alliantgroup is a national tax consulting services firm that works with CPA firms and their business clients to identify and claim available federal and state government-sponsored tax credits and incentives.[1][2]

alliantgroup
Company typeManagement & Tax Consulting
IndustryAccounting firm
Founded2002
FounderDhaval Jadav
HeadquartersHouston, TX, U.S.
Key people
Dhaval Jadav
(Chief Executive Officer)
Matthew Noll
(Chief Operating Officer)
Shane T. Frank
(Chief Risk Officer)
Sonny Grover
(Executive Vice President)
Jeremy Fingeret
(Senior Managing Director)
Lynn Hedlund
(Senior Managing Director)
Mark W. Everson
(Vice Chairman)
Steven T. Miller
(National Director of Tax)
Eric Hylton
(National Director of Compliance)
Kathy Petronchak
(Director of IRS Practice & Procedure)
Dean Zerbe
(National Managing Director)
Rick Lazio
(Senior Vice President)
Kit Bond
(Advisory Board)
ServicesEmployee Retention Credit;
Research & Development Tax Credit;
Energy Efficient Commercial Building Deduction - 179D;
Export incentives;
Hiring credits;
Government relations;
Risk advisory;
Cybersecurity;
CPA Tax;
Advisory and audit services;
Managed accounting services;
and Tax advisory services
Number of employees
600 (as of July 2021)
Websitealliantgroup

History

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alliantgroup was founded in 2002 by Dhaval Jadav[3][4] and Shane Frank. Prior to alliantgroup, Jadav was an employee of Deloitte & Touche [5] and the Internal Revenue Service. Frank is a former lawyer.[6] alliantgroup's founders noticed the lack of small and midsize businesses that were applying for the R&D tax credit that had been around since 1981, and began the firm in part to help more businesses take advantage of this type of credit.[7]

In 2014, alliantgroup moved its headquarters to a LEED Platinum certified building in Houston, Texas that was designed by Kirksey Architecture.[7] As of 2015, the company had over 600 employees in total. In 2016, roughly 460 employees were working at its Houston branch. The firm has employed people of varying roles and responsibilities including CPAs, engineers, chemists, biologists PhD's[7] and specialists in information technology.[8]

On June 19, 2012, Bloomberg published an article stating that two whistleblowers had filed a claim with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), alleging that alliantgroup had helped clients evade taxes. The claim was filed as part of the IRS's whistleblower program, in which informers could potentially earn a portion of the recovered funds if their claims are deemed to be true. In 2013, the IRS rejected the claim against alliantgroup.[9]

As of 2017, alliantgroup had branches in New York, Chicago, Irvine, Boston, Sacramento, Indianapolis, Orlando and Washington, D.C.[10]

Services

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alliantgroup assists companies in obtaining tax incentives for specific activities.[11] According to their website, their core services have included:[12]

  • Employee Retention Credit (ERC)[13]
  • Research and Development Tax credit[14]
  • Energy-efficient commercial building deduction - 179D [7]
  • Export incentives [15]
  • Hiring credits
  • Government relations and tax advisory services

Notable employees and board members

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alliantgroup directors and board members have included individuals whose backgrounds include former congressmen and women, IRS and business executives:[11]

  • Mark W. Everson joined alliantgroup as vice chairman after serving as Commissioner of the IRS under George W. Bush from 2003 to 2007.[16][17]
  • Prior to joining alliantgroup as national managing director, Dean Zerbe served as senior tax counsel for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee from 2001 to 2008.[18] Zerbe has been profiled on Keith Olbermann’s MSNBC show for his comments on Wyclef Jean’s Haitian relief fund.[19]
  • In 2010, alliantgroup announced that Jim Ramstad, former U.S. Congressman (Minnesota) would join the firm as a senior advisor.[20][21]
  • In August 2011, former U.S. Senator Kit Bond announced that he would be joining alliantgroup’s advisory board.[22]
  • In 2012, Bob Riley, former governor and U.S. Congressman (Alabama) joined alliantgroup as a director.[23][24][25]
  • In January 2014, it was announced that Steven T. Miller, former acting Commissioner of Internal Revenue would join alliantgroup as national director of tax issues. Miller resigned from the IRS in 2013.[26][27]
  • In May 2016, alliantgroup announced that former U.S. Congressman of New York, Rick Lazio was appointed as senior director of the firm.[28][29]
  • In June 2017, alliantgroup added former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns as a chairman of agriculture.[30]

Controversy

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In 2017 the University of Texas and University of Houston systems sued alliantgroup for racketeering. The suit alleged that Alliantgroup and an architectural firm hired by the universities, WHR Architects, Inc., conspired to reap more than $1.6 million in unauthorized tax benefits from the 2007 construction of the $5.5 million University of Houston Center, and the construction of an MD Anderson parking garage and a UT-Health Science Center project.[31] United States District Judge David Hittner dismissed all claims against alliantgroup writing in his opinion, "Plaintiffs fail to sufficiently allege a concrete, definite, and tangible injury..."[32] The University of Texas was also ordered to remit litigation costs to alliantgroup.

In May 2022, authorities from the IRS conducted an investigation at the building where alliantgroup is located.[33]

References

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  1. ^ "Founding Abeles and Hoffman P.C. Partner Joins alliantGroup's Strategic Advisory Board - AHCPA". AHCPA. 2016-01-25. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  2. ^ "Believing in the mission motivates the workforce". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  3. ^ "Dhaval Jadav, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) | alliantgroup". www.alliantgroup.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  4. ^ "Dhaval Jadav: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  5. ^ Jadav, Dean Zerbe, Dhaval (2013-06-03). "SICA Credits Encourage Jobs and Innovation -". CFO. Archived from the original on 2016-07-13. Retrieved 2017-08-24.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "Shane T. Frank - Chief Operating Office". www.alliantgroup.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  7. ^ a b c d "When building green works to your (tax) advantage". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  8. ^ "New grads should look for their first jobs in NYC, San Fran and D.C." Newsweek. 2017-05-11. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  9. ^ "Bloomberg - IRS Resists Whistle-Blowers Despite Wide U.S. Tax Gap". Archived from the original on 2015-09-29. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
  10. ^ "alliantgroup to Host Webinar on Tax Credits for SDLC Projects". Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  11. ^ a b "alliantgroup, LP: Private Company Information - Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  12. ^ "alliantgroup Services: R&D Tax Credit, 179D, IC-DISC". www.alliantgroup.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  13. ^ "ERC Payouts". Retrieved 2018-02-12.
  14. ^ "Congress made R&D tax credit permanent, but 30 years too late". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  15. ^ Zerbe, Dean. "IC-DISC: The Big Tax-Break for Exporters". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  16. ^ Nitti, Tony. "Former IRS Commissioner Mark Everson To Run For President. Yes, Of The United States". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  17. ^ "IRS Chief's Fate Foggy After Trump Victory". www.bna.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  18. ^ "What Mnuchin Should Expect From Senate Vetting: Tax Primer". www.bna.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  19. ^ "'Worse, Worser, Worst' segment". Countdown with Keith Olbermann. January 15, 2011. MSNBC. Archived from the original on 2010-01-23.
  20. ^ "Ramstad Joins alliantgroup". Accounting Today. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  21. ^ Scheck, Tom. "Ramstad announces his retirement from Congress". Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  22. ^ "Kit Bond joins alliantgroup as adviser". 25 August 2011.
  23. ^ "Alabama Department of Archives and History: Alabama Governors--Bob Riley". www.archives.alabama.gov. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  24. ^ "Bob Riley: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  25. ^ alliantgroup. "alliantgroup Continues Its Commitment to Strengthening the Economy by Adding Another Pro-business Champion, Former Alabama Governor Bob Riley". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  26. ^ Becker, Bernie (2014-01-09). "Ousted IRS head lands at tax firm". TheHill. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  27. ^ "Remarks of Steven T. Miller, IRS Deputy Commissioner, Service and Enforcement, Before the Tax Executives Institute, Mid-Year Conference". www.irs.gov. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  28. ^ "Long Island congressman to enter New York Senate race - July 26, 1999". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  29. ^ alliantgroup. "Former U.S. Congressman Rick Lazio Appointed alliantgroup Senior Director". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  30. ^ writer, Barbara Soderlin / World-Herald staff. "Former Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns tapped by tax consultant for his Washington experience". Omaha.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  31. ^ The UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM and the University of Houston System, Plaintiffs, v. ALLIANTGROUP LP and WHRA Merger Sub II Inc. n/k/a WHRA Architects Inc., Defendants., 400 F. Supp. 3d 610 (United States District Court, S.D. Texas, Houston Division. 2019).
  32. ^ "Univ. of Tex. Sys. v. Alliantgroup LP, 400 F. Supp. 3d 610 | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  33. ^ "IRS agents swarm Galleria-area office building". www.houstonchronicle.com. 2022-05-20. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
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