Double Trouble! Employment Taxes & The Trust Fund Recovery Penalty
“Lord, hou schulde God approve that you robbe Petur and gif is robbere to Poule in ye name of Crist?” John Wycliffe, Selected English Works, c. 1380 In medieval England, the Christian Peter and Paul were two peas in a pod. They were both apostles and both martyred in Rome. They even shared the same […]
It’s All In The Name
Some events are so seminal that they need no explanation. When someone says “Holocaust” or “9/11” or “Hindenburg,” no further explanation is needed. Some sports stars share similar fame. There is only one Michael, one LeBron, and one Wilt. While he admittedly does not rise to that level – some scouts shake their heads and […]
Slow Boat To Somewhere
Ancient Greek thinker Heraclitus is famous, at least in some circles, for his rather perplexing observation that “the only constant in the universe is change.” Murphy’s Law, a much more familiar axiom, states that “if anything can go wrong, it will.” If these two phrases are combined into some sort of latter-day Frankenstein’s monster of […]
Trouble In Paradise
Former Congressman Barney Frank recently remarked that the financial reform law that partially bears his name is in a unique position, because “No program in American history could more clearly combine two elements: great success and absolute unpopularity.” While the jury is still out on the “great success” of Dodd-Frank, there is no doubt that […]
‘Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied’?
Wighead English jurist William Gladstone, the author of this famous quote, was obviously not a criminal defense lawyer. In many, if not most, cases, delay is a fundamental element of a successful defense, or even the lynchpin of the entire schmear. Over time, memories fade, evidence is lost (or at least becomes more difficult to […]
Simplifying “Tax Speak” So That It Is Accessible to the Average Joe
Have you ever gone to a technical talk or presentation excited about the topic, only to be frustrated by the speaker’s technical jargon and stiff delivery? If you’re a tax professional, you’ve likely been to more of these presentations than you care to remember (perhaps even reluctantly if you have waited until the eleventh hour […]
You Came Up Short
Governments will try to get away with almost anything during wartime. In the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus so federal authorities could lock up suspected Confederate sympathizers and throw away the keys. This action was more than mere ink on paper; it was very vigorously enforced, especially in Maryland […]
From Gumshoe To Gavel: The Required Records Doctrine And The Fifth Amendment Act-of-production Privilege Against Self-incrimination for Documents Relating to Foreign Accounts
Although it didn’t have the panache of Dark Justice, a vastly underrated drama, in my humble opinion, the Law & Order franchise was once almost as ubiquitous as stars in the sky or grains of sand on the seashore. These shows featured solid writing and good acting, along with a half cop show/half lawyer show […]
Uncle Sam Enlists Another Collections Agent
India and Pakistan are basically the geopolitical Odd Couple, with a few important differences. First and foremost, Felix and Oscar are fictional. Any conflict between the two is resolved with an exchange of funny one-liners and forgotten by the time the end credits roll. Secondly, despite the show’s title, they do have some things in […]
Take What They Give You
The first half of Super Bowl XX between the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots is painful to watch, for everyone except die-hard fans of Da Bears. Chicago looked like it was playing fifteen guys on defense, and all of them were at or near the line of scrimmage. Several weeks earlier, the Miami Dolphins […]