Peterborough tax preparer under injunction

The name of a Peterborough tax return preparer has been added to the growing list of tax professionals served with a federal court injunction in the past five years.

Mark G. Loll of Tax-Tactics in Peterborough was ordered to “stop preparing frivolous income tax returns and to comply with future IRS requests that he provide his customer list or copies of returns he has prepared,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Loll’s alleged failure to comply with an IRS request to provide copies of customers’ tax returns or a list of customers’ identifying information led to a complaint filing in December 2005.

According to a statement issued by the U.S. Justice Department, Loll did turn over his customer information after the lawsuit was filed. Under the court order, Loll is required to continue to turn over information when asked by the IRS. Violation of this mandate may result in criminal contempt charges.

The injunction also prohibits Loll from “asserting unrealistic or frivolous positions on tax returns he prepares.”

“Federal laws require tax preparers to keep customer information and to provide it to the IRS on request,” said Eileen J. O’Connor, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Tax Division. “The Department of Justice will take the action required to ensure that preparers comply with these laws.”

Loll is among more than 160 federal tax preparers and promoters who have been served with similar injunctions since 2001 as part of a government crackdown on tax professionals who fail to comply with their federal-law obligation to turn over customer information to the IRS on demand. – TRACIE STONE