At the beginning of this series, I mentioned briefly that taxpayers can use tax-loss harvesting approaches in tandem with a number of investment strategies, which we will go into in more detail in Part III. Many of these...more
Taxpayers can take a tax deduction with respect to “theft” losses that result from an illegal “taking of property” done with criminal intent. Among various other types of criminal activities, fraud is treated as theft under...more
Losses Weren’t Always Bad- Most tax advisers are aware that, prior to the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (the “TRA”),[i] the Code placed few limitations on the ability of an individual taxpayer to use deductions from a particular...more
When taxpayers sell digital assets at a loss, their tax loss is quite straightforward. Their loss equals the amount that their tax basis exceeds the amount they received for the sale. This is not the only way for a taxpayer...more
The IRS wash-sale rule does not currently apply to cryptocurrency because the IRS considers virtual currencies to be property rather than securities. In general, a taxpayer who exchanges cryptocurrency for goods, services or...more
On January 13, 2023, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released a Chief Counsel Advice Memorandum (CCA 202302011) concluding that taxpayers cannot claim a deduction for cryptocurrency losses that have, absent a sale or other...more
Debacle- Understanding the etymology of a word often enables us to better understand or appreciate its use in contemporary speech. For example, the word “crypto” is derived from the Greek word “krypto,” which describes...more
Every now and then, some well-meaning colleague will ask how I spend my free time. I usually pause before responding – to gather my thoughts – which prompts them to restate their question with what they believe is greater...more