Kicking off the New Year with: Four Good Tax Moves; “Tax Offender of the Year; “Social Media Checklist for Tax Preparers;” and other highlights from our favorite tax bloggers.

The dropped ball

  • Don’t Mess With Taxes (http://dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com/): Four good tax moves to kick off the new year, from paperwork to paying estimated taxes.
  • Taxable Talk (http://www.taxabletalk.com/): Where do the months go? Once again it’s time for “Tax Offender of the Year” (despite blogger Russ Fox hoping annually that he won’t find any deserving individuals). This year’s bronze medal goes to the IRS itself for a still-unresolved scandal that ignited calls for Commissioner Koskinen’s impeachment. Silver for 2016 is the Miccosukee tribe of Indians in Florida. And this year’s big so-called winner?...
  • The Wandering Tax Pro (http://wanderingtaxpro.blogspot.com/): More good new year’s moves for clients, such as resolving to become more informed about taxes and setting up a good system for records and receipts.
  • Bloomberg BNA (http://www.bna.com/news/#!topic=istax&type=isblogpost): One last glance rearward at what FASB achieved in 2016.
  • Tax Analysts (http://www.taxanalysts.org/tax-analysts-blog): As the guard changes in Washington, maybe we should swing our eyes off the White House and onto the building next door: the Treasury Department, and the deputy assistant secretary for international tax affairs who “has shown how to keep his head while all around him others are losing theirs, and he always kept the ‘public’ in public service.”
  • Turbotax (http://Blog.turbotax.intuit.com): Getting buff, cut or simply in shape brings many rewards. Can deductions be among them?

’Tis the preseason

  • The Income Tax School (http://www.theincometaxschool.com/blog/): This preseason “Social Media Checklist for Tax Preparers” covers a lot of key ground, from your LinkedIn profiles’ thumbnail pix to remembering to add addies to brochures and e-mail signatures. (Not to mention how refreshing it might be to get back to social media for plain ol’ business.)
  • Tax Girl (http://blogs.forbes.com/kellyphillipserb): These tax-planning resolutions make excellent nudges to get your clients’ attention once again.

Makes you shake your head

  • Due Diligence (http://www.mahanyertl.com/mahanyertl/): In this week’s collection: “Disabled Man’s Mother, Sister Indicted for Medicaid Fraud”; “Reverse Mortgages – New Class Action Opportunity”; and “USFS Settles Crisis Era False Claims Act Mortgage Fraud Case.”
  • Dinesen Tax Times (http://dinesentax.com/blog): The More Things Change Dept.: A 2013 look at one of the blogger’s clients who spent more than two years battling the IRS after her deceased husband’s ID was stolen. The blogger’s note: “The whole case still makes me shake my head.”
  • IRS Tax Trouble (http://www.irstaxtrouble.com/category/tax-blog/): As we see in Fleischer v. Commissioner, a Subchapter S corporation is no dodge from SE taxes.
  • Federal Tax Crimes (http://federaltaxcrimes.blogspot.com/): A look at the DOJ’s recent announcement that indicates resolution of Categories 3 and 4 under the Swiss Bank Program.
  • M&A blog (http://taxaid.com/blog/): How Argentina has signed an information-sharing agreement with the U.S., part of a government crackdown on alleged tax evasion by individuals. A full tax treaty with Argentina is also on the table through 2017.
Jeff Stimpson

Jeff Stimpson is a veteran freelance journalist who previously served as editor of The Practical Accountant.