In November 2023, Gray Reed Tax Partners Joshua Smeltzer and Matthew Roberts authored an article titled “Where Have All the Theft Losses Gone?” published in Taxes: The Tax Magazine.…

The top charge in the federal election interference indictment against former President Trump alleges a conspiracy to defraud the government by impairing, obstructing and defeating the lawful federal governmental function…
United States citizens and residents are often not aware of the myriad of foreign information return filing obligations that exist under federal tax laws. For example, buried within the Code…
Recently, in a criminal case involving a physician who hired an accountant to prepare and submit certain tax forms to the IRS on her behalf, the court denied attorney-client and…
On June 30, 2023 the District Court in the Northern District of California granted a petition to enforce the cryptocurrency exchange Kraken to release customer information. Specifically, Kraken was ordered…
There’s a hidden tax horror behind pass-through entities, cancellation of debt, and even prizes, winning, and awards: “phantom income.” It even sounds scary, right? And when it comes to one’s…
Ever thought about packing it all up and starting that romantic, expatriate life abroad? Ever felt like these parts were just so wild, it was time to find yourself a…

The IRS is Hiring an Army to Audit Corporations, Partnerships, and High-Income Individuals
The IRS has been understaffed for many years, and this has led to a decline in the number of audits conducted. The personnel shortage has also made it difficult to…

FBAR Penalty Defenses and Techniques: The Wrong “Willful” Penalty Computation
On September 8, 2023, the IRS issued a News Release suggesting that FBAR compliance investigations and audits would heat up in the near future. For those unfamiliar with FBARs, federal…
The Internal Revenue Service’s proposed classification of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as digital assets has raised concerns in the blockchain industry and among stakeholders. While these tokens are unique, the IRS’s…
Recent Government actions suggest that third-party promoters and potentially hundreds of taxpayers may be entering into abusive trust arrangements aimed at unlawfully eliminating or deferring federal income taxes. Specifically, on…
On remand for re-calculation of 4 errors in deficiency amounts, concerning years 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, the Tax Court entered final revised decisions based on the Commissioner’s twice-revised Rule…

Joshua Smeltzer Quoted by Law360 on Treasury’s Proposed Digital Asset Reporting Rules Against Foreign Trading Platforms
The U.S. Treasury Department faces a complex task in enforcing its proposed digital asset reporting rules on foreign trading platforms. The regulations, introduced in late August, primarily address domestic transactions…
About the Gray Reed Tax Team
Gray Reed’s Tax Department provides experienced legal counsel to clients on all matters arising from international, federal, state and local tax laws. Our areas of expertise and services include ad valorem, asset protection, civil and criminal tax litigation, consulting, controversy, corporate, ERISA, estate planning, franchise, income tax, state tax, international, IRS audit, mergers and acquisitions, partnership, personal, planning, federal tax credits related to renewable energy and research and development expenses, property, real estate, reorganizations, and white-collar defense.