Regulatory Analysis

Posted October 23, 2017 by Adam Rivera
Congress Discussing Bill That Would “Streamline and Modernize Employer Reporting Requirements”

Members of both the House and Senate are currently discussing the “Commonsense Reporting Act of 2017,” a bill that seeks to “streamline and modernize employer reporting requirements” under the Affordable Care Act. To accomplish this goal, the legislation would have the following ramifications: Permits employers to voluntarily report general information to the IRS prospectively to […]

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Posted October 23, 2017 by Nicolette Chasse
IRS Releases Form 945 and Instructions for 2017

The IRS released updated Form 945 and the Instructions to Form 945. While there are no substantive changes to the form, the Instructions establish new filing addresses for employers in Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. For employers who are not making payments while filing, all filings should be mailed to:   Department of […]

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Posted October 23, 2017 by Adam Rivera
IRS Revises Form 8809, Makes Changes to Requesting an Additional Extension of Time

The IRS has released a revised version of Form 8809, Application for Extension of Time to File Information Returns. There are some changes from the previous revision of the form, particularly regarding the process of requesting an extension of time for Form W-2 or for requesting an additional extension of time:   The instructions for […]

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Posted October 19, 2017 by Paul Ogawa
Iowa Announces Registration for Software Vendors, Releases Updated Electronic Reporting Specifications

Iowa recently announced software vendor registration is open for those who support electronic transmission of W-2 wage statements and/or 1099 Information Return file formats. Registration is now open for tax year 2017, and applicants must fill out and submit the e-File Vendor Registration Form by November 1, 2017. The Department of Revenue also released an updated version of […]

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Posted October 12, 2017 by Alex Samuel
Cook County, IL Repeals Sweetened Beverage Tax

The Cook County (Illinois) Board of Commissioners voted to repeal the recently enacted sweetened beverage tax. The tax will remain effective until December 1, 2017 after which retailers will no longer be required to collect the tax. The sweetened beverage tax consisted of a $0.01 tax on each ounce of sweetened beverage sold at retail […]

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Posted October 11, 2017 by Adam Rivera
Senator Introduces Bill to Repeal Individual Mandate for Health Insurance

U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) has introduced Senate Bill 1898, the “Repeal and Refund Act,” a bill that seeks to retroactively repeal the individual mandate for health insurance. Through this bill, Americans who paid penalties for not having insurance coverage would be refunded. Currently, Senate Bill 1898 is still in committee and has no cosponsors.

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Posted October 11, 2017 by Adam Rivera
Congress Discussing Bill That Alters Thresholds for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-K

The House of Representatives is currently discussing H.R.3717, the “Small Business Owners’ Tax Simplification Act of 2017.” The purported aim of the bill would be to avoid burdening small business owners and to improve compliance. The bill would seek to accomplish through changing the reporting thresholds of both Form 1099-MISC (something that hasn’t been done […]

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Posted October 11, 2017 by Adam Rivera
Bermuda Announces Phasing Out of CDOT Reporting Requirements

The Bermuda Ministry of Finance has confirmed reports that Bermuda will be phasing out of CDOT. The Bermuda Ministry of Finance currently has plans to move to a CRS-only reporting model as it begins to shift from its current CDOT IGA Model 2 status. This means that, from 2018 onward, there will no longer be an option […]

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Posted October 11, 2017 by Nicolette Chasse
Cyprus Extends Country-by-Country Reporting Submission Deadline for CRS

Cyprus recently announced that the submission deadline for country-by-country reporting for accounting years between January 1 2016 to October 20 2016 is extended until November 20, 2017.  Submission may be completed through the Cyprus's CRS reporting portal, Ariadni.   

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Posted October 9, 2017 by Sovos
IRS Releases 2017 Instructions for Forms 1094-B and 1095-B

The IRS has released the 2017 Instructions for Forms 1094-B and 1095-B. There are a couple of changes from their respective previous revisions: Changes to 2017 Instructions for Forms 1094-B and 1095-B New Instructions Paper returns filed with the IRS must be printed in landscape format Penalties have increased slightly this year For returns required […]

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Posted October 9, 2017 by Adam Rivera
IRS Releases 2017 Instructions for Forms 1094-C and 1095-C

The IRS has released the 2017 Instructions for Forms 1094-C and 1095-C. There are a couple of changes from their respective previous revisions: Changes to 2017 Instructions for Forms 1094-C and 1095-C   Now there is no section 4980H transition relief available for 2017 The instructions have thus removed discussion of section 4980H transition relief, […]

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Posted October 9, 2017 by Adam Rivera
IRS Releases 2017 ACA Forms

The IRS has released its 2017 versions of Forms 1094-B, 1094-C, 1095-B, and 1095-C. There were no changes to Form 1094-B. Form 1094-C had two changes: The removal of selection C, “Section 4980H Transition Relief,” from Line 22, and the removal of column (e) “Section 4980H Transition Relief Indicator” from Part III. There are no […]

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Posted October 9, 2017 by Sovos
Montana Updates Business Registration Form

Montana's Department of Revenue updated its Business Registration (“GenReg”) form. The updated form gives businesses the opportunity to register as a trust, if appropriate, as well as provides more expansive options for LLCs, so as to allow for more accurate information reporting.  The form also allows for online registration for W-2 and 1099 withholding, mineral […]

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Posted October 9, 2017 by Sovos
North Carolina Updates W-2 and 1099 Filing Specifications

North Carolina’s Department of Revenue recently updated their reporting requirements for filing W-2 and 1099 information. Per an announcement on the eNC3 website, the CD ROM specifications previously used for W-2 and 1099 reporting (DP-43 and DP-40, respectively) are no longer no longer valid.  Instead, electronic filers must use the eNC3 specifications listed on the eNC3 […]

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Posted October 5, 2017 by Ramón Frias
Puerto Rico Limits Suspension of Sales Tax Bi-weekly Remittance Requirement

The Puerto Rico Hacienda modified an announcement initially made via their Facebook page several days ago that substantially limits the suspension of their requirement to make bi-monthly pre-payments of sales tax. Specifically, Hacienda issued Administrative Determination 17-15 on October 2. The Determination indeed suspends the bi-weekly pre-payment of sales tax, but only for medium and […]

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Posted October 5, 2017 by Ramón Frias
Catalonia Votes for Independence

On October 1, 2017, the Catalonian region of Spain held a referendum on independence. While the Spanish Supreme Court declared the vote unconstitutional and Spain does not recognize the result as legally binding, the vote was held and the results were that an overwhelming majority of Catalan voters expressed a clear desire to become an […]

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Posted October 5, 2017 by Ramón Frias
Mexico Provides Relief to VAT Taxpayers Affected by Earthquake

The Mexican President has issued a Decree by which taxpayers that were affected by the earthquake of September 19 in the municipalities of the states of Guerrero, Mexico, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala, as well as in Mexico City, will be allowed to pay the VAT due on transactions carried out during the months of September, […]

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Posted October 5, 2017 by Charles Riordan
European Commission Proposes VAT Overhaul

On October 4, 2017, the European Commission published a set of proposals aimed at simplifying and modernizing the current VAT system. The "cornerstone" principles of the Commission's approach are:    Combating VAT fraud and reducing the €150 billion VAT Gap Establishing a "One Stop Shop" for cross-border trade Consistently applying the "destination principle" for VAT […]

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