CPA

As the end of 2019 approaches, more and more information and guidance is released by the IRS relating to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as well as guidance relating to a number of different areas not impacted by the landmark tax reform act. While one of the claimed benefits of tax reform was the simplification of filing and the lowering of income tax rates, there are still many steps that individuals can take that can lower their tax bills. Planning during the final weeks and months of this year involves much more–both in terms of traditional year-end strategies and strategies developed in response to developments that have taken place over the last couple of years. Here are some points to consider:

The US House of Representitives approved Families First Coronavirus Response Bill could provide $15 million to worth of tax credits for paid sick, family, and medical leave. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stated that "this bill will provide significant relief to small businesses that cannot afford the employee costs associated with coronavirus.... The bill provides a dollar for dollar reimbursement for coronavirus related sick leave costs. To protect businesses concerned about cash flow, the Treasury will use its regulatory authority to advance funds to employers in a number of ways," Furthermore he added. "Employers will be able to use cash deposited with the IRS to pay sick leave wages. Additionally, for businesses that would not have sufficient taxes to draw from, Treasury will use its regulatory authority to make advances to small businesses to cover such costs."

Note, as of March 17, 2020 this bill has not passed the US Senate.

In summary the bill provides the following tax credits:

George V Famiglio, Jr CPA has attained the CGMA< designation.

What is the CGMA< designation? 

Successful tax planning includes a review of your available deductions and the impact of your filing status on your option to itemize. It is important that all of the technical requirements for your deductions are met. In addition, certain items are deductible only to the extent they exceed a percentage threshold. By reducing your adjusted gross income, you increase the amount of itemized deductions you can claim, because the floor limitation amounts are reduced accordingly.

A strategy commonly used in year-end individual tax planning is to determine the best timing for claiming itemized deductions. Generally, it is beneficial for taxpayers to defer income and accelerate expenses. This strategy may enable you to itemize your deductions if you claimed the standard deduction in the past.

In an effort to be a kinder friendlier IRS, the organization has released its Taxpayer Bill of Rights:

Bill of Tax Rights<

• The Right to Be Informed<

• The Right to Quality Service<

• The Right to Pay No More than the Correct Amount of Tax<

• The Right to Challenge the IRS’s Position and Be Heard<

• The Right to Appeal an IRS Decision in an Independent Forum<

• The Right to Finality<

• The Right to Privacy<

• The Right to Confidentiality<

• The Right to Retain Representation<

• The Right to a Fair and Just Tax System<

What does this mean for you? How well does the IRS follow these guidelines? As a taxpayer, it is absolutely vital to be informed, and understand what these "rights" mean, and what they do not.

In 2014, consumers were subjected to security breach after security breach as major retailers and service providers disclosed that they had involuntarily shared your personal data. While this is an extremely dangerous trend, the majority affected could move on with only being inconvenienced. However, over the past few years, a new form of digital extortion has arisen that has damaged unprepared small businesses—Ransomware.

Ransomware is state of the art extortion that combines: Your Data, Bitcoin, Software Insecurity, Cryptography, Phishing Attacks, and Organized Crime. Ask yourself, would your business survive if you lost 100% of your data and backups? Could you afford a $1,000.00 to $100,000.00 ransom? Likely law enforcement will not be able to help.

As year-end approaches, each business should consider the many opportunities that might be lost if year-end tax planning is not explored. A business may want to consider several general strategies, such as use of traditional timing techniques for delaying income recognition and accelerating deductions. A business should also consider customized strategies tailored to its particular situations.

For the 2017 tax year, taxpayers have relative clarity with respect to available credits and deductions. With the exception of a handful of industry specific tax credits and deductions that expired at the end of 2016, most temporary credits and deductions were permanently extended by the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (PATH Act). A few others were extended for 5-years through 2019. Far less clear, however, is the possibility of the enactment of tax reform legislation by year’s end. The final scope of such legislation, if enacted, remains unknown. At a minimum, tax reform legislation is expected to result in a reduction of corporate and individual tax rates. However, whether such reductions would apply to 2017, as well as to 2018, will remain uncertain, likely until late November or early December. Nevertheless, much of the preparation for these contingencies should begin now.