Civil FBAR Penalty Litigation: No Reprieve for Taxpayers

March 18, 2021  |  New York Law Journal

In the dozen years since the UBS Deferred Prosecution Agreement, the government has aggressively pursued taxpayers who maintained undisclosed offshore accounts. While over 56,000 taxpayers have cured their historical non-compliance through Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Programs or Initiatives offered by the IRS, approximately 100 have faced criminal investigation and prosecution, while others were subject to IRS audits, which carry the risk of substantial civil penalties. In this article, I explore recent decisions by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Bedrosian v. United States and the Fourth Circuit in United States v. Horowitz and conclude that these and other cases reflect judicial antagonism to taxpayers’ attempting to avoid or limit civil penalties.

Civil FBAR Penalty Litigation: No Reprieve for Taxpayers (pdf | 216.62 KB)