Tax Tips & News: new york department of taxation

IBM’s Watson Assisting NY State To Catch Tax Cheats

2 minutes read

The name “Watson”–the IBM supercomputer that beat human Jeopardy champions handily–has become a fixture in today’s lexicon.  So much so that the New York State Department of Taxation has partnered with IBM and is using the same technology developed for Watson to review tax returns.  Thomas H. Mattox, the tax commissioner explained that their new systems incorporates the use of “business analytics” to determine the merit of tax returns.  In other words, Watson is helping NY to catch cheaters.

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Penalties For NY Taxpayers Who Fail To File Electronically

2 minutes read

The New York State Department of Taxation wants all tax returns filed electronically this year.   In years past, they have assessed penalties to Paid Income Tax Preparers as an “incentive” to file returns they prepare electronically.  This year, they have gone one step further. New York is now assessing penalties directly to the tax payer as well as the tax preparer:

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Same-Sex Couples Face Tax Hurdles

3 minutes read

This past June, New York became the 6th state to legalize same sex marriage. Regardless of ones individual beliefs concerning same-sex marriage, this much is clear: Tax laws–which are already complex & confusing–are that much more baffling for same-sex couples. This is mainly due to the fact that the Federal Government does not recognize same-sex unions. Same-sex couples must file separate federal returns, however they can file jointly in New York State and some other states that recognize...

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TurboTax/Intuit V.P. Acknowledges Program Miscalculations

1 minute read

Thanks to the efforts of Mr. Charles Freret, the following fax was sent by the Vice President of TurboTax.  If you are a taxpayer that has used Turbotax and filed with a 1099R for tax years 2007, 2008 or 2009, you should contact Mr. Meighan via fax at 858-408-2714

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Exclusive Interview With TurboTax Whistle Blower

14 minutes read

Last week, I did a blog post about Mr. Charles Freret who went on a one-man crusade to expose a flaw in the popular do-it-yourself tax program: Intuit’s TurboTax.  You can read that article & post here. After Mr. Freret read the aforementioned post, he contacted R&G Brenner and agreed to sit down for an exclusive interview. Mr. Freret’s story of persistence to discover the truth is incredible. What he uncovered along his journey is TurboTax is miscalculating tax returns on a large scale. And...

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NY Delays All Refunds Until April 1st

3 minutes read

The income tax refund checks will be in the mail, but with a two-and-a-half week delay.

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New York To Name Tax Delinquents

2 minutes read

In an effort to shame those that owe the state taxes, New York has taken the extraordinary (and desperate) measure to name the 500 biggest tax delinquents (individuals & businesses) on their website www.nystax.gov.

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NY State Form 1099 G No Longer Being Mailed

1 minute read

In an effort to slash over $700,000 from their budget, NY State has eliminated the mailing of form 1099-G (Statement for Recipients of State Income Tax Refunds) to New York taxpayers.  1099-G’s are issued to taxpayers that receive NY State refunds–which are considered taxable income on the following year’s income tax return.

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