Earlier this year, we discussed the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) plans to create a new Fraud Enforcement Office. The IRS announced the initiative on March 5, just as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were beginning to be felt across much of the United States.

As 2020’s revised Tax Day inches closer, many individuals and businesses are beginning the process of gathering the information needed in order to prepare their returns. For many, this includes information about their cryptocurrency investments. After issuing updated guidance (and warning letters) last year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is preparing to hold taxpayers accountable if they fail to properly report cryptocurrency transactions on their July 15, 2020 returns.

On March 5, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced the creation of a new Fraud Enforcement Office. According to a statement from the IRS, “the new office will reside in the IRS Small Business/Self Employed Division and work on agency-wide compliance issues.” Here, Washington D.C. business tax attorney Kevin E. Thorn explains what this means for small businesses.

In 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) formed the Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement, known as the J5, with tax authorities from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. On January 23, 2020, the IRS announced the J5’s first major law enforcement initiative – a series of coordinated investigations that resulted in the takedown of a Central American bank suspected of “facilitating money laundering and tax evasion for customers across the globe.” According to the IRS, indictments of the bank’s clients are expected to follow.

What You Need to Know If the IRS Conducts an Audit of Your Washington, DC Small Business!