Article Category: Business Accounting

Research & Development Tax Credit

Posted on: November 10, 2015

Make Use of the Research and Development Tax Credit While big corporations like Boeing, Mattel, Caterpillar and Google are saving millions of dollars through the use of Research and Development tax credits, it is a tax saving opportunity that is often overlooked and underused by smaller businesses. In fact, research has shown that only about 5% of small and medium sized companies that are eligible for this tax advantage actually make use of it. What many of these companies fail to realize is that the Research and Development tax credit covers a broad range of improvements including making changes to … Click to Read More

The Best Vehicle Expense Method

Posted on: July 15, 2015

The Best Vehicle Expense Method Choosing the Best Vehicle Expense Method: Businesses generally have the option of choosing between one of two methods for documenting vehicle expenses and reporting them on their tax return. With the actual expense method, the business documents and reports all of a vehicle’s operating expenses including gas, oil, scheduled maintenance and repair.  In contrast, the standard mileage method involves deducting a set mileage amount for each mile a vehicle is driven. Although there are some restrictions on the use of the standard mileage method, most businesses have the option of selecting whichever vehicle expense method provides … Click to Read More

Small Business Tax Deductions

Posted on: April 22, 2015

Small Business Tax Deductions Being a small business owner has its challenges and rewards. Business tax deductions can be both. While many tax deductions are available to small businesses, it requires both knowledge and commitment on the part of the business owner or a business tax professional to keep up with what deductions are available and apply them to their maximum advantage. To do otherwise, automatically means that the business will be paying a larger tax bill than they would otherwise need to pay. Some of the common business tax deductions are discussed below. Office Supplies – The purchase of … Click to Read More

Cadillac Tax on the Horizon

Posted on: March 16, 2015

Cadillac Tax on the Horizon Beginning in 2018, employers who offer their employees health insurance coverage that costs in excess of a certain dollar amount will be required to pay a 40% tax on the costs associated with providing the plans. Currently there is no ceiling on the tax deductible amount employers can claim for providing health insurance for their employees. This will continue up until January 1, 2018 when the new tax is instituted. This proposed tax is appropriately named the “Cadillac tax” because it targets only high end policies, individual plans that cost more than $10,200 per year … Click to Read More

IRS – Opening Date for Tax Season 2015

Posted on: January 5, 2015

IRS – Opening Date for Tax Season 2015 – In spite of the fact that the tax extenders bill, a major piece of tax legislation, was passed just weeks before the end of the year, the Internal Revenue Service has announced that there will be no delay to the opening of the 2015 tax season. The official opening date for individual returns has been set as Tuesday, January 20th, 2015 which is actually 10 or 11 days earlier than that of previous years. In addition, rather than a tiered opening, the new legislation allows taxpayers who are submitting paper returns … Click to Read More

Audit-Proof your Small Business Tax Return

Posted on: October 27, 2014

Audit-Proof your Small Business Tax Return Audit-Proof your Small Business Tax Return – Although there is no way for a small business to avoid an IRS audit with absolute certainty, there are some steps that can be taken to minimize the chances of being selected. In addition to being one of the categories targeted for audit by the IRS, there are certain conditions that make the chances of a small business being selected for an audit more likely. Because business tax law is so complex, it may be advisable for a small business owner to consult with a business tax … Click to Read More

Are Business Taxes Too High?

Posted on: September 30, 2014

Are Business Taxes Too High? Are Business Taxes Too High? The debate continues between those who think that the United States corporate tax rate is too high and those who think that it is in line with the average corporate tax rate for other countries. Although it is unlikely that a major tax reform bill will be introduced before the November elections, many believe that one is on the horizon soon after that. Many business leaders and politicians believe that lowering the corporate tax rate is necessary in order to make the United States more attractive to business. Others oppose … Click to Read More

Important – Net Operating Loss Deduction!

Posted on: September 11, 2014

Don’t Overlook the Net Operating Loss Deduction Important:- Net Operating Loss Deduction – The carryover of a net operating loss is a valuable tax deduction in that it allows an operating loss from the current tax year to offset income from previous or future tax years. This is important because it one of the only means by which the business income taxes owed in any given year can be affected by anything other than the income, tax deductions or tax credits earned in that year. While the rules governing the carryover of a net operating loss are complex, the use … Click to Read More

Business Tax News -Corporate Tax Inversions!

Posted on: August 11, 2014

    Business Tax News -Corporate Inversions on the Rise-  In order to escape a 35% corporate tax rate, more and more United States companies are taking steps to move their headquarters offshore. While such a move, called an inversion, does not lower a company’s business tax rate on income earned within the United States, it does shield them from paying the high rate on foreign earnings. This provides a huge business tax advantage to multinational companies whose overall business tax rate could potentially be reduced by over 10%! Because the government has been less and less lenient about allowing … Click to Read More

Avoiding a Small Business Audit

Posted on: June 9, 2014

Avoiding a Small Business Audit – Although budget cuts forced the IRS to perform fewer audits last year than they had in the previous several years, small businesses remain one of the categories targeted by the audit process. In spite of this fact, there are a number of things small business owners can do to make being selected for an IRS Audit less likely. Should an audit be conducted, these same actions will help to ensure a favorable outcome. One of the most obvious ways for a small business to avoid an IRS Audit, is for the business owners to … Click to Read More