Fiscal Cliff Tax Relief Passed
January 2, 2013 by MDOPKIN After intense negotiations lawmakers passed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (the “Act”) by a vote of 257 to 167. Many disgruntled Republican lawmakers sought to amend the tax-cut measure to also include a package of...
Medicare Basics, Part 1
December 18, 2012 by MDOPKIN Medicare is the federally funded and federally administered program that pays for doctor visits, outpatient care, hospital care and prescription drugs for people over the age of 65. It also covers people under 65 who have disabilities and...
Philadelphia Releases Payroll Service Instructions
August 16, 2012 by MDOPKIN The Philadelphia Department of Revenue released updated payroll service instructions. The instructions provide payroll services with the information necessary to timely and correctly process wage tax payments. The instructions also...
Obamacare Survives U.S. Supreme Court
July 13, 2012 by MDOPKIN On June 28, 2012, the United State Supreme Court upheld most of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, also known as “Obamacare”, in a 5-4 decision. The key provision of this act, the “individual mandate,” that...
Changes to PA Tax Appeals Process
July 13, 2012 by MDOPKIN Assessments No Longer Mailed Certified. The Department of Revenue is no longer required to send assessments via certified mail. While the use of certified mail had originally been proposed by the Department, it appears that...
Judge Orders NJ To Refund Madoff Victim’s Estate Tax
July 13, 2012 by MDOPKIN The recent decision of the New Jersey Tax Court in the Estate of Theodore Warshaw v. Director, Division of Taxation, No. 4000-2009, may be a significant pro taxpayer decision. At issue in the Warshaw was the value of...
Pennsylvania and New Jersey Business Organization Basics – Corporations
July 10, 2012 by MDOPKIN If you are looking to start a business or want to know your business organization options for an existing business, you should seek counsel from an experienced business and tax lawyer. You have many business entity options...
Window of Opportunity for Gift Tax and Estate Planning
July 3, 2012 by MDOPKIN If you are seeking to leverage your wealth and distribute as much as possible to your children (or grandchildren), then you may have a limited opportunity to capitalize on that desire. As you may know, when 2010 began, the cap for...
New Jersey Legislature Passes FY 2013 Budget and Delays Tax Cuts
June 29, 2012 by MDOPKIN On June 25, 2012, the New Jersey Legislature passed the 2013 fiscal year budget. The $31.7 billion state budget includes many of the provisions originally proposed by Gov. Chris Christie but it excludes a 10% cut in the personal...
Highlights of 2012 Pennsylvania Tax Changes
June 26, 2012 by MDOPKIN As the 2011 filing season is now behind us, here is a summary of some relevant Pennsylvania Tax changes that may impact your returns for 2012. This is not an all inclusive list and will focus on those changes I feel will...