Category Archives: Uncategorized

Attorney Bartkus to speak at Chamber Event

Attorney Bartkus will be a featured panel member of experts at the Whitehall Area Chamber of Commerce’s “How to Start a Business” series on Wednesday October 23rd, at the Ramada Inn, Whitehall from 5:30-7:30 pm. The four part series, held in partnership with the Small Business Development Center of Lehigh University, is focused on entrepreneurs in the region who are interested in opening their own business.

Mr. Bartkus will be present to answer participant questions on the legal and tax implications of various entity formations for a start-up business, in addition to liability concerns/precautions. For more information, please contact The Whitehall Chamber at (610) 432-4130 or visit www.whitehallchamber.org.

Forty Under 40 Award

On June 11th, Attorney Scott V. Bartkus was honored by the Lehigh Valley Business Journal as a recipient of the “Forty under 40” award. The ceremony was held at the Historic Hotel Bethlehem to honor 40 of the region’s most accomplished young leaders . Award recipients were selected and recognized for their commitment to business growth, professional excellence and community service. The honorees were also featured in a special supplement to the June 17th issue of Lehigh Valley Business. “It is an honor to just be nominated for such an award, let alone chosen as one of its recipients”, commented Mr. Bartkus. “I look forward to continually serving the legal and business needs of the Lehigh Valley and its citizens”.

Taxes and the Current Real Estate Market

On Tuesday, February 7th, from 6:30 to 9:30 pm, Attorney Bartkus will be serving on the landlord-tenant panel for the Lehigh Valley Wholesale Real Estate Investor Group, where he will be discussing tax implications of short sales, foreclosures and other events real estate owners are facing in today’s environment. It will be held at the offices of the Independent Planning Group, Coplay Road, Whitehall, PA.  Please contact  Garrett Rhoads at 610-462-4048 to register.

Asset Protection for Business Owners

On Wednesday, January 18, 2012, Attorney Scott Bartkus will be presenting “Asset Protection Basics for Business Owners” as part of the Whitehall Area Chamber of Commerce “Ask the Experts” series.  The lecture will run from 8:00-9:00 am and will be held at the Whitehall Township Public Library.  Reservations Required. Please e-mail the Chamber: exec@waccpa.org for more information.

Social Media and Your Business

Wednesday, Nov. 9th, from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm, at the Hotel Bethlehem, The Eastern Pennsylvania Business Journal will be hosting a panel discussion on the impacts of Social Media and your business. Attorney Bartkus will be one of the panelists fielding questions on the evolving legal aspects of Social Media.

Attorney Client Privledge with tax matters

The confidential privilege created by IRC section 7525 is not universal as it applies to tax professionals. It applies only in non-criminal tax cases. Code section 7525(a)(2). Thus, in any criminal case or investigation, the communications with NON-attorneys are not protected, even if the communications originated in a civil context. See Chief Counsel Advice Memo. 2000-08006. For this reason, if you are not working with an attorney but there may be potential or actual criminal exposure in your case, you need to know about the limitations of code section 7525. You should consider hiring a tax attorney to handle the potential (or actual) criminal aspects of the case. Once an attorney is brought into the case, the attorney/client privilege applies to all communications between the attorney and the client, without regard to the limitations of section 7525.

After You File Your Taxes

What Happens after I File? 
Now that the federal income tax filing deadline is in your rear-view mirror, what happens after you file? A lot of taxpayers have post tax-filing questions such as what records do I keep and more importantly, “Where’s my Refund?” The IRS has answers for you below. 
Refund Information You can go online to check the status of your 2010 refund 72 hours after IRS acknowledges receipt of your e-filed return, or 3 to 4 weeks after you mail a paper return. Be sure to have a copy of your 2010 tax return available because you will need to know your filing status, the first Social Security number shown on the return, and the exact whole-dollar amount of the refund. You have three options for checking on your refund:
  • Go to http://irs.gov/ and click on “Where’s My Refund”
  • Call 800-829-4477~24 hours a day, seven days a week, for automated refund information
  • Call 800-829-1954 during the hours shown in your tax form instructions
  • Use IRS2Go. If you have an Apple iPhone or iTouch or an Android device you can download an application to check the status of your refund.
What Records Should I Keep? Normally, tax records should be kept for three years, but some documents, such as records relating to a home purchase or sale, stock transactions, IRAs and business or rental property, should be kept longer. 

You should keep copies of tax returns you have filed and the tax forms package as part of your records. They may be helpful in amending already filed returns or preparing future returns. 

Change of Address If you move after you filed your return, send Form 8822, Change of Address, to the Internal Revenue Service. If you are expecting a paper refund check, you should also file a change of address with the U.S. Postal Service. 

What If I Made a Mistake? Errors may delay your refund or result in notices being sent to you. If you discover an error on your return, you can correct your return by filing an amended return using Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. 

Visit the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov/ for more information on refunds, record keeping, address changes and amended returns.