7:30 – 8:30 am:

Registration & Breakfast

8:30 – 8:35 am:

Opening Remarks / Housekeeping Items

8:35 – 10:00 am:

IRS Update

Voluntary compliance and enforcement of the tax laws are at the heart of our tax system. Over the past several years of pandemic and the fallout afterward, the IRS has been challenged to come up with new and more efficient ways to ensure that all taxpayers report and pay the correct amount of tax and yet help struggling taxpayers. These panel interviews provide us with an update on new developments at the IRS.

SB/SE Commissioner Amalia Colbert (invited)

• Interviewer: Jeff M. Sklarz, Esq., Green & Sklarz LLC, New Haven, CT

Criminal Investigation Chief James Lee (invited)

• Interviewer: Michael A. Villa, Jr., Esq., Meadows, Collier, Reed, Cousins, Crouch & Ungerman, LLP, Dallas, TX

Stakeholder Liaison Margaret Romaniello (invited)

• Interviewer: Frank Agostino, Agostino & Associates, Hackensack, NJ

10:00 – 10:15 am:

Break

10:15 – 11:05 am:

Enforcement Trends: What’s Hot and What’s Not

Following the Covid pandemic and the programs instituted by Congress we are about to enter a new era of tax enforcement, including Employee Retention Credits, Payroll Tax Debts, and much more.  Join our panelists for a discussion of the changing tax enforcement landscape as it relates to examinations, collection and criminal investigations.

Moderator:  

• Megan Brackney, Esq., Kostelanetz & Fink, LLP, New York, NY

Panelists:  

• Daniel Mayo, Esq., Withum, Smith & Brown, PC, Red Bank, NJ
• Michelle F. Schwerin, CPA, JD, Capes, Sokol, Goodman & Sarachan, PC, St. Louis, MO
• Barbara T. Kaplan, Esq., Greenberg Traurig LLP, New York, NY

11:05 – 12:00 pm:

Wages vs Distribution: What is Reasonable Compensation?

Between 2010 and 2020 a parade of court cases, IRS Factsheets, and heightened IRS scrutiny and Preparer Penalties has brought the issue of “Reasonable Compensation for S Corps” out of the shadows and placed it forefront as a priority issue for tax professionals and clients.  Our panel will debunk common myths and fiction on how reasonable compensation should be calculated and replace it with facts and methodologies that the IRS relies on, so that you can defend that number on the tax return you file on behalf of your client

Moderator:   

• Eric L. Green, Esq., Green & Sklarz LLC, New Haven, CT

Panelists:   

• Paul S. Hamann, President, RC Reports
• Walter Pagano, CPA, CFE, Eisner Advisory Group LLC, New York, NY
• Sara G. Neill, Esq., Capes, Sokol, Goodman & Sarachan, PC, St. Louis, MO

12:00 – 12:45 pm:

Lunch

12:45 – 1:45 pm:

Hidden Assets and Fraudulent Transfers: What Accountants Need To Watch For!

Taxpayers wanting to avoid having their assets found by the IRS, former spouses or other creditors often try and hide those assets.  Our panel will review what accountants and attorneys need to be on the watch for, what the consequences of attempting to hide those assets are and the potential fallout from it.  

Moderator: 

• Jeffrey M. Sklarz, Esq., Green & Sklarz LLC, New Haven, CT

Panelists:   

• Philip J. Wilson, CPA, Marcum, LLP, Costa Mesa, CA
• Damon Rowe, Esq., Meadows, Collier, Reed, Cousins, Crouch & Ungerman, LLP, Dallas, TX
• G. Michelle Ferreira, Esq., Greenberg Traurig LLP, San Francisco, CA

1:45 – 2:45 pm:

Ethical Practice & The Dangers of Getting Too Close to Clients

Return preparers who get too close to their clients may slowly but surely blur the line between an independent preparer and someone who is actively working to achieve a specific result for the client.  Loss of independence for a tax preparer can have disastrous results, both civil and criminal.  This panel will discuss how to avoid losing independence and what the consequences can be when it happens.

Moderator:

• Guinevere M. Moore, Esq. or Aaron Esman, Moore Tax Law Group, LLC, Chicago, IL

Panelists: 

• Kathy Enstrom, Moore Tax Law Group, LLC, Chicago, IL
• Karen Hawkins, Esq., Attorney-at-Law, Yachats, OR

2:45 – 3:00 pm:

Break

3:00 – 4:00 pm:

IRS Enforcement Around Employee Retention Credits

The Employee Retention Credits have been one of the most popular programs Congress created, and in many cases helped small businesses survive.  However, being a refundable credit, the ERC also brought out the worst in some business owners, claiming credits they were not entitled to, and the IRS is ramping up its enforcement.  Here from our panel what the status of enforcement is today, and what they are their clients need to know in case the IRS comes knocking about the ERC claims they filed.

Moderator:

• Zhanna A. Ziering, Esq., Moore Tax Law Group, New York, NY

Panelists:

• Amalia Colbert, SB/SE Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service, Washington, DC (invited)
• Hale E. Sheppard, Esq., Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Aughtry, Atlanta, GA
• Patrick Deane, CPA, Aprio, Rockville, MD

4:00 – 5:00 pm:

Appealing the Denied Offer

Perhaps you have seen this – the Offer you filed is being denied for what appears to be either bad analysis or seemingly weird analysis.  It is not uncommon that the Offer-in-Compromise has to be taken to Appeals to be resolved.  This panel will discuss how to dissect the analysis done by the IRS and what to address in your Appeal letter so you can get the case resolved favorably for your client.

Moderator: 

• Amanda Evans, EA, Green & Sklarz LLC, New Haven, CT

Panelists: 

• Caren Zhan, EA, Agostino & Associates, Hackensack, NJ
• Beverly L. Winsted, Esq., Law Office of Beverly Winsted, Laurel, MD
• Sanessa S. Griffiths, Esq., Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP, Washington, DC