BarbriSFCourseDetails

Course Details

This webinar will analyze the most recent and relevant court cases affecting international taxpayers. Our panel of foreign tax veterans will detail the status of recent and notable cases and offer insights for handling common international tax and compliance problems.

Faculty

Description

International tax practitioners and advisers need to stay abreast of the continually increasing number of cases and matters brought against multinational taxpayers by the U.S. government. Most familiar are the challenges brought against taxpayers for failure to file an FBAR to report aggregate foreign holdings over $10,000 as required under the Bank Secrecy Act. Although advisers are clear that there is a $10,000 penalty for noncompliance, determining how it is applied is not clear. U.S. v. Solomon, No. 20-82236 (11th Circuit 2021) is under appeal in the Eleventh Circuit Court. Here the U.S. government asserts a "violation" (and penalty) is calculated for each account on the FBAR, resulting in a substantially greater penalty than assessed, for example, in U.S. v. Boyd, 991 F.3d 1077 (9th Cir. Mar. 24, 2021) a Ninth Circuit case. The Ninth Circuit agreed with the taxpayer that the penalty was per FBAR rather than per account.

Adding to the staggering penalties and worries that FBAR filings present during a taxpayer's lifetime are the number of cases where the U.S. pursues collecting these penalties after death (U.S. v. Schoenfeld, U.S. v. Park, U.S. v. Moser …). Astounding FBAR penalties are not the only worry of international tax advisers. Challenging international taxpayers can be a lucrative pursuit. Penalties for failing to report foreign distributions by timely filing Form 3520 are the greater of $10,000 or 35 percent of the distribution. The IRS continues to aggressively pursue Accidental Americans and deny passports for unpaid taxes as well. International tax practitioners need to stay abreast of the status of the most recent international tax cases to properly advise multinational clients.

Listen as our astute panel of international tax experts reviews the most current and pertinent international tax cases so that practitioners understand how these cases affect taxpayers with foreign ties.

Outline

  1. International tax disputes
  2. FBAR cases
    1. Noncompliance
    2. Willful vs. non-willful
    3. Penalty stacking
    4. Addressing noncompliance
  3. FBAR pursuits after the death of taxpayer
  4. Failure to file Form 3520 for transactions with foreign trusts and certain foreign gifts
  5. Accidental Americans
  6. Other cases

Benefits

The panel will cover these and other critical issues:

  • Current status of penalty stacking cases
  • Best practices for handling non-filing of FBARs
  • Differences in rulings by circuit courts in applying FBAR penalties
  • Distinguishing willful vs. non-willful FBAR violations
  • Current cases against estates for FBAR penalties of a deceased taxpayer

NASBA Details

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, you will be able to:

  • Identify which penalties can be assessed to beneficiaries
  • Determine steps multinational taxpayers can take to lessen court challenges
  • Decide how the state of residence could influence potential penalties
  • Ascertain which taxpayers could be subject to stacking penalties for FBAR violations

  • Field of Study: Taxes
  • Level of Knowledge: Intermediate
  • Advance Preparation: None
  • Teaching Method: Seminar/Lecture
  • Delivery Method: Group-Internet (via computer)
  • Attendance Monitoring Method: Attendance is monitored electronically via a participant's PIN and through a series of attendance verification prompts displayed throughout the program
  • Prerequisite: Three years+ business or public firm experience preparing complex tax forms and schedules, supervising other preparers or accountants. Specific knowledge and understanding of international taxation including residency determination, foreign entity classifications, application of treaty benefits, as well as GILTI, Subpart F, and the related Section 250 deductions.

Strafford Publications, Inc. is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of Accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE Credits. Complaints regarding registered sponsons may be submitted to NASBA through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org.

IRS Approved Provider

Strafford is an IRS-approved continuing education provider offering certified courses for Enrolled Agents (EA) and Tax Return Preparers (RTRP).