In an effort to crack down on tax evasion the OECD developed what it calls a “New single global standard for the automatic exchange of information between key authorities worldwide.” The standard was approved by the OECD council on 15 July 2014 and is expected to result in an elimination of the secrecy surrounding some banking transactions as it relates to tax matters.
The new standard has been endorsed by more than 60 countries or jurisdictions including the United States, United Kingdom, European Union and Canada and other major jurisdictions already committed to implementation.

The standard requires detailed account information to be provided to governments by financial institutions. The information obtained from the financial institutions will be Read More

LIFO REPEAL – TAX SAVINGS FOR THE SMALL BUSINESS?

The Tax reform Act, 2014 calls for a repeal of the Last in First Out (LIFO) method of inventory valuation. Despite the promise of reduced tax rates associated with LIFO repeal and other proposed changes, there has been strong opposition to the proposed repeal particularly from a group of over 120 companies coming together to form the LIFO Coalition in 2006. (LIFO Coalition, 2014)

The group contends that getting rid of LIFO would cause severe economic hardship to businesses and lead to loss of jobs. (Whitehouse, 2009).

WHAT IS LIFO?

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If you hire someone to do household work and that person is considered your employee, you may be liable for paying employer related taxes. Although it is commonly called the “Nanny Tax” it covers more than just nannies, it includes workers who perform household work, which the IRS defines as “work done in or around your home”. This definition captures babysitters, yard workers, drivers, private nurses, private cooks, etc.

Your first task is to determine if the person you hired is your employee or is self-employed. The worker is your employee if you control what work is done and how it is done. The household worker may have been sent to you by an agency but if you control what work is done and how it is done the worker is still considered your employee. Whether the worker is part-time or full-time or is paid daily, weekly, hourly or for each job is not relevant once Read More

Basis is very important when determining gain or loss for certain transactions. It is also one of the limiting factors in determining how much loss can be deducted by partnership and S Corp shareholders.

What is basis?

For tax purposes, basis is the amount invested in a property adjusted for certain items.

Basis is usually equal to the cost, or the amount paid in cash, debt obligations, other property or services.

Basis in property is increased by capital items such as capital improvement and assessments for local improvement. Items that constitute a return of capital (e.g. Read More

An S Corporation or S Corp is an eligible domestic corporation that has elected to be treated as an S Corporation for tax purposes. S Corporations avoid double taxation on corporate income because corporate income, losses, deductions and credits are passed through to the shareholders. Shareholders of the S corporation report the income and losses on their personal tax returns. However, S Corps are responsible for tax on certain built-in gains and passive income at the entity level.

Self-Employment tax

Undistributed taxable income of the S corporation that is passed through to its shareholders is not treated as earnings from self- employment (Rev. Rul. 59-221, 1959-1 C.B. 225) and is therefore not subject to self-employment tax. Read More

It is quite easy for U.S. Citizens and permanent residents (green card holders) who reside in a country other than the U.S. to either forget or not be aware of their U.S. tax obligations. The rules for filing income, estate and gift tax returns and for paying estimated tax are generally the same even if you do not live in the U.S. Citizens and permanent residents of the US are taxed on their worldwide income. Your income is reportable even if you did not receive a form W-2 or Form 1099. (See Publication 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Income for more information.)

The increased attention by the US government on its overseas citizens might have caught your attention especially with the introduction of the Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) in 2010, which targets tax non-compliance by US taxpayers with foreign accounts. Read More