Tax Services
Tx 8030
What Are Tax Services?
• _________ sources that assist researchers to
efficiently locate _________ sources.
• Locating tax authority is the ___ step in the
process of conducting tax research.
Variety of Tax Services
• Broad __________
– CCH’s Standard Federal Tax Reporter
– RIA’s United States Tax Reporter
• Broad ________
– RIA’s Federal Tax Coordinator 2d
– BNA’s Tax Management
– West’s Mertens Law of Federal Income
Taxation
Variety of Tax Services (continued)
• Specialized
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Estate and gift
International
Inventories
Passive activities
Divorce
S corporations
Insurance companies
Using Tax Services: Four Steps
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Enter Compilation or Treatise
Read Relevant Materials
Check for New Developments
Shepardize
Step 1: Enter Compilation
or Treatise
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Key Word
Topical Spine Scan
Case or Ruling
Code Section
Key Word Method (Step 1)
• If electronically searching text, think about
the _______ ______ used.
• If using a key word index, think like the
editors…start with _________ _________.
Electronic Searches
Golden parachute
Vesting requirements
Subdivided real estate
Prizes and awards
Mid-quarter convention
Index Searches
Spine Scan Method (Step 1)
• Few words appear on spine
• Provides general, not ______, reference
– Scan spine to find volume
– Within volume, find tab card
– Search table of contents behind tab card
• Use when key word method fails
• Analogous to using ______ of __________
when searching electronic databases
Case or Ruling Method (Step 1)
• Must start with case or ruling
• Available with most tax services
• Electronic databases provide a _________
for these searches
– Case title
– Citation (an approach _____ _____ tax services
often do not permit)
Code Section Method (Step 1)
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If _________ service, check spine.
If ________ service, use Code index.
Electronic databases provide ___________.
This method is very efficient, but it does not
pinpoint specific cases and rulings.
• Learn _____ _________!
Step 2: Read Relevant Materials
• Annotated services are _______________
that pull together various __________
sources and provide limited
______________.
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Code
Committee reports
Regulations
Editorial explanation
____________
Step 2: Read Relevant Materials
• Topical services are _________ that provide
more interpretation and __________ than
annotated services.
– Editorial explanations
– Footnotes reference _________ sources
Step 3: New Developments
• Annotated Tax Services
– New ¶ numbers lead to:
• New matters or recent developments volume
• ___________ sheet volume
• Topical Tax Services
– RIA: Uses “evergreen” system
– BNA: ____ pages
– Mertens: Pastel sheets in front of volume
• Electronic databases automatically updated
Step 4: Shepardize
• Do not use the ____ citator.
• ____ citator is excellent.
– Hard copy on 1st floor of Pullen
– RIA CheckPoint
– LEXIS
Comparison and Contrast of
Broad Tax Services
• Scope
• Organization
• Special Features
Scope of Broad Tax Services
• Most cover federal:
– Income taxes
– Estate taxes
– Gift taxes
• ____ covers foreign taxation also.
• ________ only covers federal income tax.
Organization of Tax Services
• Annotated Tax Services
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Code
Committee reports
Regulations
Editorial explanation
Annotations
Organization (continued)
• RIA’s Federal Tax Coordinator 2d
– Index volumes
• Topic index
• Code and regulation finding tables
• Case and ruling finding tables
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__________
Proposed regulations
Current IRBs
Newsletter
Organization (continued)
• BNA’s Tax Management
– Portfolio index
– Portfolio series
• U.S. income taxes
• Estate, gift, and trusts
• _________ income taxes
– Each portfolio contains:
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___________ sheet
Table of contents
__________ analysis
_________ papers
Bibliography and references
Organization (continued)
• Mertens Law of Federal Income Taxation
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Index volumes
Code volumes
Code ___________ volumes
Regulation volumes
Ruling volumes
__________ volumes
Special Features of Tax Services
• Most have newsletters
• Most have CD-ROM and/or ____ versions
• RIA’s Federal Tax Coordinator 2d
– White ______ in black _______
– ___________ aids
– Claims to be “product of professional research,
not a ___________ of source materials”
Special Features (continued)
• BNA’s Tax Management
– Provides IRS _____ and ____ index, but not a
______ and ________ index
– “____ ___” portfolios that experts prepare
– Easy to throw in __________
– Caution: Portfolios leave ____
– Legal articles in three separate journals:
• Tax Management Memorandum
• Estates, Gifts, and Trusts Journal
• Tax Management International Journal
Special Features (continued)
• Mertens Law of Federal Income Taxation
– Covers only _______ tax law
– Designed by attorneys for attorneys (i.e.,
extensive ___________ discussions)
– Only tax service _______ frequently in court
– Only hard copy tax service providing _____
_____ of Revenue Rulings and Procedures