Tax Chats

Send us a textScott and Jeff chat with Evelyn Smith and Hadi Elzayn, two of the seven coauthors on a recent working paper entitled "Measuring and Mitigating Racial Disparities in Tax Audits."We ask them details about the paper. We find that the unconditional audit disparity between (estimated) black tax payers and (estimated) non-black taxpayers  is about 5%. We ask about the conditional disparity. The authors explain that conditional on some factors the disparity remains. We discuss what constitutes an audit (a letter in this case). We ask whether the IRS should care about collecting the most amount of revenue, or whether the IRS should care about deterring non-compliance. 

Send us a textPresident Biden gave the State of the Union address last night. Scott and Jeff talk about the tax components of the address. They discuss large corporations which pay little in tax, billionaires who pay little in tax, and taxing share repurchases., and "apples and elephants comparisons."  Also, Jeff explains why it is impossible for pretty much any taxpayer, let alone those making under $400K a year, to pay a penny more in taxes under any of President Biden's current or former tax proposals (IRC 985 and 6102 come into play!). Note: We base this episode off of the official script of the State of the Union  address (https://www.whitehouse.gov/state-of-the-union-2023/), which omits some fabulous adlibbing by President Biden.

Send us a textIn this episode, Scott and Jeff speak with Ryan Gurule of the FACT Coalition about the types of things companies disclose about taxes in their public filings. We talk about what is good and not so good, and we discuss some of the possible changes that might be made. We recorded this episode on November 1, 2022. Later in the year, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) announce an update to its "Improvements to Tax Disclosures" project. The proposals are well aligned with what we discussed in the episode.

Send us a textScott and Jeff chat with Bryen Alperin about tax credit markets. It is often the case that a company that might earn a tax credit can't use it because it has insufficient income. This creates an opportunity for multilateral tax planning, wherein institutions with large tax bills partner with entities that generate tax credits to take take advantage of tax savings.

Send us a textThis episode originally aired on January 15, 2022.Martin Luther King Jr. is the only person to have ever been tried for perjury with regards to state income taxes in Alabama. Jeff and Scott interview Edgar Dyer about the tax perjury trial of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1960. Eddie wrote an article entitled "A Triumph of Justice in Alabama: The 1960 Perjury Trial of Martin Luther King, Jr."Fred Grey, Martin Luther King's attorney, said of the trial, "No one would have predicted that an all-white jury in Montgomery, Alabama, the Cradle of the Confederacy, in May 1960, in the middle of all the sit-ins and all of the racial tension that was going on, would exonerate Martin Luther King, Jr. But it really happened." Coretta Scott King said of the trial, "A southern jury of twelve white men had acquitted Martin. It was a triumph of justice, a miracle that restored your faith in human good."  Dr. King said it was a "turning point" in his life. Tune in to hear about this triumphal tax trial, which was a turning point for Martin Luther King.

Send us a textScott and Jeff chat with David Kemmerer, Co-Founder and CEO of CoinLedger. Our conversation focuses, in part, on the NFT Loss Harvestooor, which is a tool designed to allow investors to dispose of NFTs such that they can claim the tax deduction. The NFT Graveyard is the final resting place of NFTs that were once worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, but are now worth essentially nothing.

Send us a textScott and Jeff chat with Leopoldo Parada, professor of law at University of Leeds about the inequities that Pillar II of the OECD's Inclusive Framework impose on developing countries.

Send us a textAway to Pay Taxes (to the tune of Away in the Manger)Re-release (originally released Christmas, 2021)Lyrics by Jeff Hoopes, Sung by Stacey HoopesOh Joseph and MaryThey were there for a taskThey came to the cityTo pay their taxBut as they remitted The tax on their worthOh Mary, a virginShe had to give birth They went to the cityBy Caesa­r’s decreeAs taxes touched JosephThey affect you and meWhen we give birthand when we dieHow much we workAnd what car we buy  For every decisionWe weigh how we actBy counting the costAnd we do it post-tax The pros and the consIn dollars and centsWe consider the taxesBefore we commence

Send us a textIn honor of the fifth anniversary of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act...I Heard the Bells (of tax reform!)Sung to the tune of I Heard the Bells on Christmas DaySinging by two of Dyreng's DeductionsLyrics of Jeff HoopesI heard the tale about the dayThey passed the law TCJAThe rate was high our firms payed muchSo they were blessed by Donald’s touchThe rate brought low that fated dayWhen Congress put out on displayThat we are strong and we will beatOn taxes we will now competeFor mobile factors move and shiftTheir presence all boats will liftAnd the economy will growFor rates were high and now they're low

Send us a textScott and Jeff chat with Daniel Hemel about the House Ways and Means Committee "Report on the Internal Revenue Service's Mandatory Audit Program" that reveals substantial information about former President Trump's tax returns. Additional information was revealed in a report by the Joint Committee on Taxation.