Taxpayers who participate in 419A(f)(6) multiple employer plans like the Sea Nine VEBA are often very discouraged to find the IRS applying multiple penalties for the failure to file a form that they had no reason to know was required. The form, IRS Form 8886 is required for all taxpayers who participate in a listed transaction such as a multiple employer welfare benefit plan (or 419 plan). The following example illustrates the penalties that can apply.
Assume we have an S corporation taxpayer who deducted $100,000 to a multiple employer 419 VEBA for years 2008, 2009 and 2010. The IRS audits the taxpayer and disallows the $100,000 deduction. In most cases, the IRS will provide for the adjustment at the individual 1040 level and other than some interest, the taxpayer will be in a position similar to if the transaction had not occurred. If, however, the taxpayer was not told to file Form 8886 for every year of participation and in fact did not file, the IRS asserts the following additional penalties:
- A $10,000 penalty at the S Corporation level for years 2008 – 2010 for the failure to file Form 8886. Total Penalty = $30,000. See Code Section 6707A.
- A penalty at the individual level of 75% of the tax benefit for years 2008-2010 for the failure to file Form 8886. This translates into a penalty of $26,250 for each year. Total Penalty = $78,750. See Code Section 6707A.
- An accuracy related penalty of 30% of the income tax adjustment for years 2008-2010. The worst part of this penalty is that if the taxpayer exercised due diligence and relied on an outside advisor, this penalty would normally be 20% of the tax and could be waived. However, because the Form 8886 was not filed, the penalty is 30% and cannot be waived. Total Penalty = $31,500. See Code Section 6662A.
- Grand Total of all Penalties = $140,250 (nearly 50% of the total investment)!
Lance Wallach, CLU, ChFC, CIMC, the National Society of Accountants Speaker of the Year, consults on insurance, estate planning, retirement abusive tax shelters and employee benefit plans etc.
ReplyDeleteLance Wallach advised thousands of high-income clients including hundreds of famous entertainers and athletes about captive insurance, 419, 412i section 79 and other abusive tax shelters. Lance also counseled famous Wall Street luminaries such as Hugh Downs and Louis Rukeyser, the host of 2 long-running programs Wall Street Week with Louis Rukeyser & Louis Rukeyser’s Wall Street.
Speaker at over 50 annual conventions and author for more than 500 publications on tax reduction ideas, abusive welfare benefit and retirement plans, captive insurance companies, cash balance plans, life settlements, premium finance, and more. He is a course developer and instructor for Continuing Professional Education courses administered by American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Lance is a prolific author, having written or collaborated on numerous books, including 'The CPA Guide to Life Insurance', published by BISK Education, 'The Team Approach to Tax and Financial Planning', published by the American Institute of CPA s, and most recently 'Protecting Clients from Fraud, Incompetence, and Scams', published by Wiley. He has been hired as an expert witness on some issues of which he speaks about, and to this day, Lance Wallach has never lost a case.
Lance Wallach has appeared on radio and TV financial programs, most recently, on National Public Radio and NBC 25. Lance consults on abusive tax shelters like 412i,419, section 79, captive insurance and VEBA Plans.
Additionally, Lance Wallach's expertise is sought after by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, U.S. Department of Labor, the Enforcement Unit of the IRS The State Inusrance Dept etc.
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