ACC 6043: Tax Research (Smith)

Federal tax law begins with the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), enacted by Congress in Title 26 of the United States Code (26 U.S.C.). It is amended from time to time.

Commonly referred to as Federal tax regulations - issued by the Department of Treasury to pick up where the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) leaves off by providing the official interpretation of the IRC by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Court decisions deal with substantive tax matters usually where there is a dispute between the IRS and the taxpayer regarding the code. This is often an area that has not been addressed by the courts. TCM are available in CCH IntelliConnect, and RIA Checkpoint.

Revenue Rulings are public administrative rulings by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that apply the law to particular factual situations or refer to issues not adequately addressed by the code, regulations, or case law. A revenue ruling can be relied upon as precedent by all taxpayers. Revenue rulings are published in the Internal Revenue Bulletin (IRB) which is available in CCH IntelliConnect, and RIA Checkpoint.

The Internal Revenue Bulletin (IRB) is the authoritative instrument for announcing official rulings and procedures of the IRS and for publishing Treasury Decisions, Executive Orders, Tax Conventions, legislation, court decisions, and other items of general interest.