Wall Street Journal: John McManus on State Tax Audits


Wall Street Journal’s SmartMoney article, “Why State Tax Audits Are Increasing” features John McManus:

When most people picture a painful tax audit, it’s the Internal Revenue Service they see behind it. But a state tax man is just as likely to knock on the door these days.

[ … ]

While audits seem to be proliferating, “they aren’t necessarily prevailing,” according to John O. McManus, an estate lawyer based in New Jersey. Taxpayers may be able to prove their returns were accurate and their strategies valid.

New Jersey is looking closely at certain kinds of small business, including pizzerias, doctors’ and lawyers’ practices. Along with others, it also looks at people who move to states with lower tax rates such as, say, Pennsylvania. California pays close attention to New York- and New Jersey-based companies with business on the West Coast, according to McManus.

Read the rest here.