Did you know that as an employee, you may be able to exclude the value of lodging provided by your employer from your income taxes? According to Sec. 119 of the Internal Revenue Code, there are certain conditions that must be met in order for an employee to exclude employer-provided housing costs from their income.……
Tag: Tax
The Premium Tax Credit Trap
In an effort to reform health insurance, the government implemented a system where it would make payments directly to insurance companies on behalf of taxpayers through the use of premium tax credits. These credits were a part of the Affordable Care Act and intended to make health insurance more affordable for those who might not……
S Corporation: Distribution of Appreciated Assets
Those who set up S corporations usually do so as their accountant told them that it could save taxes. This is often true. The S corporation can result in tax savings. This may include the standard reduction in self-employment/payroll taxes or, for more advanced tax planning, income taxes. The ability to freeze the value of……
The Qualified Nonpersonal Use Vehicle
What Congress provides with one provision, it often takes away with another. This can result in legal challenges whereby the court creates exceptions. The exceptions can be modified and qualified by later legislation. This creates a labyrinth that one has to navigate to determine how an item is treated for federal income tax purposes. The……
Texas Taxes: Is an Owner Liable for Business Taxes?
When one thinks of Texas and taxes, the idea that Texas does not have an income tax may come to mind. This is true. Texas does not currently have an income tax. This does not mean that Texas does not collect taxes. Texas collects taxes–and a lot of taxes. This includes everything from property taxes……
Planning for Commercial Solar Tax Credits
The solar tax credit can significantly reduce Federal income taxes. Congress has recently reaffirmed its desire to spur these investments to curb reliance on foreign energy and to help the environment. As with most tax incentives, such as the research tax credit, there are a number of rules that have to be followed to be……
Partnerships Have to Maintain Accurate Capital Accounts
One of the tax benefits of partnerships is that they are flexible. The parties can agree to differing terms and the values and dollars associated with those terms can be trued-up in subsequent years. The allocation of profit and loss provisions provides an example. Depending on their agreement, the parties can allocate profits and losses……
Reasonable Cause & Reporting Charitable Donations
The IRS is tasked with enforcing our tax laws. The task should be to ensure “substantial compliance” by taxpayers. But all too often the audit process is nothing more than the IRS examining a handful of go-to-adjustment issues. These go-to-adjustment issues involve tax laws that Congress passed that leave room for interpretation. These issues often……
Overcoming the IRS’s Constructive Dividends Argument
Those who own C corporations have to be careful about what amounts are paid out to or benefit the corporate shareholders. This is particularly true for closely held and family corporations. On audit, the IRS will often assert that these distributions are constructive dividends. This is usually a bad answer for taxpayers as it increases……