“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” William Shakespeare. A colleague recently brought to my attention an article by Esther Dyson published by the Washington Post on January 17,…
I was having lunch a while back with an international tax attorney colleague. A terrific guy. We were talking tax attorney stuff. Like his sailboat. He was incredibly knowledgeable and experienced at assisting his clients shelter their income. He was…
Another day. Another customer. This week we helped another taxpayer “come in from the cold” and get into compliance with his obligations as a taxpayer. I will call him Topham Hat (see if any of you get the reference). Topham…
One of the questions I get asked from time to time by my tax controversy clients is can we get rid of the interest component of their tax debt. Well, unfortunately, as a general rule the answer is no. If…
Okay kids. For the umpteenth time someone has come to me with their grievance or claim. They have been violated. They have been duped. They have been cheated. They want justice. They want recompense. Help me Mr. Rubin. Okay I…
Well, as any grammar or middle schooler can tell you, Ben Franklin is considered to be the “father of electricity.” In the year 1752, Benjamin is said to have performed the famed experimentation of flying a kite during an electrical…
We get asked to set up a lot of entities such as corporations and limited liability companies (LLC’s). Of course, one of the essential first steps for the organizers is to choose a name for the entity. We are frequently…
Here is the set up: A Bad Guy wants to sell counterfeit goods on a website. In the process, the Bad Guy tramples all over the Genuine Seller’s registered trademarks. Not surprisingly, the Bad Guy would like to keep his…
Well, the title of the article on the front page of the May 24, 2018 Business Section of the LA Times was "IRS targets state tax tactic." Here is a link to the article: http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-lb-767-44213-la-fi-treasury-state-local-tax-deduction-20180523-htmlstory.html. So, what is it that…
Public Service Announcement: What are the IRS's options when you can't (full) pay your tax liability? (I apologize for the length of this article - but I felt a comprehensive review of the subject is warranted). I get asked a…