Taxes
Wal-Mart says tax delay, payroll tax hike & gas prices to flatten sales
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. beat expectations for its most recent fiscal quarter, but the world's largest retailer is now warning that higher payroll taxes, income tax refund delays and lofty gas prices will cause stagnant sales during the current quarter.
Pennsylvania parochial school owes IRS $300K
A Catholic elementary school in Erie, Pennsylvania, owes the Internal Revenue Service more than $300,000 for failing to remit federal withholding taxes when the school was facing financial difficulties.
Drug felon learns a new felony trade: A $12 million tax refund ID theft scam
A convicted Miami-Dade drug trafficker unemployed for the past decade discovered how to make a quick buck, cashing $12 million in fraudulent tax-refund checks over five months last year, authorities say.
‘Sandy tax’ may hit many coastal residents in N.J., N.Y.
Residents of New Jersey and Long Island, New York's, coastal counties who live away from the water could be forced to pay higher property taxes to offset millions of dollars in lost revenue from hard-hit beachfront towns, a county official said.
Florida is #1 in nation … In identity theft tax fraud
Florida ranks first in stolen identity tax refund fraud, a problem so pervasive it's now known as SIRF.
Tax ID Theft: More than half of consumers believe the IRS is responsible
Survey shows Americans blame IRS for tax ID theft, instead of themselves for lax precautions.
Tax professionals offer tips to avoid IRS audits
During the past decade, the IRS has gotten more business-like about the taxpayers they select to audit. Like all smart businesses, the IRS wants to turn a profit these days. Currently, tax returns are selected for audit based on the chance that the IRS will find enough errors or missing income to generate additional taxes – and perhaps penalty and interest.
Survey says 65.6% of Texans plan to pay down debt with their tax refunds
According to a survey by the Texas Credit Union League (League), 65.6 percent of Texans who participated in a recent League survey said they plan to use their tax refund to pay off debt. Similarly, 45.9 percent of Texans plan to use their refund to jump start their savings.