This week we look at the issues and limitations involving the Cohan rule and its use in tax compliance and representation work.

The materials can be downloaded from http://edzollars.com/2006-03-25_Cohan.pdf.

The podcast is sponsored by Leimberg Information Services, on the web at http://www.leimbergservices.com.

This week we look at some issues revolving around payroll tax deposits, including the IRS and Social Security Administration recent caution about the use of payroll services to deposit taxes.

This week we look at a case that invovled the embezzlement of payroll tax deposits by a payroll service, where the IRS successfully argued that the employer still was liable for the unpaid taxes even though they had believed the payroll service had deposited the taxes

As well, we look at a case involving a shareholder who stumbled into a full trust fund penalty when he attempted to take back funds he had advanced the failing corporation when he discovered there were unpaid payroll taxes.

The materials for the podcast can be downloaded at http://edzollars.com/2006-03-18_Payroll.pdf.

This podcast is sponsored by Leimberg Information Services located on the web at http://www.leimbergservices.com.

In honor of the upcoming March 15 filing deadline for calendar year corporations, this week we look at the issue of just what is a "qualified personal service corporation" and, perhaps more importantly, what is not. The podcast looks at the recent case of Ron Lykins, Inc. v. Commissioner, TC Memorandum 2006-35, where a corporation was held not to be a QPSC, and so could benefit from the lower tax brackets available to non-PSCs.

Materials for the podcast can be downloaded from http://www.edzollars.com/2006-03-10_Getting_Personal.pdf .

The podcast is sponsored by Leimberg Information Services, available on the web at http://www.leimbergservices.com.

This week's podcast arose from a discussion that began on the California Society of CPAs TaxTalk group on Yahoo about the widespread use of Circular 230 disclaimers. There seems to be an unfortunately false belief among many in the professions involved that a standard disclaimer eliminates any and all issues related to the revisions last summer to Circular 230.

The podcast discusses both the issues outside of Circular 230 that can arise from the indiscriminate use of this disclaimer, as well as those cases under the covered opinion rules when the disclaimer does not absolve the professional from having to issue a covered opinion.

The materials can be found at this link:

http://edzollars.com/2006-03-03_Disclaimers.pdf

We also discuss briefly some technology matters, including a quick discussion of why it may be useful to listen to Steve Gibson's Security Now podcast. To check out what's available go to:

http://grc.com/securitynow.htm

If you ever use a wireless hotspot or plug into a hotel network when on the road, this week's broadcast, while a bit dense, also contains some very important information about risks you may not be aware of (the "man in the middle" attack to steal your passwords, or the simple sniffing allowed if you aren't wired directly to a switch--that is, the network uses either wireless or a simple hub).

The podcast is sponsored by Leimberg Information Services, on the web at http://www.leimbergservices.com.