Tuesday, April 09, 2024

Nina Olson Has Devoted Her Career to Protecting Taxpayer Rights:

A Freshfields (prominent law firm) former tax partner who gave legal advice for clients to exploit an abusive tax shelter (aka bullshit tax shelter) was sentenced to 3 ½ years incarceration for his role. . .

“Paying [a tax] once but reclaiming [it] twice just does not work,” he said, and that “a halfway talented elementary school pupil” was able to understand that concept.

Law Firm Tax Partner Sentenced in Germany to 3 1/2 Years for Fraudulent Tax Shelters


NY Times: Tax Lawyers At Top Accounting Firms Cycle In And Out Of Top Treasury Posts And Reap Huge Reward For Their Clients And Themselves





Nina Olson has been a staunch advocate for taxpayers for more than 30 years.

In her latest of several significant endeavors, she founded and serves as executive director of the Center for Taxpayer Rights, a nonprofit corporation in Washington, D.C., that advances taxpayer rights in the United States and internationally.

As part of her work, she promotes pro bono representation for low-income taxpayers who are involved in disputes with the Internal Revenue Service. She calls for systemic change by submitting amicus curiae briefs in federal and state tax cases and by educating government officials and the public about tax procedure and taxpayer rights.

Olson, a longtime member of the ABA Section of Taxation and past chair of its Low Income Taxpayers Committee, also works closely with her colleagues to implement initiatives that help taxpayers in need.

The Inmate Tax Assistance Project, a collaboration between the Tax Section and Center for Taxpayer Rights, assists incarcerated and recently released taxpayers who are eligible for stimulus payments. Olson says they still want pro bono volunteers for this phase and for later representation, which could include handling audits or Tax Court proceedings.

“It was the ABA Tax Section that provided me opportunities to meet people, to learn things, to work on projects,” says Olson, who received its Distinguished Service Award in 2017 and Janet Spragens Pro Bono Award in 2019. “It’s extraordinary, their leadership on pro bono work and low-income issues, and it’s made the tax system so much more equitable.”

ABA Journal, Nina Olson Has Devoted Her Career to Protecting Taxpayer Rights:


 Researchers find WWI and WWII bombs in the ground are becoming more volatile Phys.org


ATO warning taxpayers over myGov ‘direct refund’ scam email


The rise of financial sovereignty — and why some Australians believe they don't have to pay tax


Highly speculative take on Russia and the Havana Syndrome.  I have long believed that Havana Syndrome is real, though I cannot vouch for this particular account