IRS Starts Team on
Easement Abuses

Courtesy of SmartPros.com

June 10, 2005 (washingtonpost.com) — The Internal Revenue Service has established a team dedicated to tracking down abusive tax breaks claimed through conservation easements.

The team is searching for patterns of abuse and for individuals who promote tax schemes related to land conservation, according to Steven T. Miller, the IRS commissioner for tax-exempt entities.

The hearing focused on a range of concerns. Many involved the Nature Conservancy, the world's largest environmental group and the subject of a two-year investigation by the committee's staff. Others centered on individuals and smaller charities that allegedly manipulate conservation laws to generate large tax deductions.

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