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COVID-19 has left employee workforces separated from their country of assignment.  To continue operations, employers transitioned employees to work-from-home or other virtual work arrangements.  Globally, tax authorities are considering how to address unintended corporate and individual tax consequences of displaced individuals physically present within a particular jurisdiction and those who are also performing business activities

On Thursday, April 6, 2018, federal and state officials arrested approximately 97 workers at a meat-processing facility in Tennessee.  The charges faced by the individuals primarily relate to immigration-related offenses.

Media reports noted that the federal affidavit submitted in connection with the raid stated that the facility was targeted as a result of an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) criminal investigation related to whether the company had been filing false tax returns and avoiding payment of payroll tax.  The company’s bank reported repeated large cash withdrawals to the IRS, which prompted the investigation.  The IRS contends the funds were used to pay undocumented workers.Continue Reading ICE Collaboration with IRS a Signal of Intra-Agency Cooperation Across Contexts