Miami Tax & Tech: Tax Efficiency in the United States

1. About us

Miami Tax & Tech is a U.S. tax advisory practice. We help individuals with substantial income or assets, entrepreneurs, and foreign investors reduce their U.S. tax burden.

We analyze each client’s overall financial situation—income, assets, business, investments, plans, willingness to make changes, and risk tolerance. Where appropriate, we consider changes to existing structures or new activities that may produce additional tax benefits.

2. Our clients

Our services may be useful if:

• You pay $100,000 or more in annual taxes on business income, employment income, or investments.
• You plan to start a business in the United States.
• You operate a business outside the U.S. and are entering the U.S. market—for example, selling goods or services to U.S. customers, including through online platforms.
• You have purchased or plan to purchase U.S. real estate for rental or business use.
• You are planning to move to the United States.
• You have received an IRS notice.
• You are facing a significant life or business event—a business or home sale, marriage or divorce, birth of a child, serious illness of an elderly relative, major investment, relocation, or similar event.
• You live in the U.S. and own assets abroad.
• You need to file a U.S. individual, business, or foreign-investment-related tax return.
• You conduct international business and want to discuss U.S. taxes with advisers familiar with cross-border matters involving Ukraine, China, Mexico, Canada, and other countries.
• You need basic bookkeeping, assistance forming a company, or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).
• You are an attorney, financial adviser, or investment adviser who needs support with a client’s U.S. or international tax issues.

3. Why Miami Tax & Tech

What sets us apart:

• Big Four experience in a boutique practice. Founder Oleg Shmal has over 25 years of tax experience, including leadership roles in tax authorities, KPMG, and PwC. He personally addresses clients’ key tax questions rather than delegating them to junior staff.
• Professional credentials. An IRS Enrolled Agent authorized to represent taxpayers before the IRS, an LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Florida, admission to the New York Bar, and membership in the American Society of Cost Segregation Professionals (ASCSP).
• International experience and connections. Cross-border tax project experience and a network of professionals in various countries engaged on a contractual basis.
• From concept to implementation. We help choose a tax strategy, coordinate its implementation, prepare supporting documentation, and reflect the results in tax filings, directly or with qualified specialists.

4. Our services

1. Tax planning

We identify opportunities to reduce taxes by considering the client’s income, business, investments, and future plans as a whole. If optimization of existing activities is limited, we assess new business activities, investments, and changes in income structure.

For scenario modeling, we use a leading specialized tax planning platform. It helps compare strategies and evaluate their combined impact. Final recommendations are based on professional analysis of the client’s particular circumstances.

• Tax modeling. We calculate alternative scenarios for the owner, family, and related entities, considering federal and state taxes, limitations, and costs. We show projected savings for each option and in combination.
• Business and owner-income optimization. We evaluate changes in business entity type, owner compensation, profit distributions, retirement and health plans, reimbursement of business expenses, and employment of family members. We develop a suitable combination of strategies to reduce taxes.
• Tax-advantaged investments. We combine potential tax benefits with investment returns. Rather than “exotic” arrangements, we consider real estate strategies (including cost segregation, discussed below) and securities investments.
• Major transactions and family wealth. We plan for the tax effects of business, real estate, and stock sales; ownership changes; divorce; and wealth transfers. We assess the exclusion of up to $500,000 of gain on a principal residence, qualified small business stock (QSBS) benefits, division of marital property, and intergenerational transfers.
• Retirement and multi-year planning. We model the timing of conversions from traditional retirement accounts to Roth IRAs to support tax-free future withdrawals where conditions are met. We compare multi-year scenarios to minimize total taxes, taking into account inflation and the time value of money.
• Deliverable: an integrated model, estimated tax savings, risk assessment, and action plan. On request, we support implementation and represent clients before the IRS (see IRS Disputes below).

2. Cost segregation of real estate (Cost Segregation)

Most tax benefits have limits on amounts or eligibility. Real estate investing is one of the few strategies available to private investors and business owners for which the potential tax benefit can grow with the investment. The investor also acquires a tangible asset that may generate income and appreciate.

How it works. Cost segregation identifies building components eligible for depreciation over 5, 7, or 15 years instead of the usual 27.5 years for residential rental property or 39 years for commercial property. Subject to applicable conditions, certain components may qualify for a 100% first-year deduction.

The benefit is not merely an earlier deduction. Taxes saved today may be put to use or reinvested immediately rather than waiting for deductions in later years. Considering inflation and the time value of money, this may create significant additional economic value. The strategy may also be applied to subsequent property acquisitions.

For an initial estimate, use the calculator on our website.

We work with a leading specialist firm conducting technical cost segregation studies. Founder Oleg Shmal is an associate member of the American Society of Cost Segregation Professionals (ASCSP).

• Preliminary assessment. We estimate potential tax savings and determine whether the client can use the deductions, considering passive-loss limitations, participation rules, and other requirements.
• Scope of support. Options range from initial analysis and recommendations for independent implementation to a full project involving tax strategy, coordination of the technical study, and implementation assistance.
• Technical study. We engage property and construction specialists, review plans, cost estimates, and individual component values, and document the basis for tax classification.
• Implementation and tax returns. We help implement the strategy, prepare supporting records, and report the results correctly on tax returns.

Deliverable: assessment of available deductions and actual tax savings, technically supported allocation of property costs, and an individualized tax deduction-utilization plan.

3. International business taxation and U.S. investment

We help foreign entrepreneurs and investors plan U.S. taxes throughout their investment lifecycle—from forming a business and selecting an ownership structure to earning profits, selling assets, and changing tax residence. We consider tax consequences in both the U.S. and the investor’s home country.

• Entering the U.S. market. We analyze sales of goods and services to U.S. customers, including e-commerce. We determine where tax and registration obligations arise and whether tax treaties offer benefits. We also assess state taxes and sales tax, whose rules vary among states and local jurisdictions.
• Investment structuring and company formation. We design ownership structures linking foreign investors to U.S. assets, comparing LLCs, corporations, partnerships, and direct ownership. We plan capital contributions, profit distributions, and repatriation. We assist with formation, tax classification, and necessary registrations.
• U.S. real estate for foreign investors. We plan taxes from acquisition through disposal, including ownership structures, financing, rental income, depreciation, FIRPTA withholding on sales by foreign owners, and possible U.S. estate tax exposure.
• Relocating to the United States. We plan for the start of U.S. tax residency and review foreign companies, funds, trusts, accounts, and investments in advance. We consider pre-arrival restructuring, worldwide-income taxation, reporting obligations, and ITIN applications where needed.
• Cross-border transactions and reporting. We analyze cross-border payments, related-party transactions, withholding, and tax treaty provisions. We identify foreign owners’ U.S. reporting obligations, including Form 5472, which may apply even when there are no sales.
• Review of existing structures. We examine ownership arrangements, tax characterization of income, withholding, and filings. We identify errors, potential corrections and penalty mitigation, and the tax consequences of restructuring.
• International project coordination. We coordinate tax issues with advisers, attorneys, and other transaction participants, engaging specialists from our international network when needed.

Deliverable: recommendations on business or investment structure, an assessment of U.S. tax consequences, and an action plan. We can assist with company formation, implementation, and tax filings.

4. Tax returns and international disclosures

We prepare and file federal and state tax returns for individuals, businesses, and foreign investors, taking into account business specifics, international transactions, and previously selected tax strategies.

• Individual and business tax returns. Forms 1040, 1040-NR, 1065, 1120, and 1120-S, and applicable state returns.
• International reporting. Forms 5471, 5472, 8865, 8858, 8621, 8938, 3520/3520-A, FBAR filings, and other required disclosures relating to foreign entities, accounts, investments, and trusts.
• Foreign owners of U.S. companies. We determine reporting requirements, including Form 5472 and related filings, and review owner and related-party transactions even without income or tax due.
• Correcting errors and missed filings. We prepare amended and delinquent returns, reconstruct missing information, assess penalties, and examine opportunities for reduction or abatement.
• Ongoing compliance. We calculate estimated payments, request filing extensions, and help track tax deadlines.

Deliverable: prepared and filed returns aligned with the chosen tax strategy and applicable IRS and state tax requirements.

5. Bookkeeping and tax-strategy support

We provide basic bookkeeping for small businesses, property owners, and foreign investors. Combining accounting and tax planning in one firm reduces adviser conflicts, helps record transactions correctly from the start, and preserves documentation supporting tax positions before the IRS.

• QuickBooks Online bookkeeping. We configure accounts, classify transactions, reconcile bank accounts, and maintain books monthly or quarterly. Where needed, we reconstruct prior periods.
• Payroll, automation, and sales tax. We help configure Gusto payroll and connect banks, Stripe, Shopify, and other platforms to QuickBooks. We automate income, fee, and expense recording, assess state sales-tax obligations, and coordinate required filings.
• Year-round tax monitoring. We track significant changes in income, expenses, and owner transactions to identify risks and tax-saving opportunities while corrective business actions are still possible.
• Flexible service. From quarterly books for a small business or single property to monthly support.

Deliverable: organized books, documented transactions, and tax-return-ready records aligned with the chosen tax strategy.

We provide services within our professional qualifications and do not perform financial statement audits or reviews or issue CPA audit opinions.

6. IRS examinations, penalties, and disputes

We help respond to IRS notices, contest assessments and penalties, address tax debt, and defend well-supported tax positions.

• IRS notices and correspondence. We review notices and demands, check calculations, draft responses and supporting documents, and correspond with the IRS on the client’s behalf when appropriate.
• Penalty relief. We assess grounds for penalty abatement or reduction, including reasonable cause, First Time Abate, and special procedures for late international filings.
• Delinquent returns and international reporting. We reconstruct prior-year filings and assess Streamlined Procedures and other methods of voluntary compliance and penalty-risk mitigation.
• Tax debt and collection. We help arrange installment agreements, consider offers in compromise, and address federal tax liens and levies.
• Audits and appeals. We assist with examinations, substantiate deductions and credits, prepare objections, and represent clients in IRS administrative appeals.
• Dispute prevention. We review supporting documentation for complex tax strategies in advance to reduce assessment and penalty risks.

Deliverable: assessment of tax risks and resolution options, a documented position, supporting materials, and IRS representation.

Representation is limited to the scope of authority of an Enrolled Agent. Court litigation and other legal services are not included in this section.