 have been an active period for taxpayer challenges to regulations. This has resulted in many important judicial opinions...

The Daily Beast: 15 Top Corporate Tax Dodgers

Posted on March 30, 2011
The Daily Beast, 15 Top Corporate Tax Dodgers: As GE continues to draw criticism for avoiding U.S. taxes, The Daily Beast looks at other corporations, from Google to News Corp., that have creatively kept billions from Uncle Sam. Altria (Philip Morris): "Taxation strategy: Between 2001 and 2003, the cigarette maker...

Senate Holds Hearing Today on Tax Incentives

Posted on March 30, 2011
The Senate Finance Committee holds a hearing today on How Do Complexity, Uncertainty and Other Factors Impact Responses to Tax Incentives? Here are the witnesses scheduled to testify: Eric Toder (Co-Director, Urban Institute-Brookings Institution Tax Policy Center) Raj Chetty (Harvard University, Department of Economics) Robert Carroll (Ernst & Young, Washington,...

NY Times: Why and How the IRS Pursues a Criminal Case

Posted on March 30, 2011
New York Times, In Prison for Taking a Liar Loan, by Joe Nocera: Charlie Engle wasn?t a seller of bad mortgages. He was a borrower. And the ?mortgage fraud? for which he was prosecuted was something that literally millions of Americans did during the subprime bubble...

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