In 2014, consumers were subjected to security breach after security breach as major retailers and service providers disclosed that they had involuntarily shared your personal data. While this is an extremely dangerous trend, the majority affected could move on with only being inconvenienced. However, over the past few years, a new form of digital extortion has arisen that has damaged unprepared small businesses—Ransomware.

Ransomware is state of the art extortion that combines: Your Data, Bitcoin, Software Insecurity, Cryptography, Phishing Attacks, and Organized Crime. Ask yourself, would your business survive if you lost 100% of your data and backups? Could you afford a $1,000.00 to $100,000.00 ransom? Likely law enforcement will not be able to help.

The IRS has announced changes to two of its offshore voluntary compliance programs; namely, the streamlined filing compliance process and the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP). These programs are part of a wider effort to stop offshore tax evasion, which includes enhanced enforcement, criminal prosecutions, and implementation of third-party reporting via the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). The changes

The premium tax credit is a refundable tax credit that helps eligible people with moderate incomes afford health insurance purchased through the Health Insurance Marketplace.

You can choose to have all or part of the credit paid in advance to your insurance company to lower what you pay for your monthly premiums, or you can claim the credit when you file your tax return. If you choose to have the credit paid in advance, you must reconcile the advance payments with the actual credit you compute when you file your tax return.

In an effort to be a kinder friendlier IRS, the organization has released its Taxpayer Bill of Rights:

Bill of Tax Rights<

• The Right to Be Informed<

• The Right to Quality Service<

• The Right to Pay No More than the Correct Amount of Tax<

• The Right to Challenge the IRS’s Position and Be Heard<

• The Right to Appeal an IRS Decision in an Independent Forum<

• The Right to Finality<

• The Right to Privacy<

• The Right to Confidentiality<

• The Right to Retain Representation<

• The Right to a Fair and Just Tax System<

What does this mean for you? How well does the IRS follow these guidelines? As a taxpayer, it is absolutely vital to be informed, and understand what these "rights" mean, and what they do not.

"The IRS announced today it will be notifying taxpayers after third parties gained unauthorized access to information on about 100,000 accounts through the “Get Transcript” online application.

The IRS determined late last week that unusual activity had taken place on the application, which indicates that unauthorized third parties had access to some accounts on the transcript application. Following an initial review, it appears that access was gained to more than 100,000 accounts through the Get Transcript application." - https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-statement-on-the-get-transcript-application<

Soon, some will receive notification from the IRS that their personal information was compromised. This follows announcements from multiple retailers that they too mishandled private data <that should never have been made public. With ubiquitous weak points in security, and intelligent criminals with a financial incentive, what can ones do to protect themselves, and what can small businesses do to protect their clients?

Buying a home is the single most valuable investment many families make, and home ownership offers tax breaks that make it the foundation for your overall tax planning. The gulf coast of Florida's real estate market (specifically Sarasota's, Bradenton's, North Port's, & Venice's markets) was hit hard with some strong correction after the bubble. As a CPA Firm in Sarasota, Florida, we have been helping our clients deal with the effects, but also have seen improvements as home values have increased.

If you are undecided as to a purchase or sale, it is important to know that the tax law provides numerous incentives to home ownership, including the following:

After weeks of negotiation, Congress has passed the American Taxpayer Relief Act to avert the tax side of the “Fiscal Cliff” and bring some certainty to the Tax Code. Almost all taxpayers are affected by the numerous extensions and modifications. Many popular but temporary tax extenders relating to businesses are included in the American Taxpayer Relief Act. Among them is Code Sec. 179 small business expensing, bonus depreciation, the research tax credit, and the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. This letter provides some highlights of the American Taxpayer Relief Act as it applies to investments and business taxpayers.

The distinction between resident aliens and nonresident aliens is crucial because resident aliens, like U.S. citizens, are taxed on worldwide income, whereas nonresident aliens are taxed only on U.S. source income. Your status as a nonresident alien individual affords you many opportunities to take advantage of the U.S. tax laws.

We must verify your status as a nonresident alien as the first step in the tax planning process. This procedure is complicated due to the many compliance issues associated with residency. Sometimes residency is determined under an applicable tax treaty; however, if no treaty exists, you are treated as a resident if at least one of the following three conditions is met:

More election year uncertainty: 2012 began with the fate of the “Bush-era tax cuts” unsettled, and no resolution appears in sight. Rather than just waiting for Congress to act, you should consider implementing certain protective tax strategies now. To maximize benefits, advance planning that considers a number of “what ifs” should be undertaken soon. With budget pressures looming, the likelihood that EGTRRA< and JGTRRA< expiring provisions will be rolled over for one or two more years into 2013 and 2014 is highly unlikely. Therefore, a strategy that accelerates into 2012 whatever tax benefits are currently available deserves careful consideration.