How California Cannabis Retailers Compute And Pay Taxes For Cannabis Acquired Before January 1, 2018 That Is Being Sold Now

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New cannabis taxes have been in effect in California starting January 1, 2018. Beginning January 1, 2018, licensed distributors who supply you with cannabis or cannabis products are required to calculate and collect the 15% cannabis excise tax from you. When you sell those items at retail you are required to collect the cannabis excise tax from your customer. But what are your excise tax obligations for cannabis acquired before January 1, 2018 and sold after December 31, 2017?

The administration and enforcement of the cannabis taxes is under the authority of California Department Of Tax And Fee Administration (“CDTFA”).

For sales of cannabis from your inventory acquired prior to January 1, 2018… you are required to collect the 15% cannabis excise tax from your customer when you sell those items and then pay that amount to a licensed distributor with whom you have established a business relationship.

To collect the excise tax from your customers, apply the 15% excise tax to the “average market price”.

The average market price can be calculated as either:

  1. Your gross receipts, which is the retail selling price to your customer, or
  2. Your wholesale cost plus a markup determined by CDTFA.

The examples below illustrate the two methods to calculate the average market price and apply the 15% excise tax on your sale to your customer. Both examples assume that your retail selling price to your customer is $100 and the sales tax rate is 8% (your actual sales tax rate may be different):

Option #1 Based on your gross receipts.

Retail selling price

$100.00
15% excise tax ($100 x 15%)

$15.00
Total gross receipts ($100 + $15)

$115.00
8% sales tax ($115 x 8%)

$9.20
Total amount due ($115 + $9.20)

$124.20

You must pay the $15.00 excise tax collected from your customer to a licensed distributor with whom you have a business relationship. The sales tax is due on your total gross receipts, which includes the excise tax. You must report and pay the $9.20 in sales tax on the quarterly sales and use tax return you file with the CDTFA.

Option # 2 Based on your wholesale cost plus a markup predetermined by the CDTFA.

The markup rate percentage is currently set at 60% and is not meant to be used to determine the markup on your product that you sell to your customers. This markup rate is determined by the CDTFA every six months.

Your wholesale cost

$75.00
60% current markup ($75 x 60%)

$45.00
Average market price ($75 + $45)

$120.00
15% Excise tax due ($120 x 15%)

$18.00

You must pay the $18.00 excise tax collected from your customer to a licensed distributor with whom you have a business relationship.

The sales tax is a separate computation as follows:

Retail selling price, including excise tax ($100 + $18)

$118.00
8% sales tax ($118 x 8%)

$9.44
Total amount due

$127.44

The sales tax is due on your total gross receipts, which includes the excise tax. You must report and pay the $9.44 in sales tax on your quarterly sales and use tax return you file with the CDTFA.

Required Statement To Include When Invoicing Your Customers.

When invoicing your customer, you are required to add the following statement on the invoice or receipt to your customer: “The excise taxes are included in the total amount of this invoice”.

Payment Of The Excise Tax Must Be To A Licensed Cannabis Distributor.

Regardless of which option you choose, you must pay the excise tax you collect to a licensed cannabis distributor by the 15th day of the month following the calendar month you collected the excise tax from your customer. Make sure you receive a receipt from the licensed distributor showing the amount of excise tax you collected and paid to the licensed distributor.

What Should You Do?

It is enough that cannabis businesses have to deal with the uncertainty of the Federal government in enforcing the Federal law that makes it a crime to possess and sell cannabis. Make sure that your cannabis business is in compliance with California Cannabis Taxes by engaging the tax attorneys at the Law Offices Of Jeffrey B. Kahn, P.C. located in Orange County (Irvine), Inland Empire (Ontario) and other California locations. We can come up with solutions and strategies to these challenges and protect you and your business to maximize your net profits.

What You Need To Know To Deduct Charitable Contributions On Your 2017 Income Tax Return

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The more itemized deductions you can rack up on you individual income tax return, the smaller amount of taxable income you will have which now puts more money in your pocket. Taxpayers who gave money or goods to a charity should be able to claim charitable contributions which get included as an itemized deduction on their 2017 federal tax return.

For those taxpayers looking to make charitable contributions in 2018 for their 2018 taxes, the good news is that the 2017 Tax Cuts And Jobs Act made no changes to the deductibility of charitable contributions.

So whether it is for 2017 or future years, here are some important facts you need to know about claiming charitable contributions to save on taxes and withstand an IRS audit.

  1. Qualified Charity. Only donations to qualified charitable organizations are deductible. Do not merely rely on the organization’s website or what the organization may state. If you are questioning whether an organization is qualified, you can check with IRS directly through the IRS website. To check the status of a charity, use the IRS Select Check tool. Keep in mind that religious institutions including churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques are considered “de facto” charitable organizations and are eligible to receive deductible donations even if they are not on the IRS’ website. However, you can never deduct donations to political organizations and candidates. Also, you cannot deduct contributions to specific individuals no matter how deserving or sympathetic to their tragic situation.
  1. You Must Itemize. To deduct donations, you must include these donations as Itemized Deductions on Schedule A of Form 1040. If the total amount of your Itemized Deductions does not exceed the Standard Deduction already given to you by the Federal government, you won’t get any real benefit from making these donations.
  1. Deductible Portion Of Donation May Be Reduced. You can only deduct the amount of your donation that exceeds the fair market value of the benefit received. If you get something in return for your donation, you would have to reduce your deduction by the value you received. Examples of benefits include merchandise, meals and tickets to events.
  1. Property donation. If you give property instead of cash, you can normally only deduct the item’s fair market value. Fair market value is generally the price you would get for the property item on the open market. Donating property that has appreciated in value, like stock, can result in a double benefit. Not only can you deduct the fair market value of the property (so long as you have owned it for at least one year), you will avoid paying capital gains tax.
  1. Donations From Your Retirement Account. Typically, if you want to make a donation from your IRA, you’d have to withdraw those funds, pay the tax and then make the donation. However, IRA owners who are age 70½ or older can transfer up to $100,000 per year to an eligible charity tax-free and the transfer counts toward your required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year. To be an eligible transfer, funds must be transferred directly by the IRA trustee to the charity. Withdrawing the monies first and then writing the check to the charity will not qualify for the non-recognition of income.
  1. Form to File. You would file Form 8283 for all non-cash gifts totaling more than $500 for the year. Keep an itemized list of for donations of non-cash items – do not just state you gave a bag of clothes and expect to substantiate the value of what you gave. Instead be specific, noting the description and condition of the items. You can generally take a deduction for the fair market value of the item which is the price that a willing buyer would pay to a willing seller. If you contribute property worth more than $5,000, you must obtain a written appraisal of the property’s fair market value.
  1. Proof of Donation. If you donated cash or goods of $250 or more, you must have a written statement from the charity. The statement must show:
    • Amount of the donation.
    • Description of any property given.
    • Whether the donor received any goods or services in exchange for the gift.  

For cash donations under $250, you should always have substantiation of payment by a bank record such as a canceled check or credit card receipt, clearly annotated with the name of the charity or in writing from the organization. Even with a statement from the charity, it is still a good idea to retain this evidence of payment.

  1. You Can’t Deduct The Value Of Your Time. While your time is valuable, when you volunteer your time for charities, the IRS does not allow a charitable deduction for the time you spent. However, most out of pocket expenses relating to volunteering are should be deductible so long as they are not reimbursed to you or considered personal. Out of pocket charitable expenses which might be deductible include parking fees and tolls; other travel expenses; uniforms or other related clothing worn as part of your charitable service; and supplies used in the performance of your services. You will need to keep receipts evidencing payment in case you are questioned by the IRS.
  1. Timing Of Contribution. Contributions are deductible in the year the contributions are made so for the 2017 tax year that would had to been no later than December 31, 2017. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that by the 31st the cash payment had to be made out of your account. Contributions made by text message are deductible in the year you send the text message if the contribution is charged to your telephone or wireless account. Contributions made by credit card charges are deductible in the year charged so long as the charge is posted by your credit card company in that tax year. The credit charge itself does not have to be paid off by the end of the tax year it was charged. Similarly, checks which are written and mailed by the end of the year will be deductible for the year written if they are not cashed until the following year. Announcing that you intend to donate assets will not qualify for a deduction in the current tax year until the tax year you make good on the pledge.

What Should You Do?

You know that at the Law Offices Of Jeffrey B. Kahn, P.C. we are always thinking of ways that our clients can save on taxes. If you are selected for an audit, stand up to the IRS by getting representation. Tax problems are usually a serious matter and must be handled appropriately so it’s important to that you’ve hired the best lawyer for your particular situation. The tax attorneys at the Law Offices Of Jeffrey B. Kahn, P.C. located in Orange County (Irvine), San Diego County (Carlsbad) and elsewhere in California are highly skilled in handling tax matters and can effectively represent at all levels with the IRS and State Tax Agencies including criminal tax investigations and attempted prosecutions, unreported crypto currency transactions, undisclosed foreign bank accounts and other foreign assets, and unreported foreign income.

Beware If You Have Unreported Crypto Currency Transactions Through Coinbase, You Should Be Receiving Contact By The IRS

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As of March 16, 2018, the IRS is getting information that many people thought would stay secret forever. If you are an American client of Coinbase and engaged in Bitcoin transactions during 2017, you better hold off on completing your 2017 income tax return until you first check your email as Coinbase has a surprise for you that could cost you more in taxes and IRS may now be knocking on your door.

Is Bitcoin And Other Crypto-currency the 21st century answer to hiding assets in Swiss bank accounts? 

The IRS thinks this is the case! That is why the IRS has stepped up its investigation efforts to uncover non-compliant taxpayers just like the IRS successfully did in its investigation of the Swiss banks leading Congress to enact the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”).  FATCA forces foreign banks to disclose information on U.S. account holders which the IRS receives and matches the information reported by U.S. taxpayers.  No longer can taxpayers avoid reporting income on their foreign bank accounts.  No longer can taxpayers avoid disclosing their foreign bank accounts.

Digital exchanges are not broker-regulated by the IRS. Digital exchanges are not obligated to issue a 1099 form, nor are they obligated to report to the IRS calculate gains or cost basis for the trader. But that is now all changing sooner than you think!

IRS Investigative Action

The IRS is launching an aggressive enforcement campaign that will likely make examples out of Americans who fail to pay taxes on bitcoin transactions. The IRS spent a year fighting in federal court to force Coinbase, “a San Francisco-based digital-currency wallet and platform with about 20 million customers,” to turn over customer data.

A John Doe Summons issued by IRS was ruled enforceable by U.S. Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in November 2017 (United States v. Coinbase, Inc., United States District Court, Northern District Of California, Case No.17-cv-01431).  Under the order, Coinbase will be required to turn over the names, addresses and tax identification numbers on 14,355 account holders. The Court has ordered Coinbase to produce the following customer information over the period of 2013 to 2015: (1) taxpayer ID number, (2) name, (3) birth date, (4) address, (5) records of account activity, including transaction logs or other records identifying the date, amount, and type of transaction (purchase/sale/exchange), the post transaction balance, and the names of counterparties to the transaction, and (6) all periodic statements of account or invoices (or the equivalent).

It Finally Happened – Coinbase Released This Data To IRS On March 16, 2018.

Now while this delivery of data on March 16th is limited to 14,355 account holders of Coinbase leaving the rest of Coinbase’s accountholders (almost half a million) unscathed, just because the IRS was able to get only part of that information so far, there’s no reason to think the IRS just give up on everyone else. It should be clear that this is the first step for the IRS to crush non-compliance for all taxpayers involved with crypto currency just like the IRS was successful in battling taxpayers having undisclosed foreign bank accounts resulting in over 56,000 Americans paying $11 billion in back taxes, interest and penalties after the IRS was finally able to pierce the veil on Swiss bank accounts in 2009.

And It Gets Worse For Coinbase Customers As Coinbase Now Voluntarily Reporting 2017 Bitcoin Transactions

As a reaction to Coinbase’s defeat in Federal District Court, Coinbase has started the policy to issue 1099-K tax forms for a certain of its U.S. clients who following under the terms issued by the Federal District Court’s order have received cash above the required reporting threshold, which is more than 200 receipt transactions or greater than $20,000 during 2017. Clients caught in this reporting net will also include “business use” accounts and GDAX accounts. The issuance of 1099-K’s by Coinbase which will be distributed by email to its clients is no different than the 1099-K’s issued by Uber and Lyft to its drivers.

Penalties For Filing A False Income Tax Return Or Under-reporting Income

Crypto currency transactions are apparently wildly taxable – far more so than investors may think. Although the IRS has not issued much formal guidance, the position of IRS is that any transaction involving virtual currency can trigger a taxable event including conversions or trades from one virtual currency to another virtual currency.

Failure to report all the money you make is a main reason folks end up facing an IRS auditor. Carelessness on your tax return might get you whacked with a 20% penalty. But that’s nothing compared to the 75% civil penalty for willful tax fraud and possibly facing criminal charges of tax evasion that if convicted could land you in jail.

Criminal Fraud – The law defines that any person who willfully attempts in any manner to evade or defeat any tax under the Internal Revenue Code or the payment thereof is, in addition to other penalties provided by law, guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, can be fined not more than $100,000 ($500,000 in the case of a corporation), or imprisoned not more than five years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution (Code Sec. 7201).

The term “willfully” has been interpreted to require a specific intent to violate the law (U.S. v. Pomponio, 429 U.S. 10 (1976)). The term “willfulness” is defined as the voluntary, intentional violation of a known legal duty (Cheek v. U.S., 498 U.S. 192 (1991)).

And even if the IRS is not looking to put you in jail, they will be looking to hit you with a big tax bill with hefty penalties.

Civil Fraud – Normally the IRS will impose a negligence penalty of 20% of the underpayment of tax (Code Sec. 6662(b)(1) and 6662(b)(2)) but violations of the Internal Revenue Code with the intent to evade income taxes may result in a civil fraud penalty. In lieu of the 20% negligence penalty, the civil fraud penalty is 75% of the underpayment of tax (Code Sec. 6663). The imposition of the Civil Fraud Penalty essentially doubles your liability to the IRS!

What Should You Do?

The IRS has not yet announced a specific tax amnesty for people who failed to report their gains and income from Bitcoin and other virtual currencies but under the existing Voluntary Disclosure Program, non-compliant taxpayers can come forward to avoid criminal prosecution and negotiate lower penalties.

With only several hundred people reporting their crypto gains each year since bitcoin’s launch, the IRS suspects that many crypto users have been evading taxes by not reporting crypto transactions on their tax returns. 

And now that like–exchange treatment is prohibited on non-real estate transactions that occur after 2017, now is the ideal time to be proactive and come forward with voluntary disclosure to lock in your deferred gains through 2017, eliminate your risk for criminal prosecution, and minimize your civil penalties.  Don’t delay because once the IRS has targeted you for investigation – even if it is a routine random audit – it will be too late voluntarily come forward. Let the tax attorneys at the Law Offices Of Jeffrey B. Kahn, P.C. located in Orange County (Irvine), San Francisco Bay Area (including San Jose and Walnut Creek) and offices elsewhere in California get you qualified into a voluntary disclosure program to avoid criminal prosecution, seek abatement of penalties, and minimize your tax liability.

Top Eight Myths About Crypto-Currency.

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It is believed that as of September 2017 at least 80% of all Americans have heard of bitcoin. Unfortunately, a lot of myths have been circulating on bitcoin and other crypto-currencies so here are the top eight myths to consider.

  1. Crypto-currency Is A New Phenomenon – FALSE. Bitcoin which is the world’s most popular crypto-currency has been around for a decade. An entity by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto published the designs of bitcoin in the whitepaper “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System” in the midst of the U.S. financial crisis in 2008.
  1. Crypto-currency Is Not Legal – FALSE. Bitcoin is a legally accepted means of payment in many countries. There are 200,000 to 250,000 transactions per day. While some companies have expressed an outright rejection of payment in crypto-currency, other companies embracing it include, Microsoft, Intuit, DISH Network, Expedia and even Playboy Media.
  1. The Federal Government Does Not Deal In Crypto-currency – FALSE. The U.S. government is the biggest auctioneer of bitcoin. And the FBI manages one of the world’s biggest wallets with as much as $120 million worth of BTC. In 2013, the FBI seized 144,000 bitcoins connected to Silk Road which was a notorious narcotics network.
  1. Crypto-currency Transactions Do Not Get Reported To IRS – FALSE. Coinbase which is the virtual currency exchange in the United State and based in San Francisco has started the policy to issue 1099-K tax forms for a certain of its U.S. clients who following under the terms issued by the Federal District Court’s order have received cash above the required reporting threshold, which is more than 200 receipt transactions or greater than $20,000 during 2017. Clients caught in this reporting net will also include “business use” accounts and GDAX accounts. The issuance of 1099-K’s by Coinbase which will be distributed by email to its clients is no different than the 1099-K’s issued by Uber and Lyft to its drivers.
  1. U.S. Tax Laws Do Not Require Taxpayers To Report Crypto-currency – FALSE. Although both the public and the crypto community refer to bitcoin, altcoin, etc. as “virtual currencies”, the IRS in 2014 issued Notice 2014-21 stating that it treats them as property for tax purposes. Therefore, selling, spending and even exchanging crypto for other tokens all likely have capital gain implications. Likewise, receiving it as compensation or by other means including mining, air drops and initial coin offerings will be ordinary income.
  1. The Penalties Are Nominal If You Get Caught For Failing To Report Income From Crypto-currency – FALSE. Failure to report all the money you make is a main reason folks end up facing an IRS auditor. Carelessness on your tax return might get you whacked with a 20% negligence penalty but that’s nothing compared to the 75% penalty for willful tax fraud and possibly facing criminal charges of tax evasion that if convicted could land you in jail. Any person who willfully attempts in any manner to evade or defeat any tax under the Internal Revenue Code or the payment thereof is, in addition to other penalties provided by law, guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, can be fined not more than $100,000 ($500,000 in the case of a corporation), or imprisoned not more than five years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution (Code Sec. 7201).
  1. It Is Futile That IRS Will Get Information On Crypto-currency Transactions – FALSE. IRS already successfully pierced Coinbase. A John Doe Summons issued by IRS was ruled enforceable by U.S. Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in November 2017 (United States v. Coinbase, Inc., United States District Court, Northern District Of California, Case No.17-cv-01431).  Under the order, Coinbase will be required to turn over the names, addresses and tax identification numbers on 14,355 account holders. The Court has ordered Coinbase to produce the following customer information over the period of 2013 to 2015: (1) taxpayer ID number, (2) name, (3) birth date, (4) address, (5) records of account activity, including transaction logs or other records identifying the date, amount, and type of transaction (purchase/sale/exchange), the post transaction balance, and the names of counterparties to the transaction, and (6) all periodic statements of account or invoices (or the equivalent).
  1. Waiting For IRS To Catch You Is The Best Strategy – FALSE. Now is the ideal time to be proactive and come forward with voluntary disclosure to lock in your deferred gains through 2017, eliminate your risk for criminal prosecution, and minimize your civil penalties.  Once the IRS has targeted you for investigation even if it is a routine random audit , it will be too late voluntarily come forward.

What Should You Do?

The IRS has not yet announced a specific tax amnesty for people who failed to report their gains and income from Bitcoin and other virtual currencies but under the existing Voluntary Disclosure Program, non-compliant taxpayers can come forward to avoid criminal prosecution and negotiate lower penalties.

With only several hundred people reporting their crypto gains each year since bitcoin’s launch, the IRS suspects that many crypto users have been evading taxes by not reporting crypto transactions on their tax returns. 

And now that like-exchange treatment is prohibited on non-real estate transactions that occur after 2017, now is the ideal time to be proactive and come forward with voluntary disclosure to lock in your deferred gains through 2017, eliminate your risk for criminal prosecution, and minimize your civil penalties.  Don’t delay because once the IRS has targeted you for investigation – even if it is a routine random audit – it will be too late voluntarily come forward. Let the tax attorneys at the Law Offices Of Jeffrey B. Kahn, P.C. located in Orange County (Irvine), the San Francisco Bay Area (including San Jose and Walnut Creek) and offices elsewhere in California get you qualified into a voluntary disclosure program to avoid criminal prosecution, seek abatement of penalties, and minimize your tax liability.

The Door Is Closing – IRS To End Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program.

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Taxpayers with undisclosed foreign assets are urged to come forward before the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (“OVDP”) closes September 28, 2018.

The IRS announced on March 13, 2018 that it will begin to ramp down the 2014 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (“OVDP”) and close the program on September 28, 2018. In a statement made by Acting IRS Commissioner David Kautter, “Taxpayers have had several years to come into compliance with U.S. tax laws under this program. All along, we have been clear that we would close the program at the appropriate time, and we have reached that point. Those who still wish to come forward have time to do so.”

OVDP enables U.S. taxpayers to voluntarily resolve past non-compliance related to unreported foreign financial assets and failure to file foreign information returns. Since OVDP’s initial launch in 2009, more than 56,000 taxpayers have come forward to avoid criminal prosecution and secure lesser penalties than what the law provides. The IRS reports that through OVDP, they have collected $11.1 billion in back taxes, interest and penalties. The number of taxpayer disclosures under the OVDP peaked in 2011, when about 18,000 people came forward. The number steadily declined through the years, falling to only 600 disclosures in 2017. This decrease is not surprising given that many people have already come forward to secure the benefits of OVDP seeing the success of the implementation of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”) and the ongoing efforts of the IRS and the Department of Justice to ensure compliance by those with U.S. tax obligations with respect to undisclosed foreign financial assets and unreported foreign income. 

Tax Enforcement Continues

Stopping offshore tax noncompliance remains a top priority of the IRS. Don Fort, Chief, IRS Criminal Investigation stated that the IRS will continue ferreting out the identities of those with undisclosed foreign accounts with the use of information resources and increased data analytics. Since 2009, the IRS Criminal Investigation has indicted 1,545 taxpayers on criminal violations related to international activities, of which 671 taxpayers were indicted on international criminal tax violations.

Where a taxpayer does not come forward into OVDP and has now been targeted by IRS for failing to file FBAR’s, the IRS may now assert FBAR penalties that could be either non-willful or willful.  Both types have varying upper limits, but no floor.  The first type is the non-willful FBAR penalty.  The maximum non-willful FBAR penalty is $10,000.  The second type is the willful FBAR penalty.  The maximum willful FBAR penalty is the greater of (a) $100,000 or (b) 50% of the total balance of the foreign account.  In addition the IRS can pursue criminal charges with the willful FBAR penalty. The law defines that any person who willfully attempts in any manner to evade or defeat any tax under the Internal Revenue Code or the payment thereof is, in addition to other penalties provided by law, guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, can be fined not more than $100,000 ($500,000 in the case of a corporation), or imprisoned not more than five years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution (Code Sec. 7201).

For the non-willful penalty, all the IRS has to show is that an FBAR was not filed.  Whether the taxpayer knew or did not know about the filing of this form is irrelevant.  The non-willful FBAR penalty is $10,000 per account, per year and so a taxpayer with multiple accounts over multiple years can end up with a huge penalty.

Streamlined Procedures and Other Options

A separate program, the Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures, for taxpayers who might not have been aware of their filing obligations, has helped about 65,000 additional taxpayers come into compliance. The Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures will remain in place and available to eligible taxpayers. Additionally, eligible taxpayers can qualify for relief under the Delinquent FBAR Submission Procedures or Delinquent International Information Return Submission Procedures.

What Should You Do?

Don’t let another deadline slip by! If you have never reported your foreign investments on your U.S. Tax Returns or even if you have already quietly disclosed you should seriously consider participating in the IRS’ 2014 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (“OVDP”). Once the IRS contacts you, you cannot get into this program and would be subject to the maximum penalties (civil and criminal) under the tax law.

Let the tax attorneys of the Law Offices Of Jeffrey B. Kahn, P.C. resolve your IRS tax problems, get you in compliance with your FBAR filing obligations, and minimize the chance of any criminal investigation or imposition of civil penalties. Tax problems are usually a serious matter and must be handled appropriately so it’s important to that you’ve hired the best lawyer for your particular situation. The tax attorneys at the Law Offices Of Jeffrey B. Kahn, P.C. located in Orange County (Irvine), the San Francisco Bay Area (including San Jose and Walnut Creek) and elsewhere in California are highly skilled in handling tax matters and can effectively represent at all levels with the IRS and State Tax Agencies including criminal tax investigations and attempted prosecutions, undisclosed foreign bank accounts and other foreign assets, and unreported foreign income.

The Federal Government Has Bitcoin To Sell To You!

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U.S. marshals in recent months having confiscated over 2,000 bitcoin in conjunction with federal prosecutions has announced the sale of this bitcoin to commence March 19th.

Feds Don’t Mine – They Confiscate.

When the Federal Government shuts down any illegal operation including cannabis enterprises (which despite State law legalizing cannabis, it is still illegal under Federal law), the Federal Government is allowed to confiscate all assets of the illegal operation which includes the plants, equipment, property, cash and bitcoin.  Handling and custody of these assets are managed by the U.S. Marshals Service.  It’s not a well-known fact that because of these seizures in shutting down illegal operations, the Federal Government is the biggest auctioneer of bitcoin and manages one of the world’s biggest wallets with as much as $120 million worth of BTC. In 2013, the FBI seized 144,336 bitcoins, valued at just over $48 million, connected to Silk Road which was a notorious online drug market that the FBI shut down.

Next On-line Auction Of Bitcoin By the Feds.

The Federal Government announced that it has 2,170 bitcoins set to be auctioned off this month. The coins were seized from a variety of sources: criminal, civil, administrative. Details according to the government’s press release state to be eligible for the March 19th auction, potential bidders must complete all registration requirements by noon EDT March 14. Registered bidders only will get a chance to make offers via email. A $200,000 deposit is required to participate. Deposits will be returned to non-winning bidders.  The Bitcoin will be served up in chunks or blocks: “two blocks of 500 bitcoins, 11 blocks of 100 bitcoins and one block of approximately 70 bitcoins,” for a total of 14 blocks. The winner will be contacted on the 19th. The government believes that in total it should get $25 million from the auction. About a month ago the Federal Government auctioned 3,600 bitcoin for which it collected close to $30 million.

War On Drugs Includes Bitcoiners

The U.S. Marshals’ auction site lists all upcoming auctions, with about 75% of those cases coming from illegal activity shut down by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The DEA is the most dreaded federal agency of the cannabis industry putting state-law abiding cannabis businesses in the same category as narcotics traffickers.  Bitcoin has been hot on the DEA’s radar and as recently as late last year the agency released a report, National Drug Threat Assessment, which contends that bitcoin is used an illicit means of finance.

Charges Include Tax Crimes

For individuals nabbed by the Federal Government, it is not surprising that the IRS gets involved and they are also charged with tax crimes.

Failure to report all the money you make is a main reason folks end up facing an IRS auditor. Carelessness on your tax return might get you whacked with a 20% penalty. But that’s nothing compared to the 75% civil penalty for willful tax fraud and possibly facing criminal charges of tax evasion that if convicted could land you in jail.

Criminal Fraud – The law defines that any person who willfully attempts in any manner to evade or defeat any tax under the Internal Revenue Code or the payment thereof is, in addition to other penalties provided by law, guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, can be fined not more than $100,000 ($500,000 in the case of a corporation), or imprisoned not more than five years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution (Code Sec. 7201).

The term “willfully” has been interpreted to require a specific intent to violate the law (U.S. v. Pomponio, 429 U.S. 10 (1976)). The term “willfulness” is defined as the voluntary, intentional violation of a known legal duty (Cheek v. U.S., 498 U.S. 192 (1991)).

And even if the IRS is not looking to put you in jail, they will be looking to hit you with a big tax bill with hefty penalties.

Civil Fraud – Normally the IRS will impose a negligence penalty of 20% of the underpayment of tax (Code Sec. 6662(b)(1) and 6662(b)(2)) but violations of the Internal Revenue Code with the intent to evade income taxes may result in a civil fraud penalty. In lieu of the 20% negligence penalty, the civil fraud penalty is 75% of the underpayment of tax (Code Sec. 6663). The imposition of the Civil Fraud Penalty essentially doubles your liability to the IRS!

What Should You Do?

It is risky enough to be involved in cannabis or crypto-currency, so imagine how much riskier it is combining both.  It is important to control this risk which you can do by engaging the tax attorneys at the Law Offices Of Jeffrey B. Kahn, P.C. located in Orange County (Irvine), Inland Empire (Ontario) and other California locations.  We can come up with solutions and strategies to these risks and protect you and your business to mitigate criminal prosecution, seek abatement of penalties, and minimize your tax liability.

 

 

 

Your Right to Challenge the IRS’ Position and Be Heard

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Taxpayers have the right to challenge the IRS’s position and be heard. This is one of ten of rights listed in the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which clearly outlines the fundamental rights of every taxpayer.

The IRS Says That Taxpayers Have The Right To:

  • Raise objections.
  • Provide additional documentation in response to formal or proposed IRS actions.
  • Expect the IRS to consider their objections timely.
  • Have the IRS consider any supporting documentation promptly.
  • Receive a response if the IRS does not agree with their position.

While the IRS contemplates these rights are in place to assure a fairly administered tax system, in reality that is hardly the case as many people coming to me have expressed their unresolved tax problems and how the IRS has not helped them or is treating them unfairly not giving proper credence to their situation.

When Is The Best Time to Bring In A Board Certified Tax Attorney To Resolve Your Tax Problems?

First and foremost, you need a tax lawyer if you have a dispute with the IRS or any State Tax Agency. Most tax disputes arise in the form of an audit of one or several past tax returns. If the IRS notifies you of an audit, you should hire a tax attorney immediately. Your tax lawyer can communicate with the IRS on your behalf, be present during your audit and help negotiate a settlement, if necessary. Having experienced legal counsel helps ensure that you don’t overpay as a result of your audit.

In some instances, taxpayers ignore letters and warnings from the IRS because they’re scared or don’t know how to respond. In those cases, the IRS may have no choice but to threaten you with criminal charges for tax evasion. If you learn that you’re the target of an IRS criminal investigation, you’ll want to hire a tax lawyer—and do it quickly.

Your tax lawyer can reassure the IRS that you’re taking its investigation seriously, work with the IRS in an effort to help you avoid criminal charges and represent you in court if you are charged with a tax crime.

Second, a tax lawyer’s help can also be invaluable if you’re facing a complicated legal tax situation. This might include instances where:

  • You’re starting a new company and are trying to decide between the various ways to structure your company
  • You’re the executor of an estate and need advice regarding whether and how much is owed in estate taxes
  • You want to challenge the IRS on a tax decision or appeal an audit
  • You receive a Collections Notice telling you that tax is due and/or threatening collection action
  • You want to sue the IRS
  • You think or know that you’ve committed tax fraud

Most people have tax problems because they did not plan how to do business, how to record transactions or how to account and substantiate their expenses or they have taken inappropriate or unjustified risky positions on their tax returns. Being proactive by engaging a tax lawyer to avoid having these problems in the first place would be wise to pursue. Additionally hiring tax counsel early on should assure that you do not blow any appeals or communicate something to the IRS that you later wished you never did.

Questions to Ask When Interviewing Tax Lawyer

At your initial meeting with a lawyer, you’ll want to share the specifics of your situation and then ask the lawyer about his or her experience handling similar matters. Know that lawyers are bound by strict confidentiality rules. Even if you end up hiring a different attorney, the lawyers you meet with cannot share the information they learned with the IRS or anyone else.

Some questions to consider asking your lawyer during your initial meeting:

  • How long have you been practicing law?
  • Do you just practice tax law, or do you also work in other areas of practice?
  • What are your credentials as a tax specialist (such as Board Certified Tax Law Designation, LL.M.(Tax) Degree or C.P.A. License)?
  • Have you previously handled tax situations similar to mine?
  • What’s your assessment of my situation? What works for me and against me?
  • If I hired you, what course of action would you recommend?
  • Do you charge a flat fee or hourly rate, or do you use some other billing structure?
  • Can you estimate my total legal fees?

What Should You Do?

If you have outstanding tax problems or liabilities with the IRS or any State Tax Agency, protect yourself and preserve your right to challenge the tax agency’s position and be heard. Tax problems are usually a serious matter and must be handled appropriately so it’s important to that you’ve hired the best lawyer for your particular situation. The tax attorneys at the Law Offices Of Jeffrey B. Kahn, P.C. located in Orange County (Irvine), San Diego County (Carlsbad) and elsewhere in California are highly skilled in handling tax matters and can effectively represent you at all levels with the IRS and State Tax Agencies including criminal tax investigations and attempted prosecutions, undisclosed foreign bank accounts and other foreign assets, unreported foreign income and unreported crypto-currency income.

Weedmaps Now Pinned On California’s Enforcement Map

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According to reports from the Sacramento Bee and Marijuana Business Daily, Lori Ajax, chief of the California Bureau Of Cannabis Control, issued on February 16, 2018 a cease and desist order to Weedmaps.com, an internet company based in Irvine that maps marijuana dispensaries, to immediately stop promoting cannabis businesses that do not have state licenses. It is Ms. Ajax’s position that the business of Weedmaps allegedly is aiding and abetting in violation of state cannabis law (the California Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act) by advertising canna-businesses without proper state license numbers and if the company doesn’t immediately drop advertisements for unlicensed businesses, Weedmaps could face criminal and civil penalties, including civil fines for each illegal ad.

While Weedmaps does not sell cannabis but merely serves that industry by providing an advertising service, such action by the State to go after third parties providing ancillary services to the cannabis industry is very chilling. Despite California legalizing medical use and recreational use marijuana, cannabis businesses must still be licensed by the State. This license requirement started January 1, 2018. The California Bureau Of Cannabis Control has identified at least 900 cannabis businesses operating without the proper licenses and many of these businesses are listed on Weedmaps.

Cannabis Is Illegal Under Federal Law.

It is enough that a cannabis businesses have to face the fact that under 21 U.S.C. § 812 (known as the Federal Controlled Substances Act), the Federal government classifies marijuana as a Schedule 1 substance with a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment, and lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.

The federal penalties for possession of any amount of marijuana are as follows:

  • First Offense – Misdemeanor involving up to one year of incarceration and $1,000 in fines
  • Second Offense – Misdemeanor punishable by 15 days to 2 years behind bars and $2,500 in fines
  • Third and subsequent offenses – Misdemeanor or felony punishable by 90 days to 3 years of incarceration and fines of up to $5,000.

The penalties for the sale of marijuana depend on the amount of marijuana you have been accused of selling or attempting to sell:

  • Less than 50 kilograms – Felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison and/or up to $250,000 in fines
  • 50 to 99 kilograms – Felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and/or fines of up to $1,000,000
  • 100 to 999 kilograms – Felony involving 5 to 40 years incarceration and/or fines of up to $2,000,000
  • 1000 kg and up – Felony carrying a sentence of 10 years to life in prison and/or up to $4,000,000 in fines

As for the cultivation of marijuana, the federal authorities punish it on the basis of the number of plants you were caught growing:

  • Less than 50 plants – Felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison and/or up to $250,000 in fines
  • 50 to 99 plants – Felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and/or up to $1,000,000 in fines
  • 100 to 999 plants – Felony carrying a 5 to 40-year prison sentence and/or fines of up to $5,000,000
  • 1,000 plants or more – Felony involving 10 years to life in prison and/or fines of up to $10,000,000

With aggravating factors such as a trafficking activity that results in an injury or death, a sale within 1,000 feet of a school, or a case involving five grams sold to a minor, the above penalties may increase dramatically but the fact that a cannabis business is properly licensed by the State can be a mitigating factor decreasing these penalties.

Risk To Being Shut Down And Assets Seized By Your Local Federal District Attorney

On January 4, 2018 Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded what was known as the “Cole Memo”.

The Cole Memo which came out of the Department Of Justice (“DOJ”) under the Obama administration in 2013, directed U.S. Attorneys to use discretion to prioritize certain types of violations in prosecuting cannabis operators, but, strictly speaking, it did not make operations in cannabis legal.

The Cole Memo included eight factors for prosecutors to look at in deciding whether to charge a medical marijuana business with violating the Federal law:

  • Does the business allow minors to gain access to marijuana?
  • Is revenue from the business funding criminal activities or gangs?
  • Is the marijuana being diverted to other states?
  • Is the legitimate medical marijuana business being used as a cover or pretext for the traffic of other drugs or other criminal enterprises?
  • Are violence or firearms being used in the cultivation and distribution of marijuana?
  • Does the business contribute to drugged driving or other adverse public health issues?
  • Is marijuana being grown on public lands or in a way that jeopardizes the environment or public safety?
  • Is marijuana being used on federal property?

But now that the Cole Memo has be rescinded, federal prosecutors in cannabis legal states will now be free to decide how aggressively they wish to enforce federal marijuana laws. While State law and public acceptance of marijuana usage may temper federal prosecutors’ aggressiveness, this risk of seizure and shutdown is still real and for those cannabis businesses that are not licensed by the State, not only will they rise to the top of the Federal District Attorney’s list but also by State authorities. Criminal prosecution is also possible at both the Federal and State levels so it is important to have qualified legal counsel lined-up and available to intervene.

What Should You Do?

Considering this risks of cannabis you need to protect yourself and your investment, especially if you are not holding a valid license with the State. Level the playing field and gain the upper hand by engaging the tax attorneys at the Law Offices Of Jeffrey B. Kahn, P.C. located in Orange County (Irvine), Inland Empire (Ontario) and other California locations. We can come up with solutions and strategies to these risks and protect you and your business to maximize your net profits.

Beware If You Are Getting Divorced And Have Crypto-currency.

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The anonymous nature of crypto-currencies creates the possibility for individuals to accumulate wealth that is concealed from tax agencies, creditors and spouses. With all the discussion about the progress IRS is making to get information on crypto-currency transactions and parties to those transactions, query how soon this will be commonplace and routine for divorce attorneys to search for these hidden treasures for their clients.

A Problem That Is Becoming More Widespread

Interest in tax compliance for past unreported crypto-currency transactions is on the rise. This is especially the case following the spike in the popularity of crypto-currencies last year. For an individual going through divorce who suspects his or her spouse having undisclosed crypto-currency holdings and transactions, your divorce attorney should include the appropriate language as part of the discovery process to make sure your divorce attorney has the right language and questions to ensure a partner discloses their crypto-currencies. As for the individual going through divorce who has undisclosed crypto-currency holdings and transactions, keep in mind that litigation tends to bring out into the open things that now the IRS will being able to see. So whether you are in a divorce, the stakes are high if you do not proactively address non-compliance in reporting crypto-currency transactions.

Penalties For Filing A False Income Tax Return Or Under-reporting Income

Failure to report all the money you make is a main reason folks end up facing an IRS auditor. Carelessness on your tax return might get you whacked with a 20% penalty. But that’s nothing compared to the 75% civil penalty for willful tax fraud and possibly facing criminal charges of tax evasion that if convicted could land you in jail.

Criminal Fraud – The law defines that any person who willfully attempts in any manner to evade or defeat any tax under the Internal Revenue Code or the payment thereof is, in addition to other penalties provided by law, guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, can be fined not more than $100,000 ($500,000 in the case of a corporation), or imprisoned not more than five years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution (Code Sec. 7201).

The term “willfully” has been interpreted to require a specific intent to violate the law (U.S. v. Pomponio, 429 U.S. 10 (1976)). The term “willfulness” is defined as the voluntary, intentional violation of a known legal duty (Cheek v. U.S., 498 U.S. 192 (1991)).

And even if the IRS is not looking to put you in jail, they will be looking to hit you with a big tax bill with hefty penalties.

Civil Fraud – Normally the IRS will impose a negligence penalty of 20% of the underpayment of tax (Code Sec. 6662(b)(1) and 6662(b)(2)) but violations of the Internal Revenue Code with the intent to evade income taxes may result in a civil fraud penalty. In lieu of the 20% negligence penalty, the civil fraud penalty is 75% of the underpayment of tax (Code Sec. 6663). The imposition of the Civil Fraud Penalty essentially doubles your liability to the IRS!

What Should You Do?

The IRS has not yet announced a specific tax amnesty for people who failed to report their gains and income from Bitcoin and other virtual currencies but under the existing Voluntary Disclosure Program, non-compliant taxpayers can come forward to avoid criminal prosecution and negotiate lower penalties.

With only several hundred people reporting their crypto gains each year since bitcoin’s launch, the IRS suspects that many crypto users have been evading taxes by not reporting crypto transactions on their tax returns. 

And now that like-exchange treatment is prohibited on non-real estate transactions that occur after 2017, now is the ideal time to be proactive and come forward with voluntary disclosure to lock in your deferred gains through 2017, eliminate your risk for criminal prosecution, and minimize your civil penalties.  Don’t delay because once the IRS has targeted you for investigation – even it’s is a routine random audit – it will be too late voluntarily come forward. Let the tax attorneys at the Law Offices Of Jeffrey B. Kahn, P.C. located in Orange County (Irvine), San Francisco & Bay Area (San Jose, Walnut Creek) and offices elsewhere in California get you qualified into a voluntary disclosure program to avoid criminal prosecution, seek abatement of penalties, and minimize your tax liability.

Could This Be The Next Best Thing To What Swiss Accounts Were In The 20th Century? Paradise-Destination Marshall Islands To Issue National Crypto-currency

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Given the stealth nature of Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies where there is no third party reporting to tax agencies, this could be the 21st century answer to where to hide your money.  With a population of just under 60,000 you would not think residents of the Marshall Islands need their own crypto-currency but that is what their government is pushing for.

Marshall Islands Govcoin

The Republic of the Marshall Islands plans to issue its own cryptocurrency as an official legal tender, to be known as the Sovereign. Just recently the local parliament voted to proceed with the issuing plan whereby the government will arrange an Initial Coin Offering and exchanges will be allowed to apply to trade the currency.  This is following the trend of central bankers to somehow “cash in” on the crypto-currency industry which is challenging traditional financial institutions and diverting revenues away from government. But query, how would these new crypto-currencies be free from state control if they are really managed by the government; and if they are not run by the government, how would central bankers benefit?

What is a certainty is that tax agencies will continue their investigative efforts to find non-compliant taxpayers and following the success in quashing the effectiveness of the Swiss bank secrecy laws in 2010 when the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”) was enacted, the IRS is certainly on top of this.  FATCA forces foreign banks to disclose information on U.S. account holders which the IRS receives and matches the information reported by U.S. taxpayers.  No longer can taxpayers avoid reporting income on their foreign bank accounts.  No longer can taxpayers avoid disclosing their foreign bank accounts.

IRS Investigative Action

Given the ability for taxpayers to engage in bitcoin transactions without proper tax reporting, the IRS though has stepped up its investigation efforts to uncover non-compliant taxpayers.

A John Doe Summons issued by IRS was ruled enforceable by U.S. Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in November 2017 (United States v. Coinbase, Inc., United States District Court, Northern District Of California, Case No.17-cv-01431).  Coinbase located in San Francisco is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the United States.  Under the order, Coinbase will be required to turn over the names, addresses and tax identification numbers on 14,355 account holders. The Court has ordered Coinbase to produce the following customer information: (1) taxpayer ID number, (2) name, (3) birth date, (4) address, (5) records of account activity, including transaction logs or other records identifying the date, amount, and type of transaction (purchase/sale/exchange), the post transaction balance, and the names of counterparties to the transaction, and (6) all periodic statements of account or invoices (or the equivalent).

Now while this net may not pick up taxpayers whose accounts have less than $20,000 in any one transaction type (buy, sell, send, or receive) in any one year from 2013 to 2015, it should be clear that this is the first step for the IRS to crush non-compliance for all taxpayers involved with cryptocurrency just like the IRS was successful in battling taxpayers having undisclosed foreign bank accounts.

Penalties For Filing A False Income Tax Return Or Under-reporting Income

Failure to report all the money you make is a main reason folks end up facing an IRS auditor. Carelessness on your tax return might get you whacked with a 20% penalty. But that’s nothing compared to the 75% civil penalty for willful tax fraud and possibly facing criminal charges of tax evasion that if convicted could land you in jail.

Criminal Fraud – The law defines that any person who willfully attempts in any manner to evade or defeat any tax under the Internal Revenue Code or the payment thereof is, in addition to other penalties provided by law, guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, can be fined not more than $100,000 ($500,000 in the case of a corporation), or imprisoned not more than five years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution (Code Sec. 7201).

The term “willfully” has been interpreted to require a specific intent to violate the law (U.S. v. Pomponio, 429 U.S. 10 (1976)). The term “willfulness” is defined as the voluntary, intentional violation of a known legal duty (Cheek v. U.S., 498 U.S. 192 (1991)).

And even if the IRS is not looking to put you in jail, they will be looking to hit you with a big tax bill with hefty penalties.

Civil Fraud – Normally the IRS will impose a negligence penalty of 20% of the underpayment of tax (Code Sec. 6662(b)(1) and 6662(b)(2)) but violations of the Internal Revenue Code with the intent to evade income taxes may result in a civil fraud penalty. In lieu of the 20% negligence penalty, the civil fraud penalty is 75% of the underpayment of tax (Code Sec. 6663). The imposition of the Civil Fraud Penalty essentially doubles your liability to the IRS!

What Should You Do?

The IRS has not yet announced a specific tax amnesty for people who failed to report their gains and income from Bitcoin and other virtual currencies but under the existing Voluntary Disclosure Program, non-compliant taxpayers can come forward to avoid criminal prosecution and negotiate lower penalties.

With only several hundred people reporting their crypto gains each year since bitcoin’s launch, the IRS suspects that many crypto users have been evading taxes by not reporting crypto transactions on their tax returns.

And now that like-exchange treatment is prohibited on non-real estate transactions that occur after 2017, now is the ideal time to be proactive and come forward with voluntary disclosure to lock in your deferred gains through 2017, eliminate your risk for criminal prosecution, and minimize your civil penalties.  Don’t delay because once the IRS has targeted you for investigation – even it’s is a routine random audit– it will be too late voluntarily come forward. Let the tax attorneys at the Law Offices Of Jeffrey B. Kahn, P.C. located in Orange County (Irvine), San Diego County (Carlsbad) and offices elsewhere in California get you qualified into a voluntary disclosure program to avoid criminal prosecution, seek abatement of penalties, and minimize your tax liability.