Are cryptocurrencies currency or property? The US Treasury can't decide.

Are cryptocurrencies currency or property? The US Treasury can't decide.

Are cryptocurrencies property or currency? It’s a great question – I wish that I was able to give you clear guidance on what the United States government considers it to be. But, I can’t – and I’m a Tax Attorney. It’s not that I don’t know what the rules are. I know the rules better than most. But, I am hit with an immediate conflict that i want to share with you. That’s legal term – virtual currency. I’m throwing that term out to you for a reason. That’s a term that FinCEN (Financial Crimes Enforcement network, a division of the US Treasury) calls cryptos. Why? So that it can apply the rules of the Bank Secrecy Act to cryptocurrency. If it were to be property, the argument would that the BSA could not apply and FinCEN would be powerless to regulate. Now, consider this -- the Bank Secrecy Act was written by Congress in 1970 – requiring financial institutions in the United States to assist U.S. government agencies to detect and prevent money laundering. Bitcoin was created in 2008. So, FinCEN is using 48-year-old legislation to regulate a modern technology – to regulate cryptocurrency exchanges like banks. Even though cryptos are not banks. Not at all. Now The IRS – another division within the United States Treasury – has announced that it considers virtual currency as property. So for purposes of regulating transactions under the BSA, the government considers cryptocurrency to be currency. But, on the other hand crypto currency is to be viewed as property for federal tax purposes and applies tax principles applicable to property transactions. In other words, the IRS wants to be sure is doesn’t miss out on crypto gains it could tax and FinCEN wants to regulate cryptos, hence we are left with conflicting rules. The way that the regulation is currently imposed has caused cryptocurrency to lose the utility that it was originally intended to have. I don’t want to get into whether this is a good or bad thing. But, because most of the exchanges are in compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act – the original utility of anonymity has been destroyed. Maybe you’re ok with that – maybe you’re not. But, it’s irrefutable that the tax policy is designed to discourage the use of virtual currency from being used as it as originally intended – as currency. In order to be in compliance, the cryptocurrency user has to report every transaction he makes. In other words, the cryptocurrency user can’t walk into a cool hipster coffee shop and use cryptocurrency to buy a cup of coffee without having to calculate the capital gain or loss on the transaction. Now, this at first may seem like a minor inconvenience. But, in order to do this accurately the user needs to be able to specify the particular units of bitcoin to be used in the transaction – not exactly as practical as handing cash over the counter to the barista. It’s no wonder that certain studies report that 59% of Americans don’t report appropriate cryptocurrency-based capital gains to the IRS. I have a feeling that figure is much much higher. As of right now, in 2018, the government is applying a limited regulatory structure to cryptocurrency. Nonetheless, the government is applying an antiquated regulatory structure to cryptocurrency. It’s to be expected. The folks working within the United States Treasury are dealing with a new technology neither the BSA or the Income tax ever contemplated. Of course they are not going to be about to come up with a cohesive rule. In their defense, even the most astute regulators didn’t expect the rapid increase in the valuation of cryptocurrencies. Nor did they expect Wall Street to express such interest in investing and speculating on cryptocurrencies. So now it’s the duty of the people in the communities surrounding cryptocurrency to make their opinions known about what to do about the regulatory puzzle surrounding cryptocurrency. For regulatory purposes, should cryptocurrency be viewed as currency or property? Now confusing matters is that all currency is technically property but not all property is currency. But how should a regulatory framework be designed for cryptocurrency? Should government have any involvement at all? What should we do about the current conflicting interpretations by FinCEN and the IRS? Parent & Parent LLP 144 South Main Street Wallingford, CT 06492 (203) 269-6699 info@irsmedic.com https://youtu.be/sBj4Hqy0XQE IRS Medic

Can you cheat the FBAR? What happens if you don't file?

Can you cheat the FBAR? What happens if you don't file?

Here are some things you really should know before you decide NOT to file an FBAR. The FBAR is the Report of Foreign Bank Accounts. FBAR is also known as FinCEN Form 114. A person or entity is required to file an FBAR if they have a financial interest in or signature authority over at least one type of foreign financial account that exceeds an aggregate value of $10,000 at any time during the year. FBAR reporting is not limited to foreign bank accounts. Pensions, life insurance policies, and accounts that earn no money have to be reported. The FBAR form is a complicated form and is viewed by some as an invasion of privacy. Some clients ask whether they can get away with not filing an FBAR form. I advise those clients that FBAR penalties are steep and willful non-compliance is illegal. Therefore, to avoid legal consequences, I advise filing an FBAR form. There are six things to be aware of before not filing an FBAR. If you ever filed an FBAR, you are now in the FinCEN database. Once you are in a database, you can be tracked. People who don’t comply with the reporting obligation and don’t risk consequences are people who don’t get caught. The IRS only needs to catch you once. IRS tax examiners will ask a person about FBARs. If a person doesn’t answer honestly, he will face civil and criminal penalties. However, answering honestly will have consequences too. Failing to learn about foreign account reporting requirements can be evidence of “willful blindness.” See Internal Revenue Manual, 4.26.16.4.5.3, Paragraph 6. The DOJ also investigates people for criminal charges related to FBAR non-compliance. Criminal penalties for FBAR violations are frightening, including a fine of $250,000 and 5 years of imprisonment. If the FBAR violation occurs while violating another law the penalties are increased to $500,000 in fines and/or 10 years of imprisonment. People who have grievances against you are often very willing to offer testimony to the government. If you are not going to file an FBAR form, be confident that the people aware of your reporting obligation won’t offer testimony to the government. Income and assets can be attached to pay outstanding FBAR penalties. If you have no income or assets that can be attached, you may be able to avoid collection. However, in some jurisdictions, the IRS may be able to seize part of your spouse’s assets to pay your bill.   The statute of limitations for FBAR penalties is 6 years. However, after six years, the IRS may still be able to penalize you for other unfiled foreign reporting forms like Form 5471 or Form 8938. These penalties can be assessed for multiple years, and unlike FBARs, there is no statute of limitations on these types of penalties. A person’s best option is to file an FBAR correctly and get into a proper offshore disclosure plan. However, there are three things to consider that may take the sting away from this compliance regime:   The FBAR intel is low value to the government. By filing an FBAR, you’re merely bogging down government bureaucracy. There is no such thing as an FBAR initiated audit. No one looks at an FBAR unless a tax audit is initiated. Don’t think that filing an FBAR is a red flag to get you audited. If you are going to “come clean” with the IRS do it right or don’t do it at all. Lying to the IRS will make things worse. https://ift.tt/2kQWHfk Parent & Parent LLP 144 South Main Street Wallingford, CT 06492 (203) 269-6699 info@irsmedic.com https://ift.tt/1RfwK1f https://youtu.be/11rv3eh9f0k IRS Medic