THE EAST COAST ESTATE PLANNING COUNCIL

East Coast Estate Planning Council May 10, 2016 Dinner Meeting

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse 5:30 pm Cocktails, Dinner 6:15 pm

Thank you to our Silver Sponsor:

**Notice of Annual Meeting**

HARRIS L. BONNETTE, JR. is a shareholder in the law firm of Fisher, Tousey, Leas & Ball in Jacksonville, Florida.  His undergraduate degree is from the University of Florida.  He earned his law degree from the University of Miami, and he has a master of laws degree from Washington University in St. Louis.  Mr. Bonnette is a Florida Bar Board Certified Tax Lawyer, and is the immediate past chair of the Florida Bar’s Tax Certification Committee.  He is the treasurer for the Tax Section of the Florida Bar and is a liaison between the Tax Section and Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar.  Mr. Bonnette practices in all areas of Federal tax controversies and all trust and estate disputes.  After earning his LL.M. degree, he became an attorney with the Internal Revenue Service’s Chief Counsel’s Office from 1990 to 1995, first in Austin, Texas and then in Jacksonville, Florida.

Outline of Discussion:

1. Exhaust all administrative remedies                
2. Know time remaining on statute of limitations and what events extend those time lines     
3. Use the appropriate method to send information to the IRS
4. Be aware of available settlement “initiatives” and take advantage of them
5. When being audited, present all documentary evidence to agent
6.  Do not assume your client’s business is timely making Federal Tax Deposits      
7. Avoid the IRS Collection Division whenever possible
8. What to do when visited by IRS Special Agent with Criminal Investigation Division
9. A Federal tax lien may not be the end of the world

  Agreeing to give the IRS more time to audit may not be a bad thing.