We decided to make the name change for a few reasons. When we selected our company name in 2004 our business model was somewhat different than it is today and people were just starting to use smart phones .
Our firm has been very fortunate and has grown over the years. In addition to helping individuals and businesses solve their tax problems, our firm prepares tax returns for individuals and businesses that do not have any tax problems, set up corporations, and provide payroll and booking services. The old company name only described the tax problem portion of our business.

Millions of people now search online via their smart-phones for
IRS phone numbers, to request missing W-2s, ask the IRS about refunds, and numerous other questions about their tax matters. When they search for the IRS on their phones, Google and other search engines highlight the first three letters of IRS/State Tax Relief Associates in our company name and our phone number; the user clicks on our number, resulting in hundreds if not thousands of calls. You can imagine how happy our receptionist is about the
name change.

We thank you for your business and look forward to continuing to help you as Sound Tax Consulting, Inc.

Remember tax season is just around the corner, contact us if you have any questions.

Updated as of November 1, 2011
The Form 2290 is available now. If your truck was first used in July, August, September or October 2011, you are required to file Form 2290 by November 30, 2011. You will not be liable for any late filing penalty or interest if you meet this due date. Beginning November 1, 2011, IRS will provide a stamped (receipted) Schedule 1 to those who file and pay their tax.

e-filing and Paying Your 2011 Excise Tax
IRS e-file for 2290 is now available for the tax period beginning July 1, 2011. Contact our firm to e-file.

An Option for Getting Your Tags and/or Registering Your Vehicle
You can get your tags for the tax period beginning July 1, 2011 because existing regulations require states to register a heavy highway vehicle when the application for registration is received between July 1 and November 30, 2011. If you have your receipted Schedule 1 for the previous year’s taxable period, in this case, July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011, states can continue to accept it as proof of payment through November 30, 2011.

An Option for Registering Your Newly Acquired Vehicle
Through November 30, 2011, states also must register newly acquired heavy highway use vehicles without proof of tax payment if:

you present the original or a photocopy of a bill of sale showing that the vehicle was purchased by the owner during the 150 days before the date the state received the application for registration; and,
the vehicle has not been registered in any state subsequent to the date of purchase.

In February, we had our taxes done by the same local tax service we had counted on for years. Except this time, they said we owed over $26,000 in State and Federal taxes! We were devastated and could not understand how this could happen. After I was able to collect myself a little bit, I did some research and found IRS Tax Relief. I called their 800 number and Jeff answered. We talked for over 1/2 hour, he was very professional…and patient! I was impressed from the start. We sent our information from 2009 and 2010 as requested. They started contacting me with questions right away. They are so very thorough!

After a few weeks and many conversations/emails, Jeff called and we were informed that we had to pay back $3800 State and Federal from 2009. For 2010 we were getting a refund of $4000 from Federal and had to pay $800 to State. We also had approximately $1800 in penalties and interest due to the error in 2009 and delay for 2010. So we went from $26,000 (plus penalties and interest) to approximately $2800!

First there was an $8,000 correction as a result of Ali instituting appropriate accounting practices for a construction company (which we incorrectly counted on our original book keeper to know how to do this) The remaining difference was the result of an error on our 2009 tax return. Our small business had $47,000 in business expenses and our previous tax preparer accidentally reported it as $17,000. That little documentation error made a HUGE impact on our taxes!!!

It is hard to describe the immense relief we felt when they called with the news. We were ecstatic to say the least! I must have thanked them two dozen times over the phone and via email and that still doesn’t feel like enough!

Needless to say, Jeff and Ali will be handling our taxes from now on! As far as we are concerned the are the best in the business and we highly recommend them.

Sincerely,
K. in Michigan

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/04/20/3568022/state-ag-says-tax-lady-roni-deutch.html

Please, please don’t if you have tax problems, DON”T hire firms that advertise heavily on TV, Radio, et. The likelihood of getting positive result is slim. Due your due diligence

“The Minnesota attorney general says many of the company’s employees are skilled tele-marketers who have little knowledge of the complicated tax issues faced by people who have fallen behind in filing their returns or making tax payments.

“When you call, you think you’re talking to a tax professional,” said Swanson. “You’re really talking to just a salesperson who’s trying to get you to sign up.” ”

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/taxmasters-accused-fraud-deception/story?id=13364502

Why does CNN and Fox and local radio stations continue to run the commericals.

To be fair and ethical, the follow link is the response from TaxMasters to the news article.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/statement-tax-masters-founder-patrick-cox/story?id=13374548&page=2

Taxpayer ID: They use your email address or business name here-00000103460456US
Tax Type: INCOME TAX
Issue: Unreported/Underreported Income (Fraud Application)
Please review your tax statement on Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website (click on the link below

The IRS has more information on other scams on their website.

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=170894,00.html

IRS has directed IRS employees to consider a taxpayer’s current income and potential for future income when negotiating an offer in compromise. Normally, the standard practice is to judge an offer amount on a taxpayer’s earnings in prior years. This new step provides greater flexibility for the unemployed when filing an OIC. There is one potential catch, the IRS may also require that a taxpayer entering into such an offer in compromise agree to pay more if the taxpayer’s financial situation improves significantly. What, when, and how the improvement will be evaluated will be important to learn before moving ahead with an OIC.

If she had hired a firm to represent her when she first got the audit letter the story would not have been as compelling to read, but the same outcome could have occurred without the drama.

It is something to consider when hiring a firm to prepare tax returns. Will they or can they help if you ever get audited (random audit, or triggered by claims made by ex-spouse, disgruntled ex-employee)?

I recall in a meeting a few years back, where a CPA (medium sized firm) bragged that none of the clients in all their years had been audited. Two things struck me as he talked: First, I hoped that he would be wise enough to never consider representing one of his clients in audit, given his obvious fear of the IRS and lack of experience. Second, was his firm preparing returns with such fear and for their own goals, that their clients were being short changed in the tax preparation?

http://finance.yahoo.com/taxes/article/108550/nurse-outduels-irs-over-mba-tuition?mod=taxes-advice_strategy

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/top-stocks/blog.aspx?post=1563557&_blg=1,1563557

After several months of not hearing back, we contacted the agent to ask when we would receive the determination and he informed us he was still working on the file. We did get the chance to voice our frustration that time could spent on our name while dozens of “phony tax firms” were all over TV & the radio every day promising impossible outcomes and stealing from clients while the U.S. Treasury watched without interference was a strange to say the least. We met today to discuss what we should do and decided that a name change is inevitable so we have put the name change process into motion. Now we have to decide on what to change it to. This is a pain! We are sure there is a silver lining to this mess, guess we just have to look harder. More to come.

The e-mail purporting to be from IRS Criminal Investigation falsely states that the person is under a criminal probe for submitting a false tax return to the California Franchise Board. The e-mail seeks to entice people to click on a link or open an attachment to learn more information about the complaint against them. The IRS warned people that the e-mail link and attachment is a Trojan Horse that can take over the person’s computer hard drive and allow someone to have remote access to the computer.

The IRS urged people not to click the link in the e-mail or open the attachment.

Similar e-mail variations suggest a customer has filed a complaint against a company and the IRS can act as an arbitrator. The latest versions appear aimed at business taxpayers as well as individual taxpayers.

The IRS does not send out unsolicited e-mails or ask for detailed personal and financial information. Additionally, the IRS never asks people for the PIN numbers, passwords or similar secret access information for their credit card, bank or other financial accounts.

“Everyone should beware of these scam artists,” said Kevin M. Brown, Acting IRS Commissioner.  “Always exercise caution when you receive unsolicited e-mails or e-mails from senders you don’t know.”

Recipients of questionable e-mails claiming to come from the IRS should not open any attachments or click on any links contained in the e-mails. Instead, they should forward the e-mails to phishing@irs.gov (the instructions may be found on IRS.gov by entering the term “phishing” in the search box).

The IRS also sees other e-mail scams that involve tricking victims into revealing private personal and financial information over the Internet is known as “phishing” for information.

The IRS and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration work with the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) and various Internet service providers and international CERT teams to have the phishing sites taken offline as soon as they are reported.

Since the establishment of the mail box last year, the IRS has received more than 17,700 e-mails from taxpayers reporting more than 240 separate phishing incidents. To date, investigations by TIGTA have identified host sites in at least 27 different countries, as well as in the United States.

Other fraudulent e-mail scams try to entice taxpayers to click their way to a fake IRS Web site and ask for bank account numbers. Another widespread e-mail tells taxpayers the IRS is holding a refund (often $63.80) for them and seeks financial account information. Still another email claims the IRS’s ‘anti-fraud commission’ is investigating their tax returns.