A swelling wave of identity theft attempts against employers has the IRS pretty concerned. So much so, it is offering advice about how business owners can be on the defense to protect their businesses. As tax pros, we all know identity theft has been around a long time and if someone falls prey, it takes a tremendous amount of work to repair the damage. In some cases it’s impossible. Identity theft itself is nothing new. Stolen Employer Identification Numbers (EINs) … [Read more...]
Not so fast, taxpayers! Proceed with caution, warns the IRS, after New York and New Jersey approved workarounds involving charitable organizations. Earlier this year New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed new legislations in their respective states allowing local governments to set up charitable organizations that can accept property tax payments. Homeowners can declare those “donations” as gifts to offset federal taxable income. The … [Read more...]
Have you heard? The Supreme Court ruled on South Dakota v. Wayfair and Quill v. North Dakota has been overturned. What does this mean? Online retailers are going to face new challenges in the months to come and will need to decide whether to start collecting tax, what software they may need, and how to report the tax. Since 1967, if you have a link or connection to a state, called nexus, you’ve always been required as a seller to collect sales tax. One of the most defining court decisions … [Read more...]
Sole Proprietors and Corporations Have you noticed? Small businesses have been populating the business landscape in clusters? They represent all industries, sizes, and varieties. Some make it a few months and others are in it for the long haul. Where Did They Come From? The US has always been ripe for entrepreneurism. But the economic downturn earlier this century, coupled with impacts made by technological breakthroughs, made self-employment attractive to recently unemployed people … [Read more...]
Will new charitable tax credits being considered by California and other states have any impact on the 2017 federal tax overhaul’s cap on state and local deductions? Some say yes, these will work with certain qualifications. Law professor David Gamage and seven tax law professors argue that federal law enables states to offer tax credits for charitable contributions to state programs in such a way that they could circumvent the SALT deduction cap. Gamage says when structuring a state-level … [Read more...]
In an effort to even the playing field, a unanimous decision by the California Supreme Court recently put business owners across the state in somewhat of a chokehold. With a ruling that could change the workplace status of people across the state, they’ve made it harder to classify workers as independent contractors. Class-Action Lawsuit The ruling came as a result of a class-action lawsuit against Dynamex Operations West, Inc. The suit charged that Dynamex, a package and … [Read more...]
Heads up. Changes are coming. We know—old news. But as rapidly as tax laws have been changing, be sure to keep this top of mind. Already in place are the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The 100% bonus depreciation started for purchases from 9/27/17. More changes are on their way. Which ones, you ask? Here’s a hint: your divorced clients aren’t going to be happy. Alimony beginning after 1/1/19 will no longer be deductible. With these … [Read more...]
“I’m sorry, officer. I didn’t know the speed limit was only 25 in a school zone.” When is the last time that one worked for you? Right. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. It usually doesn’t fly with the IRS either. Despite this, the tax court issued an opinion suggesting that in some cases ignorance can indeed be bliss. Well, maybe not bliss, but it can be a valid excuse—at least to escape certain accuracy-related penalties. For example, a California couple that botched the tax … [Read more...]
It was one of the greatest financial bets of all time. Hedge fund manager John Paulson bet big against subprime mortgages ahead of last decade’s financial crisis, earning billions in profits for his funds. It was a gamble that, in the long run, didn’t pay off. Along with the $4 billion he earned for himself, he nailed a second record-breaking honor when he was slapped with one of the largest personal tax bills in history. According to people close to the firm, Paulson used a tax provision … [Read more...]
Would you like to generate more revenue in your tax business? Who wouldn’t? Just like many other businesses, the tax business is a numbers game. You gather leads and eventually some go from cold to HOT and new clients walk through your front door. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Well, there’s a little more to it than that. But if you’re willing to do what it takes to heighten your visibility, you can garner a fair amount of leads—not only to sustain your business but also to thrive. Here … [Read more...]
