CCH TAX BRIEFINGS – TAX HELP SALT LAKE CITY

SOME TAXES GOING UP?

TAX HELP SALT LAKE CITY

During his campaign, President Obama noted that it would be impossible for the
government to reduce its deficit without bringing in additional revenue and
that additional taxes are necessary:

“We’ve identified tax rates going up to the Clinton [pre-2001] rates for
income above $250,000; making some adjustments in terms of the corporate tax
side that could actually bring down the corporate tax overall, but broaden the
base and close some loopholes. That would be good for our economy, and it would
be good for reducing our deficit.” That is why you might need tax help Salt Lake City

Individual Extenders

The individual tax extenders can be divided into two categories: Extenders that
are good candidates for renewal and extenders that are on the fence. This
assessment is based upon both the support, or lack thereof, that the Obama
Administration has given to each and how receptive members of the Congressional
tax writing committees have been to each.

Likely to be renewed

Individual extenders with a strong likelihood of renewal are:

• ▪ Higher education tuition deduction

• ▪ State and local sales tax deduction

• ▪ Teachers’ classroom expense deduction

• ▪ Qualified charitable distributions from IRAs

IMPACT.

No one can predict what Congress will ultimately do but the higher education
tuition deduction, the state and local sales tax deduction, the teachers’
classroom expense deduction, and charitable distributions from IRAs appear to
enjoy strong support for extension. These incentives could be extended for one
year (through 2012) or for two years (through 2013).

Comment

In September, a bipartisan group of about 60 House members from states without
an income tax called for extension of the state and local sales tax deduction.

Selected individual extenders on the fence include:

• ▪ Deduction for qualified mortgage insurance premiums

• ▪ Code Sec. 25C residential energy property credit

Comment

The Code Sec. 25D residential energy efficient property credit is available for
qualified property placed in service before January 1, 2017. Qualified property
includes certain geothermal energy property and small wind energy property.

Business Extenders

Like the individual extenders, the business extenders can be divided into two
groups: good candidates for renewal and extenders on the fence.

Likely to be renewed – Tax Help Salt Lake City

Business extenders likely to be renewed include:

• ▪ Code Sec. 41 research tax credit

• ▪ Code Sec. 179 small business expensing

• ▪ Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC)

• ▪ 15-year recovery for qualified leasehold improvements, restaurant property
and retail improvements

• ▪ New Markets Tax Credit

Comment

The research tax credit, which expired after 2011, enjoys strong bipartisan
support in Congress, with many lawmakers and the White House calling for a
permanent credit. The research tax credit is likely to be extended for one year
(through 2012) or two years (through 2013).

Comment

Under current law, employers can take advantage of an enhanced WOTC for hiring
qualified military veterans. The enhanced WOTC for veterans is scheduled to
expire after 2012 but is a good candidate for renewal. However, it is unclear
at this time if the WOTC for other target groups, which expired after 2011,
will be extended.

Selected business extenders on the fence include:

• ▪ Production tax credit for wind energy projects

• ▪ Employer credit for activated military reservists

• ▪ Seven-year recovery period for motorsports complexes

• ▪ Railroad track maintenance credit

• ▪ Brownfields remediation

• ▪ Credit for energy efficient homes

Comment

During the campaign, President Obama called for extension of the production tax
credit for wind energy projects, which is scheduled to expire af ter 2012 (and
after subsequent years for other projects). However, extension of the
production tax credit faces significant hurdles in the GOP-controlled House.

Comment

Brownfields remediation expensing and the credit for energy efficient homes
were two incentives not included in the SFC’s Middle Class Tax Cut Relief Act
of 2012.


Areas of Service: Tax Help Salt Lake City

 

Salt Lake City UT Audit – Profile for S Corporations

Salt Lake City UT Audit  – Profile for S Corporations

A week ago I went to a Tax Seminar here in Salt Lake City UT and one of the things I learned regarding S Corporations from one of the instructors was the following:

  • S Corporations have a much lower audit profile than sole proprietorships.  In a recent study, only .4% of all S Corporations were audited by the IRS compared to a much much higher percentage of sole proprietorships.
  • This study was based on the fact that the owner was paid a reasonable and adequate wage out of the S Corporation.
I believe this is the case because the IRS views the sole proprietorship (Schedule C filer) as an unsophisticated taxpayer and thus they are prone to more errors, understatement of revenues and overstatement of expenses.  They believe that to form an S Corporation is a step up in sophistication and thus those that do it are more prone to be the opposite of what was indicated above.  Whether this approach is correct or not, I’ll let you decide, but this is an interesting finding none the less. (Salt Lake City UT Audit.)