Tax Archives - Wiss & Company, LLP

The Pass through Entity Tax (PTET) Now Applies to New York State – Here’s What You Need to Know.

Written on April 15, 2021. Posted in State & Local Tax Services, Tax, Tax Alerts.

Featuring Phil London, Partner Emeritus Legislative changes in the New York State budget have created the highest combined local tax rate in the country for some New York City residents. At the same time, a Pass Through Entity Tax (PTET) was enacted in New York State. Below, Philip London, member of the New York State Society of CPAs, and the New York, Multistate and Local Taxation committee, provides insight on the new law. Tell us about your involvement in the passing...

The IRS Does it Again – Another Retroactive 2020 Tax Change

Written on April 12, 2021. Posted in American Rescue Plan, Tax, Tax Alerts.

By Nicole DeRosa, CPA, MAcc, Senior Tax Manager First the unemployment compensation exclusion…now this. With less than a week until the original tax filing deadline, the IRS announced the suspension of the requirement to repay excess advance payments of the 2020 Premium Tax Credit (“PTC”) which was a provision rolled out with the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARPA”). Unfortunately, being that the unemployment compensation exclusion was at the forefront of the ARPA,...

Got Unemployment Compensation? Don’t Rush to File or Amend Just Yet!

Written on March 15, 2021. Posted in American Rescue Plan, Financial Planning, State & Local Tax Services, Tax, Unemployment.

By Nicole DeRosa, CPA, MAcc, Senior Tax Manager Last week, the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 signed into law by President Biden included a very welcome retroactive tax provision for unemployed workers. The bill provides that up to the first $10,200 of unemployment compensation benefits, paid to you in 2020, can now be excluded from taxable income, provided household income is under $150,000. Although a very welcomed provision for the unemployed, there...

$1.9 Trillion American Rescue Plan Released – Perhaps the 3rd Time is a Charm!

Written on March 2, 2021. Posted in Financial Planning, Stimulus Package, Tax, Tax Alerts.

By Nicole DeRosa, CPA, MAcc, Senior Tax Manager The much anticipated $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan was released by lawmakers last week and passed by House by a near party-line vote of 219-212 early Saturday morning. The third stimulus package is now on its way to the Senate, which is expected to pass in hopes to meet a mid-March deadline, albeit with some potential changes. Once signed into law by President Biden, this 592-page stimulus package will offer a wide range of...

PPP Processing Delays – More Communication Required from SBA

Written on February 5, 2021. Posted in Financial Planning, General Business, PPP, State & Local Tax Services, Tax, Tax Alerts.

By Travis Miskowitz, Manager CFO Advisory When the Small Business Administration rolled out the Paycheck Protection Program in 2020, there was an immediate need to stem the losses and financial difficulties that small business owners were facing due to the pandemic and government-mandated shutdown orders. The early days of PPP were fraught with processing issues, incomplete or inconsistent guidance, and a lack of reliable resources for small business owners to reference when applying...

The Business Interest Expense Limitation under IRC Section 163(j): What You Need to Know for the 2020 Tax Year

Written on January 28, 2021. Posted in Financial Planning, General Business, State & Local Tax Services, Tax, Tax Alerts.

By Jennifer Beceiro, Tax Manager & Eliezer Gross, Real Estate Tax Director The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) amended IRC Section 163(j) that limited the deductibility of business interest expense for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017. Business interest expense is limited to the sum of the Taxpayer’s business interest income, floor plan financing interest, and 30% of Adjusted Taxable Income (ATI). There are two situations that Taxpayers may not be subject to the 163(j)...

Straight Outta Congress: How to Maximize the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) & Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

Written on January 19, 2021. Posted in General Business, PPP, State & Local Tax Services, Tax, Tax Alerts.

By Travis Miskowitz, Manager, CFO Advisory This is a developing story; updates will be published as additional information becomes available. Update: March 3, 2021 As we enter March, we would like to remind our clients and friends that they may be eligible for 2 very beneficial programs: Employee Retention Credit (ERC) and a 1st Draw or 2nd Draw PPP loan. The ERC is a refundable credit which can now be claimed retroactively by PPP borrowers to 2020 if the company meets 2 main eligibility...

PPP “Yeah, You Know Me” – 3rd PPP Application Window Opening Soon

Written on January 8, 2021. Posted in PPP, State & Local Tax Services, Tax.

By Travis Miskowitz, Manager, CFO Advisory Late Wednesday evening, the U.S Small Business Administration (SBA) in coordination with the Department of Treasury, issued guidance for the revamped Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) authorized by the Economic Aid Act of 2020. The newly released guidance includes: Interim Final Rule (IFR) “Business Loan Program Temporary Changes; Paycheck Protection Program as Amended” an 82-page consolidation of existing PPP guidance in the form of 24...

Breaking Down the Employee Retention Credit in the New COVID Relief Bill

Written on January 6, 2021. Posted in State & Local Tax Services, Tax, Tax Alerts.

By Ilya Brodetskiy, Tax Manager Some significant updates are affecting the Employee Retention Credit, but there are still some important unknowns. Businesses that were ineligible for the ERC because they applied for PPP funding or who had over 100 full-time employees should reevaluate their eligibility based on the expanded program. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 introduced major changes to the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). The first change allows businesses that...

Unintended Effect of PPP Loan Forgiveness: Reduction in R&D Credit

Written on November 19, 2020. Posted in Tax, Tax Alerts.

By Travis Miskowitz, Manager, CFO Advisory The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) provides loans to small and mid-size businesses to cover payroll and other specific costs during the coronavirus pandemic. PPP loans may be forgiven under particular circumstances, and are typically excluded from taxable income. Sounds simple—and if you focus on the question of payroll costs, it is. But companies that are interested...

Treasury and IRS Issue Guidance on Deductibility of Expenses Related to a PPP Loan

Written on November 19, 2020. Posted in State & Local Tax Services, Tax, Tax Alerts.

By Michael Bodrato, Director of Taxes The US Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) released guidance on November 18, 2020, in Rev. Rul. 2020-27 and Rev. Proc. 2020-51, clarifying the tax treatment of expenses where a loan received under the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) has not been forgiven by the end of the year in which the loan was received. The IRS clarified in a notice issued on May 18, 2020, that since under the CARES Act businesses are not taxed on the proceeds...

How a Biden Administration May Change the Tax Landscape

Written on November 11, 2020. Posted in State & Local Tax Services, Tax, Tax Alerts.

By Laurie Smith With the presidential election in our rearview window (barely), next up on everyone’s mind is how president-elect Joe Biden’s tax proposals may impact you. Before we get into the details of some key proposals and planning opportunities, it is important to note there are still many unknowns. Crucially, it will not be clear until early-to-mid-January 2021 which party will control the Senate, the result of two run-off races in Georgia taking place on January 5. The outcome...

NJ Corporate Tax Update

Written on November 10, 2020. Posted in General Business, Tax.

by Azra Khan New Jersey enacted technical and substantive changes to 2018 Corporation Business Tax Reform On November 4, Governor Phil Murphy signed into law SB 3007 /AB 4809, which makes some significant changes to the Corporation Business Tax Act (“CBTA”) that may have both favorable and unfavorable results for corporate taxpayers based on specific circumstances. Many provisions of the bill are effective for the 2019 tax year so it will be important to analyze the impact as soon...

IRS OK’s SALT Cap Workarounds

Written on November 10, 2020. Posted in Tax.

By Azra Khan On Monday, the IRS announced that it will be issuing proposed regulations allowing partnerships and S corporations to deduct state and local income taxes in full. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, individual taxpayers are currently limited to a state tax deduction of $10,000, annually (otherwise known as the “SALT cap”). Some states, including New Jersey, Connecticut and several others have enacted a so-called “workaround” of the SALT Cap, either mandating or allowing...

What Federal Tax Policy Changes Can We Expect? Clues From the Campaign Trail

Written on October 28, 2020. Posted in Tax, Tax Alerts.

By Michael LaMotta By this time next week, the U.S. presidential election will be in the rearview mirror, and we’ll all have more questions than we have answers. One of those big questions will be: What is the new president-elect’s vision for the tax code? Neither of the candidates has laid out a formal, detailed plan for this, although they have left clues about some aspects of tax policy along the campaign trail. Tax policy is an underappreciated element of federal policy; considering...

IRS Issues Guidance Addressing President Trump’s Order on Payroll Tax Deferral

Written on August 31, 2020. Posted in Tax, Tax Alerts.

By Michael Bodrato Presidential Memorandum On August 8th, President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum to direct the Treasury Secretary to use his authority to defer the withholding, deposit and payment of certain payroll taxes from employees suffering under the economic hardships brought about by the Coronavirus Pandemic. The President’s order is made applicable to wages and compensation paid during the period of September 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020, and is subject...

IRS Backlog Causing Incorrect Late Payment Notices

Written on August 24, 2020. Posted in Tax.

By Mike Bodrato The Internal Revenue Service, in its most recent update on IRS Coronavirus Tax Relief webpage, has posted information regarding the handling of incorrect late payment notices. The IRS notes that they continue to process returns and issue refunds and are working hard to get through its correspondence backlog. However, the IRS states that it is experiencing delays in processing returns, due to limited staffing. The backlog of correspondence includes checks that have...

Get To Know Federal Tax Form 5471, and The Post-2017 Revisions

Written on August 7, 2020. Posted in State & Local Tax Services, Tax, Tax Alerts.

By Mary Vasilescu The IRS collects information about foreign corporations with substantial United States (U.S.) ownership interests using Federal Tax Form 5471, Information Return for U.S. Persons With Respect to Certain Foreign Corporations. Form 5471 is used by certain U.S. persons who are officers, directors, or shareholders of certain foreign corporations to satisfy the reporting required under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) and the related Treasury Regulations. Beware Hefty...

Expenses Relating to PPP Forgiveness are Nondeductible

Written on May 4, 2020. Posted in Financial Planning, Tax, Tax Alerts.

By Evan Gernant On Thursday, April 30, the IRS issued Notice 2020-32 clarifying that to the extent a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan is forgiven, the associated expenses will be nondeductible for federal tax purposes. The CARES Act made it clear that any amount of forgiveness of a PPP loan would be non-taxable. What was not addressed and left for interpretation was whether the associated expenses would be tax-deductible. Many were hopeful for a better ruling from the IRS...

Net Operating Losses Under the CARES Act

Written on April 10, 2020. Posted in Tax, Tax Alerts.

By Evan Gernant On Thursday, April 9, the IRS issued guidance on the treatment of net operating losses under the provisions of the CARES Act. Revenue Procedure 2020-24 provides procedures to elect to revoke the carryback period for NOLs arising in 2018 and/or 2019 Background: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act changed the treatment of NOLs. It generally provided that NOLs arising in tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 were no longer permitted to be carried back and are deductible...

Additional Tax Filing Relief from the IRS

Written on April 10, 2020. Posted in Tax, Tax Alerts.

By Michael Bodrato The IRS released yesterday additional tax return filing and payment relief in Notice 2020-23, which applies to all taxpayers that have a filing or payment deadline falling on or after April 1, 2020, and before July 15, 2020, including individuals, trusts, estates, corporations, and other non-corporate tax filers. In addition, Notice 2020-23 provides that this period of time will be disregarded by the IRS in calculating any interest, penalty, or additions to tax...

Key Tax Provisions of the $2 Trillion CARES Act

Written on March 26, 2020. Posted in General Business, Tax, Tax Alerts.

By Mike Bodrato The Senate voted last night, 96-0, to approve the Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Security Act or the CARES Act, which has more than $2 trillion in spending and tax breaks to assist economically and fund a nationwide effort to stop the coronavirus. At this writing, the CARES Act is still awaiting House approval and the President’s signature, which is not expected until tomorrow. The bipartisan legislation includes about $500 billion that can be used to back...

IRS Releases Official Guidance After Treasury Secretary’s Announcement

Written on March 21, 2020. Posted in Tax, Tax Alerts.

by Evan Gernant Following Secretary Mnuchin’s earlier announcement, the Treasury Department released guidance on Friday, which supersedes and expands upon the guidance issued earlier this week that gave taxpayers extra time to pay their taxes but not to file. The new guidance provides for the following relief: The filing of 2019 federal income tax returns and the payment of 2019 federal income tax (including tax on self-employment income) due on April 15, 2020, is automatically...

U.S. Treasury Response to the Coronavirus

Written on March 18, 2020. Posted in Tax, Tax Alerts.

by Evan Gernant The Coronavirus has intruded into all facets of our lives. As we all try to grapple with the uncertainty this situation brings we still find ourselves in the midst of tax filing season, an already stressful time for business owners and other taxpayers. The Treasury Department issued guidance yesterday clarifying Secretary Mnuchin’s announcement on Tuesday that taxpayers can delay income tax payments due April 15, 2020. The guidance provides that for all taxpayers...

Elective Business Alternative Income Tax for Pass-Through Entities to Address Federal Limitation on State and Local Deduction

Written on January 21, 2020. Posted in State & Local Tax Services, Tax, Tax Alerts.

On January 13, 2020, Governor Phil Murphy signed into law Senate Bill 3246 establishing the business alternative income tax, an elective New Jersey business tax for pass-through entities. A corresponding refundable state gross income tax credit is allowed for the owners of the pass-through entities to offset personal or corporate income tax liability. The pass-through entity tax applies to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2020. The intent of the new legislation is to...

Rising to the Challenge: How Wiss Responded to Historic Tax Legislation

Written on January 7, 2020. Posted in Tax.

An interview with Michael LaMotta, Partner-in-Charge, Tax Services at Wiss & Co. LLP On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law. It presented the most significant changes to the tax code in over thirty years, and its effects were wide-ranging. Everyone from individual taxpayers and business owners to accountants and financial advisers had to learn the ropes. Now, two years after the bill was passed, many are still playing catch-up. “When the tax reform...

Here’s Why Your Tax Refund Might Not Be What it Once Was

Written on March 6, 2019. Posted in Tax.

Updated 7/30/2019. This 2018 U.S. federal tax filing season, the good news might actually be the smaller refunds seen by many Americans. However, you might be understandably hard to convince if you, your employees or family members fall into this category. At this point in the tax return season, many are dismayed to find their refunds are smaller than expected. Or non-existent, in the case of those shocked to find that they owe more. Spoiler alert: the culprit is most likely to be...

Trust Nexus Tax Case on SC Docket Could Have Wide Ranging Implications

Written on February 22, 2019. Posted in Tax.

By Arfa Scott Following its June 2018 decision in Wayfair, the U.S. Supreme Court continues to focus on cases that deal with how much taxation states can impose and in what circumstances. In January 2019, the nation’s highest court agreed to look at under what circumstances a state can impose its income tax on a trust by granting certiorari in the case of North Carolina Dept. of Revenue v. Kaestner Family Trust. The Kaestner Trust case involves a New York trust whose only contact...

Retirement Savings and Tax Deduction Strategies for 2018 Filers

Written on January 15, 2019. Posted in Tax.

Whether you’re self-employed or working for someone else, tax filing season is a great excuse to start thinking about strategies to lower your taxable income and maximize your retirement savings. You still have time. You have until April 15 to make contributions to your retirement accounts and have it apply to the 2018 tax year. If you file for an extension, your deadline for doing this in 2019 is October 15. The following information will be especially useful if you discover or...

2018 New Jersey Tax Amnesty Program

Written on November 15, 2018. Posted in Tax.

Starting on November 15, 2018 and ending January 15, 2019, the State of New Jersey will hold a 60-day tax amnesty program aimed towards taxpayers who have delinquent taxes owed to the state. This will provide taxpayers an opportunity to file past tax returns and/or pay outstanding taxes due to the state, including a one-half reduction of the interest due as of November 1, 2018. The amnesty program only applies to outstanding filings and payments due for tax returns which were due...

Hardship Withdrawal Rule Changes from the New Tax Code

Written on October 23, 2018. Posted in Tax.

By Laura Zindel, CPA Details of the Trump Administration’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act are so complex that it is easier for businesses to discuss the details and ramifications in smaller pieces. One specific section of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act involves changes to rules affecting hardship withdrawals from your employees’ benefit plan account, most commonly 401(k) and 403(b) plans. The definition of a hardship withdrawal hasn’t changed. If a plan permits, a hardship is an early withdrawal...

Treasury Publishes Proposed Regulations on 20% QBI Deduction

Written on August 14, 2018. Posted in Tax.

On August 8 the U.S. Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released highly anticipated proposed regulations providing rules and clarification regarding the 20% Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction. Concurrently, the IRS also released a FAQ listing, which walks through the basics of the QBI deduction and Notice 2018-64, which provides guidance on ways in which taxpayers can compute “W-2 wages” with regard to the QBI deduction limitation. The regulations attempt to clarify...

Governor Murphy Signs State Budget

Written on July 2, 2018. Posted in Tax.

On July 1, 2018, Governor Murphy signed New Jersey’s 2019 budget. Here are a few highlights of which you should be aware. Main highlights: Increased income tax rate, effective for the 2018 tax year, to 10.75% for individual taxpayers whose incomes are at or above $5M A temporary corporate business tax surcharge of 2.5% for 2018 & 2019 and 1.5% for 2020 & 2021 Effective for the 2018 tax year, an increase in the state property tax deduction cap from $10,000 to $15,000 There...

ALERT: Supreme Court Expands States Ability To Collect Sales Tax

Written on June 22, 2018. Posted in Tax.

The Supreme Court cleared the way Thursday for state and local governments to collect new sales taxes from online retailers and others with substantial sales into a state. The ruling in the South Dakota v. Wayfair case opens the door for states to require out-of-state online retailers and other remote sellers to collect sales tax from their customers, overturning a prior court decision that states have fought for years and that the court upheld in 1992’s Quill case. In 1992,...

Potential 15% Increase in NJ Angel Investor Tax Credit Program

Written on March 20, 2018. Posted in Tax.

By Bill Beiermeister, CPA and Ryan Silva, CPA, CFE, CVA In January 2013, Governor Chris Christie signed legislation creating an angel investor tax credit program to spur job creation and growth in New Jersey’s current and next generation of high-skill, high-wage emerging technology industries. Under the current program New Jersey offers a 10% investor tax credit for an individual that invests in a New Jersey emerging technology company up to a maximum of $500,000 for the tax...

How Manhattan’s Commercial Rent Tax (CRT) Changes Might Benefit Your Bottom Line

Written on March 9, 2018. Posted in Tax.

By Kerri Nelan If you rent commercial space for a company located in designated sections of Manhattan, you might soon qualify for significant tax relief. Your business could save thousands of dollars annually as a result of upcoming changes to New York City’s Commercial Rent Tax, or CRT. First, a little background. Manhattan’s CRT The CRT is currently paid by commercial tenants renting space below 96th Street and above Murray Street in Manhattan who pay at least $250,000 in annual...

IRS ISSUES NEW UPDATED WITHHOLDING TABLES

Written on January 16, 2018. Posted in Tax.

One of the most often heard Congressional talking points for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was that millions of workers would see an increase in their take home paychecks. To this end, on Thursday, the IRS issued new wage withholding guidelines. The guidelines are needed so employers can calculate how much tax to withhold from employees’ pay. Employees should begin seeing changes in their paychecks by February 15th (or sooner) since it normally takes about a month to update systems....

IRS Disaster Relief: Relief for Taxpayers Affected by Hurricanes Harvey & Irma

Written on September 20, 2017. Posted in Tax.

By: Evan Gernant The IRS has published various notices granting tax relief to “affected taxpayers” of hurricanes Harvey, impacting Texas beginning August 25, 2017, and Irma, impacting Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Florida and Georgia just a few weeks later. Affected taxpayers are defined as: Individuals whose principal residence is located in a covered disaster area; Businesses whose principal place of business is located in a covered disaster area; Any relief worker affiliated...

End-of-Year Tax Planning: How to Lessen Year-End Stress

Written on August 22, 2017. Posted in Tax.

By Laura Melville We are more than halfway through 2017 – and that means the fourth quarter is already on the horizon. When those final three months of this year arrive, it’s time for your business to focus on planning for 2018 in earnest. Unfortunately, many businesses wait to begin year-end planning until then, as well. Your team will already have its hands full preparing budgets and mapping out your company’s strategies for the following year, and an end-of-year tax preparation-planning...

Meals and Entertainment: How to Classify Business Expenses for Tax Purposes

Written on February 28, 2017. Posted in Tax.

By Louann Cassano Whether it’s drinks with a client or dinner during a work trip, meals and entertainment are generally tax-deductible business expenses. However, the size of the allowable write-off depends on the circumstances of the expenditure, including the purpose of the meal or entertainment, who the recipient is and where the expense takes place. If you don’t understand the IRS rules that govern these deductions, you may be tempted to lump all meals and entertainment into...

10K Plus in Your Foreign Account? File an FBAR to Avoid a Tax Penalty

Written on February 1, 2017. Posted in Tax.

If you maintain a foreign financial account, which could be a bank account, a mutual fund, a brokerage account, or any other sort of account, that contains a collective value of $10,000, you may be requested by the Bank Secrecy Act to report your account annually to the Department of Treasury through electronic filing. The Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts, FBAR, is a form that must be recorded directly with the office of Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN. Those...

If You’re Self-Employed, You May Qualify for Insurance Deductions

Written on January 27, 2017. Posted in Tax.

By Wiss Associate For myriad professionals, becoming an entrepreneur can be a dream come true. Fortunately, health insurance deductions can make maintaining that dream much easier. The Self-Employed Health Insurance Tax Deduction within the Affordable Care Act can assist in lowering your adjust gross income by your payment quantity in premiums on dental, medical, and qualified long-term care insurance for you and your loved ones. For self-employers unable to access a partner’s insurance...

No Health Coverage? Be Prepared to Pay a Hefty Price

Written on January 25, 2017. Posted in Tax.

As of now, Obamacare’s individual mandate requests that you purchase health insurance. If you can afford the coverage and refuse to acquire it, a big fee could be headed your way. For the tax year of 2016, the Individual Shared Responsibility fine skyrocketed to 2.5 percent of an individual’s complete household adjusted gross income. However, for the new year and beyond, the amount will stay at 2.5 but the flat fee will be regulated for inflation. For each month you do not have coverage,...

Tax Benefits of Charitable Giving

Written on January 20, 2017. Posted in Tax.

By Wiss Associate As the new year is set in motion and you tuck away holiday presents, you may have stumbled upon items that you rarely ever use. Instead of finding additional space for these objects, it can prove to be more beneficial—and profitable—to donate them! If you break down your deductions, a contribution to an eligible philanthropic group can award you a charitable contribution deduction against your income tax. Normally, you can subtract up to half of your adjusted gross...

No Phishing! Watch Out for Fake IRS Calls

Written on January 18, 2017. Posted in Tax.

Have you received a vague phone call from a person claiming to be the IRS, demanding that you cough up money to pay taxes without providing any tangible information? These callers can be relentless and may have ordinary names, persuasive IRS badge numbers, and transform your caller ID to display the words “IRS” across it, as if the actual organization is calling you. Before you panic, this is a scam called phishing, where frauds posing as the IRS make unsolicited communication to...

Plug in Your Car and Receive a Tax Break

Written on January 16, 2017. Posted in Tax.

By Wiss Associate Have you recently purchased an electric or hybrid car? If so, you may be eligible for a significant tax credit. Consumers of these energy-friendly vehicles can benefit from a tax break of $2,500 to $7,500, contingent on two essential factors: a car’s battery size and the amount of income taxes you owe during a specific year. Contrariwise, vehicles that have 4 kWh batteries can be eligible for a $2,500 tax benefit. In order to stay informed on the complex rules of...

New Doors, Windows, or AC Unit? Get ready to receive a tax credit!

Written on January 11, 2017. Posted in Tax.

By Wiss Associate If you made your home a little more energy efficient last year, you may qualify for a tax credit on your federal income tax return. In previous years, to encourage clean energy conservation in residences of Americans everywhere, the Department of Energy and the EPA have worked collectively to develop Energy Star, a program designed to promote business and home energy efficiency by deeming appliances like solar panels, air conditioning and heating systems, and windows...

Trump & Republican Tax Proposal

Written on November 17, 2016. Posted in Tax.

By Evan Gernant With Donald Trump set to move into the United States Presidency in January of 2017 and Republicans retaining control of both houses of Congress, the chances of us seeing significant tax legislation in the near term are likely. During his campaign, president-elect Trump put forward various proposals for substantial changes to the United States tax code. Furthermore, in June of 2016, House Republicans issued their “blueprint” for tax reform. Many of the Trump and House...

How the Permanent QSBS Capital Gains Exclusion Benefits Investors

Written on May 24, 2016. Posted in Tax.

By Kevin Kerrigan The relatively unknown Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) capital gains exclusion was permanently extended in December 2015, giving many investors and entrepreneurs much reason to celebrate. While the QSBS tax break has been around since early 2009, the 2015 permanent extension incentivizes small business investors to look more closely at the QSBS. Here are some of the advantages, conditions and drawbacks of QSBS. Overview of the QSBS The QSBS tax incentive was...

How to Make 2016 Your Most Organized Tax Year Ever

Written on May 5, 2016. Posted in Tax.

By Paul Ursich So you and your company survived another tax deadline. Congratulations. Now, while the memory is still fresh, is the ideal time to conduct a post-mortem of your current process to identify shortcomings and strategies that will help you boost efficiency and accuracy next year. Here are a few suggestions you can use to kick-start your new processes. Review withholding allowances Large tax refunds seem like a good thing when you get them, but it means the government has...

State Nonresident Withholding Taxes: What you and Your Stakeholders Need to Know

Written on April 6, 2016. Posted in Tax.

By Mark Feldstein No one likes to receive a bill for taxes, penalties and interest from a state where they’ve never lived — especially without a clear understanding of why they are receiving it. But if your company has stakeholders who aren’t domiciled in the states your business operates in, your company may be required to pay nonresident taxes on their behalf. If you’re not aware of nonresident withholding taxes and how they work, you could end up with confused, angry shareholders...

Using Tax Certiorari to Challenge New York City Tax Assessments

Written on February 24, 2016. Posted in Tax.

By Wiss Associate Do you feel that your latest New York City real estate tax assessment was unjustified? If so, you have a strong tool for challenging unfair assessments: a Tax Certiorari. The Certiorari is a classification of challenges that property owners can make before the city’s Tax Commission as the aggrieved party in an assessment. Parties can include real estate developers, landlords and individuals with a financial or other specified interest in the property. There are...

These Cost Recovery Provisions Have Yet to be Renewed

Written on December 4, 2015. Posted in Tax.

By Craig Jackson It’s that time of year again, when business owners and accounting firms try to predict which federal depreciation provisions Congress will renew for 2016 — and which will not make the cut. Several depreciation provisions expired at the end of 2014, potentially impacting taxpayers who are accustomed to these accelerated depreciation provisions. The uncertainty surrounding which provisions will renew has made the tax planning process challenging and unpredictable. To...

Exploring Charitable Gifting Options

Written on October 29, 2015. Posted in Tax.

By Kevin Kerrigan Americans donated nearly $260 billion to charitable causes last year, according to Giving USA Foundation. The impressive figure demonstrates the value that U.S. residents, businesses and nonprofits place on charitable giving, but it is an ongoing challenge for top earners to find effective gifting strategies that maximize the tax benefit of their charitable donations. Here are two gifting strategies worth exploring when making large donations. Donor-advised funds A...

New York Sales Tax and Cloud Computing: What you Need to Know

Written on September 29, 2015. Posted in Tax.

By Phil London One of my guiding principles for giving clients strategic tax advice is don’t make a move simply to minimize the tax impact without making sure that your decision makes sense from all other business perspectives. For example, an opinion issued by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance has businesses considering the tax ramifications of moving operational software to the cloud. The cloud The cloud includes servers, programs and computing services that...

How Exporters Can Take Advantage of IC-DISC Tax Benefits

Written on March 3, 2015. Posted in Tax.

By Chris Colyer It’s not often that you hear good news on the U.S. tax front, but if you have a small to medium-sized company that sells product into markets outside the United States, forming an Interest Charge – Domestic International Sales Corporation (IC-DISC) could offer tax advantages. The federal government established the IC-DISC classification many years ago, but many businesses eligible to take advantage of the tax incentives are failing to do so. That’s at least in part...

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