re: #400 ThomasLite

Interest on US back taxes is something around 3% IIRC. relatively punitive compared to current cost of financing, you could argue. Yes, that is automatic, rest assured.
fees for auditors are either included in fines or for the IRS to bear (“letting the costs fall where they may” seems to be a popular mantra in US procedural law. I wouldn’t know for certain, not an American).
Fines could be assessed but that depends somewhat on how reasonable the interpretation that doesn’t win out in the end is deemed to be, usually. There’s a difference between being wrong and acting in bad faith. Even fiscal law tends to leave some room for that, where appropriate. ;)

I mean, in the end I sort of hope for that on a personal level, because I do my best to act in good faith to the best of my interpretation of tax law and the fucking guidance paperwork which is clear as mud. (This is a privileged problem to have, as it typically means you have made money.)

On the other hand, for a massive corporation I assume less in the way of good faith because they are able to afford the accountants and the lawyers to minimize their payment (and presumably make decisions based on probabilities of enforcement, etc.).

I mean, when I am in doubt I tend to err on the side of the larger amount. I doubt the same is true for a corporation.