New Year 2012
Dear Clients and Friends,
Breaking with the former tradition of a year-end letter/update, this greeting comes as we begin the New Year of 2012. Thanks to legislation passed at the end of 2010, there is temporary stability in the tax law through the end of this year. This provides an opportunity to do effective short-term tax planning.
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Don’t be Scammed by Tax Season Cyber Criminals
Now that tax season is upon us, so are the e-mail scammers pretending to be the IRS. Most of these scams fraudulently use the IRS name, logo, and/or website header as a lure to make the communication appear more authentic and enticing. They lead you to believe you had a refund of some sort coming and request personal information. The goal of these scams - known as phishing - is to trick you into revealing your personal and financial information. The scammers can then use your information - like your Social Security number, bank account, or credit card numbers - to commit identity theft or steal your money.
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New Reporting Requirement for Individuals with Foreign Financial Assets
New for 2011 is a requirement for any individual who, during the tax year, holds any interest in a “
specified foreign financial asset” to complete and attach Form 8938 to his or her income tax return if a reporting threshold is met. The reporting threshold varies depending on whether the individual lives in the U.S. and files a joint return with his or her spouse. For example, someone who is not married and doesn’t live abroad will need to file Form 8938 for 2011 if the total value of his or her specified foreign financial assets was more than $50,000 as of December 31, 2011, or more than $75,000 at any time during 2011. For married taxpayers filing a joint return and living in the U.S., the threshold amounts are doubled. The thresholds also are higher for taxpayers residing abroad.
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