A recent opinion in the ongoing litigation in the case of Clair R. Couturier makes a really important point about the distinction between a penalty and a tax. We will get to that, but I would also like to discuss the larger story of the case as I struggle with what the lesson is. I thought this case might be a good illustration of Reilly’s Second Law of Tax Planning – Sometimes it’s better to just pay the taxes – but I’m not 100 percent sure, so I will let you be the judge.

Summertime Marketing in Your Tax & Accounting Firm
Tax season is prosperous, summer is dry until extension season. Do you find yourself in that cycle? Clients are “easy” to get during tax season when taxes are top of mind. Then the direct deposits go dry by June, and you are looking for what’s next. Stop the search, you don’t have to add another service. You need better marketing to highlight the service that you offer and specialize in. This will allow you to have a predictable client pipeline. You can do tax preparation, planning, and or representation all year long.