IRS Releases New Withholding Tables: Maine Employees Could See Changes Soon
The IRS released updated 2018 income tax withholding tables on January 11, which reflect changes made by the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The IRS states that this is the first in a series of steps that the IRS will take to help improve the accuracy of withholding...
Damages Calculation Admissible Under Facts Available to PI Expert
Berman v. Unimin Corp., 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 172769 (Dec. 14, 2016) How deeply must a damages expert research a personal injury case to produce an admissible report? This was the overriding question in a Daubert case involving an injured railroad worker. The...
AMT Calculations: It’s Showtime
Back in 1969 the alternative minimum tax (AMT) was enacted to ensure that high-income individuals don't take advantage of multiple tax breaks and avoid paying federal tax. However, in recent years, the AMT has been imposed on many middle-income taxpayers....
Rift in Prominent Maine Business Family Exposed by $6 Million Award in Lawsuit
Mark Filler, CPA, of Filler & Associates was the plaintiff’s damages expert for the following Portland, Maine court case. Tucker Cianchette won a nearly $6 million dollar settlement in a lawsuit first filed in June 2016 against his father, Eric Cianchette, a...
Large Employers: What Are the Deadlines for Forms 1094-C and 1095-C?
Question: Our company is an applicable large employer (ALE), and we sponsor a fully insured group health plan. We have to file Forms 1094-C and 1095-C for the 2017 calendar year. When are these forms due this year? Answer: Applicable large employers must: 1. Report to...
New Law Gives Eligible Pass-Through Businesses a Special Tax Break
Starting in 2018 under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), Federal income tax rates for C corporations have been reduced to a flat 21%. But what about pass-through businesses? Congress devised a special tax break for pass-through businesses to help achieve parity...
Court: Company President Is Liable for Unpaid Employment Taxes
A recent ruling by the U.S. District court recently stated that a company president was a "responsible person" who was liable for the trust fund recovery penalty. The court found that the president's failure to pay over employment taxes was willful despite the fact...
Value of IP Mash-Up Takes Spotlight in Michael Jackson Case
The trial involving the Michael Jackson estate has started in Tax Court in California. One of the issues in the case is the fair market value of Jackson’s posthumous right of publicity, which includes his name and image. The estate valued this at $2,105 because the...
Congress Raises 401(k) Hardship Withdrawal Limits
Hardship withdrawals are permitted by most 401(k) plans, though plan sponsors aren't required to allow them. As it stands today, employees seeking to take money out of their 401(k) accounts are limited to the funds they contributed to the accounts themselves, and only...
Survey: Employers Adapt Quickly to Withholding Tax Changes
The deadline to begin using the 2018 federal income tax withholding tables, which reflect changes made by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was February 15, 2018. Although most Maine employers had no problems meeting the deadline, many employees question how the TCJA...