Talking Tax

The new 15% global minimum tax that took effect this year is turning out to be compliance beast. The tax, which is part of an international tax deal agreed to by more than 140 countries in 2021, contains a slew of new technical terms, complex rules, and hundreds of pages of administrative guidance. Now, some of the largest accounting firms in the world have been tasked with interpr

A looming decision from the US Supreme Court on federal agency rulemaking power is fueling chatter on just how much it could upend the regulatory process at these agencies. Justices in January heard two cases, Relentless v. Dept. of Commerce and Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which challenge the decades-old landmark administrative principle known as the Chevron doctrine sayi

A seven-year-old lawsuit aimed at forcing overhaul of New York City's complicated property tax system has gotten a new life, after the state's high court ruled last month it could move forward. Tax Equity Now New York, a broad housing coalition, sued the city and the state in 2017, arguing that the city's method for collecting property taxes favors wealthy, white homeowners at the

While senators quibble over the $78 billion bipartisan tax package, the House is turning to next year, when a swath of tax cuts from the Republicans' 2017 law expire. Congress returns next week, and it's unclear if the full Senate will vote on the tax bill, which is stalled over GOP objections despite getting an overwhelmingly bipartisan House vote in January. The fate of the packa

The corporate jet industry is the latest to be targeted by the government's efforts to make the rich pay the taxes they owe. The IRS began an audit campaign in February to clamp down on executives abusing corporate jet tax breaks for personal use. President Joe Biden's proposed budget would tighten depreciation rules and increase the tax rate on private jet fuel, and Senate Democra

Coming soon to corporate financial statements: a lot more tax transparency. After seven years and three rounds of proposals, the Financial Accounting Standards Board in December published new rules requiring companies to shed light on the income taxes they pay to federal, international, and state governments. The disclosure rules, which kick in as early as 2025, are a response to y

Many taxpayers with relatively simple returns can now electronically file their returns directly with the IRS for free for the first time. The IRS, after months of preparing its government-run free e-filing pilot tool, launched the program to the wider public Tuesday. The Treasury Department expects about 100,000 of the millions eligible to use it. Democrats’ Inflation Reduction

Australian authorities continue to crack down on multinational companies it believes are trying to avoid Australian taxes—and a recent court ruling against PepsiCo Inc. gives them a tough weapon. A judge ruled in November that sales of beverage concentrate from a Singapore Pepsi affiliate to an Australian Pepsi bottler also effectively included royalties for the use of Pepsi trad

Sports team owners for decades have seen enormous tax benefits from their team purchases, dispatching squads of accountants to find write-offs on things from equipment and player salaries to TV rights and more. Now the IRS is looking to make sure all of those savings were above board. The IRS's Large Business and International Division announced the audit campaign last month, makin

For more than a decade, states have had to grapple with the challenge of taxing the digital economy. Peering into cyberspace, tax administrators were often left with more questions than answers. What online products and services should be taxed? How does a state source a virtual creation to a specific jurisdiction? Can states even tax digital products and services in the face of fe