Are You Guilty of Tax Perjury on your US Tax Return?

INTERNAL REVENUE CODE SECTION 7206 SAYS:

Any person who -  

(1) Declarations under penalties of perjury (this is what you sign when you sign your form 1040 tax return on page 2)

Willfully makes and subscribes any return, statement, or other document, which contains or is verified by a written declaration that it is made under the penalties  of perjury, and which  he or she does not believe to be true and correct as to every material  matter...

   shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than    $100,000   ($500,000 in the case of a corporation), or imprisoned not more than 3 years, or       both, together    with the costs of prosecution.

   If you may have violated this tax law and want to discuss your exposure with an Attorney/CPA   under the protection of Attorney - client privilege email Don at ddnelson@gmail.com to set   up a consultation.

US Expats Can Still Vote for President - Here is How

The following US State Department site has all rules and forms to register to vote when you live abroad.  There is still time....over 500 days before the next Presidential election.

US State Department Link to Learn How to Vote Abroad

Arbitration Laws Are Great in Mexico and its Less Costly and Much Faster than the Mexican Court System

Mexico has  excellent arbitration laws.  If you live and work in Mexico, you should consider putting an arbitration clause in your next contract or agreement. Such a clause in the event of a dispute may save you untold amounts of legal fees and time.  It is a fact that in many parts of Mexico the courts are so backlogged that  can take 5 to 18 years to get a decision and during the entire period attorneys are charging additional fees.

If you have an arbitration clause in your agreement you can usually get a decision within 6 months to a year and have that arbitration decision entered with the court as a judgment very quickly.  It is also possible to remove legal disputes from the Mexican Courts and have them resolved with arbitration if both parties agree.  The parties may agree just so they both get a quicker decision and possibly a more knowledgeable decision.

When parties arbitrate they can pick the arbitrator with experience in the particular area of law governing the dispute. Often when disputes are litigated in Court, the judge has little or no background in the governing law and therefore the final decision can be arbitrary and not predictable.

Arbitration decisions in most situations cannot be appealed. But if you have chose a knowledgeable arbitrator (1 or 3 arbitrators can be used ), and it saves you waiting 5,10 or more years for a decision, that disadvantage may be worth ignoring

In lieu of arbitration of disputes, consider mediation.  When parties mediate a neutral mediator with experience in the applicable laws works with the two opposing parties to help them reach a mutually satisfactory resolution.  Statistics show that mediation has a 30 to 50 percent chance of success and it is significantly less expensive than arbitration or litigation in Court.

Want to know more about Arbitration or Mediation in Mexico?  Want the proper provisions included in your legal agreements and  wish to know how to arbitrate your legal dispute in Mexico?  To learn more email us at ddnelson@gmail.com.   Don D. Nelson, Attorney at Law, CPA.

DUE DATES OF CERTAIN IRS TAX FORMS CHANGED

The due date of Form 114 (FBAR) will now be April 15th following the end of each calendar year.

The due date of Form 1065 partnership returns is not March 15th for Calendar year partnerships

The due date of Corporate return form 1120 will not be April 15th for Calendar year corporations.

These changed due dates start after 2015.

Read more in this Forbes Article