Taxes Articles & News
Estate Taxes It Pays to Plan Ahead
Estate taxes. It’s not enough to simply know they exist, and to know strategies to minimize them. When it comes down to it, you need to plan how you and your family will eventually pay them.
1031 Exchange Rules and Requirements
Following is a reproduction of the IRS's rules and requirements for 1031 tax deferred exchanges with regards to real property. If you have any questions regarding the sale of your real property or questions about what qualifies for a 1031 exchange or not, please consult your tax professional.
Access to E records by Taxing Authorities: A Case for Pakistan (Part II)
All tax authorities to e-commerce transactions should investigate the record retention requirements of each other’s respective jurisdictions.
Access to E records by Taxing Authorities: A Case for Pakistan (Part I)
Background issues of access to records To assess the records at hosted remote retained out of the jurisdiction of Pakistan root many legal issues which are needed to be addressed. Hereinafter there is description of the emerging legal issue of access to e-records. Lack of statutory provisions for access to electronic data at remote Server The access to record in electronic data is one of most difficult issue where record has been kept in remote hosting place which ...
A Taxing Investment
April 15 - The most dreaded day of the year is right around the corner. Are you ready? Some of the most neglected (and misunderstood) tax issues are those related to your investments. If you invest with taxes in mind, you can avoid a nasty surprise when Uncle Sam comes to collect.
Are You Overpaying Taxes If You Use Tax Preparation Software?
For many business owners the answer to this quandary is tax preparation software. Fill out a fairly simple interview, click “print” and out comes a completed return that will pass muster with the IRS. The answer to all your problems…or is it?
Small Business Tax Credit Americans with Disabilities Act
Many small businesses complain when confronted with the expense of complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Most do not realize that there are a number of tax incentives available to offset the costs. Importantly, one tax incentive comes in the form of a tax credit, which is far more valuable than a tax deduction when it comes to creating tax savings.
Donating Cars To Charity New Tax Rules
On June 3, 2005, the IRS released guidance on charitable deductions for donated vehicles. The American Jobs Creation Act (AJCA) radically changed the amount of the deduction taxpayers can claim for their donated car.
Section 179 – Tax Relief From Depreciation Rules
“Depreciation.” For business owners, this word is the one most likely to inspire headaches and fits of cussing. The expanded provisions of Section 179 are just the medicine you need to cure the depreciation blues.
IRS Reports Tax Gap of $300 Billion
The Internal Revenue Service is reporting that the difference between what U.S. taxpayers owe and actually pay on time totals more than $300 billion a year. Studying over 46,000 tax returns for individuals revealed the tax gap. These results indicate a failure of 15 to 16 percent of individual tax payers to fully pay their taxes. IRS enforcement activities recovered roughly $55 billion of that total gap, leaving a net tax gap of $257 billion to $298 billion.
Rental Property Tax Deductions
Own residential rental properties? This article discusses how income from those properties impacts your taxes.
Deducting Points On Home Refinances
Deduction of Refinance Points Any points that you pay in the refinancing of your residence are tax deductible over the length of the loan in question. The deduction is allowable only if the residence is your primary home and the new mortgage replaces a previous one and/or is used to improve the residence. To the extent that money is taken out to pay off credit cards and non-residence costs, the points may not be used as a tax deduction. Big Deductions By Refinancing ...
Truly Bizarre Taxes: The Tax on Illegal Drugs
One can never underestimate the enthusiasm that politicians have for trying to hunt up tax revenues. The creativity of some politicians can lead to bizarre taxes and unfortunate results.
Understanding Marketing Tax Deductions
Marketing is a necessary expense in running practically any business and the IRS acknowledges as much. You may run advertisements on or in the Internet, radio, television, magazines, newspapers and other media to sell your products or services. You should be deducting all of the associated costs on your tax returns.
Tax Deduction for Alimony Payments? Yes!
Over 50% of marriages end in divorce in the United States. Many divorce decrees include provisions for the payment of alimony. The IRS takes the position that such payments constitute a form of income and create an alimony tax deduction for the person making payments.
Income Tax Returns Your Accountant Should Not File
You've been feeling uneasy (perhaps even guilty) because you've failed to report your under the table business income. Perhaps you've never filed a tax return, even though you know you owe money. Finally, you contact an accountant to resolve the situation.
Employment Taxes – What Are They?
If you have employees, you are responsible for paying a variety of taxes at the federal, state, and local levels. You must also withhold certain taxes from the paychecks of your employees. So, what are employment taxes?
Slash Tax when Buying a Business
When buying a business, how the "purchase price" is made up can affect what you pay in tax. The plan is to make as much of the price tax deductible for you and not the other party.
Identity Theft – Impacting Your Taxes?
If your identity is stolen, your finances can quickly become a nightmare. A less obvious problem is the effect identity theft can have on your taxes.
2005 Ford Escape Hybrid Certified For Clean Fuel Deduction
If you are environmentally conscious and purchase a 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid vehicle that combines a gasoline-powered engine with alternative power methods, you are in line for a nice tax deduction.
Correspondence From The IRS – Yikes!
It’s a moment every person dreads. You pick up the mail and there is an envelope from the IRS. It’s not a refund check. What do you do?
Small Business Tax Deduction Write Off Bad Debts
Practically every small business has receivables that it cannot obtain from clients. If your small business doesn't have any such receivables, consider yourself lucky. For those small businesses that suffer from uncollected receivables, solace can be taken from the fact you can claim a tax deduction.
Corporations Failing To Claim AMT Exemption Overpay Taxes By $11,000
Does your incorporated business pay alternative minimum tax [“AMT]? If so, there is a 93% chance you have been overpaying your taxes by an average of $11,000 a year according to the Treasury Inspector General.
Tax Investigation What You Need To Do
The knock on the door from a Tax Inspector is something that every taxpayer fears. Your immediate thoughts will be “Have I been honest with my tax returns or not”. So what do you do? First, don’t panic. Second, sit down and work out your next steps so you can win any tax investigation.
Small Business Tax Issues for Self Employed Individuals
The United States is a nation of entrepreneurs. There are literally tens of millions of self-employed individuals that enjoy pursuing their dream business. Of course, few of you enjoy the paperwork and confusing tax issues that arise from owning your own business.
SFR Substitute for Returns: IRS Action on Non Filers
In the latest Star Wars episode, the evil empire executes a brutal revenge on the Jedi. While the IRS is not an evil empire (and due to the Revenue Reform Act of 1998 not very brutal anymore); it too is executing revenge on those who do not comply with filing their tax returns.
10 Tax Tips to Reduce Costs and Increase Income
No one likes paying tax. Everyone understands that tax is a necessary evil and that without it our government would not be able to afford our roads, health services, education, welfare system etc. However you are not obliged to pay more tax than that for which you are legally liable.
Highlights of IRS List of 2005 Tax Scams
Each year, the IRS lists various scams taxpayers get caught up in. The top 2005 scams include several that manipulate laws governing charitable groups, abuse credit counseling services or rely on refuted arguments to claim tax exemptions. The agency is warning taxpayers about the growth of identity theft schemes with some particularly bold thieves even pretending to be IRS agents.
What is a Federal Tax Lien?
A Federal Tax Lien (FTL) is a legal instrument that secures the claim of the United States in the right, title, and interest of a debtor taxpayer's assets. It is a public document and is recorded at the County Clerk's office or the Secretary of State, depending on local law. This is done to serve notice on all creditors or other interested parties of the government's claim.
How Likely Are You To Be Audited?
Statistics for Individuals Unfortunately, the IRS increased its rate of auditing individuals in 2003 when compared to 2002. The increase was approximately 14%, but still constituted only 6.5 audits for every 1,000 taxpayers. Put another way, the risk of being audited on your personal return is less than 1 in 100. In regard to the above numbers, it is important to note that the IRS pursued a large number of “correspondence audits” instead of face–to–face meetings. As the name ...
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