Novak Francella – Resources – Articles

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that was enacted late in 2017 made several changes to the tax laws affecting tax-exempt organizations, including a new Unrelated Business Taxable Income (“UBTI”) tax rate at a flat 21% for any UBTI over the $1,000 standard deduction.  Caution:  These changes will make some nonprofit organizations pay federal tax that have never been taxpayers in the past. Please follow this link for our client bulletin: Bulletin Please contact us for additional information

Gift cards offer businesses a convenient way to reward employees and thank customers. However, as the FBI recently warned, gift card scams specifically targeting companies are on the rise. Since January 2017, losses from such fraud schemes have surpassed $1 million. Here’s what you need to know to avoid being cheated. Anatomy of a scam Fraudsters use classic “spoofing” strategies to execute what law enforcement terms Business Internet Compromise (BIC) scams. They email or text an employee, claiming to be someone who can authorize gift card expenditures, such as the company’s CEO or HR director. Messages typically instruct the employee to purchase gift cards for the executive to give as gifts or to use for office expenses, such as holiday party supplies. The employee is told to send the gift card information, including card numbers and PINs, back to the “executive” (in reality, the scammer) who then cashes out the cards’ value. By the time the business catches on, it’s already