Sexism in the code; partner unity; third parties preparing returns; and other highlights from our favorite tax bloggers.

Taking advantage

• TaxProf Blog (http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/): The Tax Code picks winners and losers as it raises trillions of dollars for the federal government. It advantages unearned income over earned income. It advantages big, mortgaged homes over little, rented apartments. It advantages the richest of the rich over the merely rich. And, in many cases, it advantages men over women.
• Taxjar (http://blog.taxjar.com/): In e-commerce, managing back-end operations often slips through the cracks. When it comes to sales tax compliance, many e-commerce brands end up with a tacked-on solution that can leave them scrambling to keep up with industry regulations and technical requirements (not to mention evolving whims coming out of state capitals). The advantages of it not being this way.
• Boyum Barenscheer (https://myboyum.com/blog/): What to remind them about the plusses of 401(k)s.
• Canopy (https://www.canopytax.com/blog): The advantages of cloud computing for tax firms.

Billing me softly

• Tax Vox (https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox): Personal Foul Dept.: Recently the NCAA said college athletes could get paid for the commercial use of their likenesses or names. Then came the proposed bill requiring any students who benefit from the change to pay federal income tax on their college scholarships. Why this is wrong.
• Bloomberg Tax (https://pro.bloombergtax.com/news-insights/): Democratic leaders in the House and Senate say they’re worried President Trump won’t follow through on a proposal to ban many flavored e-cigarette products and that Congress should pass legislation accordingly.

Just say maybe

• Taxbuzz (https://www.taxbuzz.com/blog): What to remind them about will — especially post-Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
• Solutions For CPA Firm Leaders (http://ritakeller.com/blog/): When you were a kid and mom said no, did you seek out dad hoping for a better answer? This occurs in accounting firms. An employee wants to do something a certain way. The partner on the project says no, so the employee seeks out a different partner, perhaps one they work for more often, and whines about having to do the client project a certain way when they can do it faster “the old way.” The second partner, not wanting to get into a big discussion, just agrees. Bye-bye, partner unity.
• Income Tax School (http://www.theincometaxschool.com/blog/): From discipline to grace under pressure to familiarity with routine, why veterans make good preparers.
• Taxable Talk (http://www.taxabletalk.com/): Could you do a like-kind exchange for cryptocurrency prior to 2018? Turns out no, and sure don’t try it now.
• Procedurally Taxing (https://procedurallytaxing.com): In litigation, when must a third party produce a federal return that it possesses? This question has risen to the attention of national media in recent months, as litigants in multiple ongoing lawsuits currently seek President Trump’s returns. A look at the cases involved.
• Federal Tax Crimes (http://federaltaxcrimes.blogspot.com/): The IRS is reportedly looking to make criminal referrals in captive insurance cases. A look at the potential targets, including promoters and actuaries.