Category Archives: Tax Debt

IRS clamps down on wealthy scofflaws

Millionaires cough up half a billion in overdue taxes as IRS clamps down on wealthy scofflaws

Move over, Robin Hood – the real tax redistributors in town are wearing badges, not tights. The IRS announced today that it’s clawed back a whopping $520 million from millionaires who were shortchanging Uncle Sam. That’s right, folks, 1,600 members of the one-percent club finally settled their tab, proving that even seven-figure salaries can’t buy immunity from the taxman’s gaze. Read more about how the IRS clamps down on wealthy scofflaws.

IRS clamps down on wealthy scofflaws

Newfound Muscle

This windfall comes after the 2022 upgrade to the IRS’s enforcement arsenal. Flush with new funding and a mandate to crack down on high-income scofflaws, the agency has been diligently combing through the tax returns of the 1%, separating the honest (or at least, very good at hiding) from the Houdinis of the tax code.

Tax Evasion

This crackdown extends beyond just individuals, too. The IRS is also setting its sights on complex partnerships and large corporations that have mastered the art of turning tax codes into Swiss cheese. Think loopholes so big a T-Rex could waltz through them. But even these financial contortionists are finding it harder to escape the taxman’s gaze.

Fairness

Well, hopefully it means a fairer playing field. Knowing that the fat cats are paying their share might ease the sting of your own tax bill. And who knows, maybe one day, with a well-funded and effective IRS, we’ll all be able to afford that private jet (or at least a decent vacation). Until then, let’s raise a glass (of something affordable) to the IRS, the unlikely Robin Hoods in suits and ties.

The Truth About the New Mortgage Tax for High Credit Borrowers

Could it be said that you are stressed over another home loan charge for high credit borrowers? Get current realities and see whether this is truly occurring in this enlightening post about a New Mortgage Tax for High Credit Borrowers.

There have been tales circling about another home loan charge that unreasonably focuses on those with high FICO ratings. But are these assertions accurate? We’ll take a closer look at the facts in this post to help you figure out what’s really going on.

New Mortgage Tax for High Credit Borrowers

What is the new home loan charge for high credit borrowers?

There is no new mortgage tax that targets borrowers with high credit scores specifically. The mortgage interest deduction, which enables homeowners to deduct the interest they pay on their mortgage from their taxable income, has been the subject of reform proposals. These plans would limit the amount of mortgage interest that can be deducted, which could have an impact on borrowers with excellent credit who have larger mortgages. It’s critical to keep up with any changes to tax laws that could affect your finances.

Who will suffer as a result of this tax?

There is no new home loan charge explicitly focusing on high credit borrowers. However, high-credit borrowers with larger mortgages may be impacted by proposals to reform the mortgage interest deduction. Some homeowners may face higher taxes as a result of a cap on the amount of mortgage interest that can be deducted from their taxes if these proposals become law. It’s vital to remain informed about any expected changes to burden regulations that could influence your funds.

What will the tax cost?

There is no new home loan charge for high credit borrowers. However, the amount of mortgage interest that can be deducted under proposals to reform the mortgage interest deduction could be affected, which could result in higher taxes for some homeowners. The specifics of any proposed changes to tax laws will determine the precise amount of the potential tax increase, which is unknown. To know how any potential changes could affect your finances, it’s important to stay informed and talk to a financial advisor.

Is this tax in effect right now?

No, there is not yet a new mortgage tax for borrowers with high credit scores. However, there have been plans to change how the mortgage interest deduction is calculated, which could have an impact on the taxes of some homeowners. It’s critical to remain informed and talk with a monetary consultant to comprehend what any potential changes could mean for your funds.

What can borrowers with excellent credit do to prepare for this tax?

As there is at present no new home loan charge for high credit borrowers, there is compelling reason need to plan for it. But it’s always a good idea to keep up with any changes to tax laws and talk to a financial advisor about how they might affect your finances. You can also help ensure that you are in a strong financial position regardless of any potential changes to tax laws by maintaining a good credit score and paying your mortgage on time.

What Does Obamacare Mean For Your Tax Future?

Obamacare TaxesThe implementation of the Affordable Care Act continues to move forward. Failing to adjust withholding strategies and medical expenditures may result in added tax liability. What do the increased cost of healthcare and decreased deductions mean for you and your family? Here are some of the most significant changes to tax laws under the Affordable Care Act.

Higher Taxes on Investment Income

If you derive a significant percentage of your income from investments, you can expect somewhat higher taxes for the 2013 fiscal year. This typically applies to individuals who earn more than $200,000 and married couples who make over $250,000 jointly. Most other investors and taxpayers will see little or no change in the rate of taxation for their income-producing investments.

Upper Income Brackets Will See Medicare Tax Increases

Payroll taxes are often overlooked by individuals when considering their overall tax liability. Since these taxes are taken out of paychecks before workers receive them, changes in these rates can easily go unnoticed. However, couples who earn more than $250,000 jointly may get an unpleasant surprise at tax time: An increase in Medicare hospital taxes of nearly one percent may not be withheld by employers who are unaware of the joint income levels of the married couple. High-earning married couples may be responsible for any amount due that is not withheld as payroll taxes.

Reduced Deduction Percentages for Medical Expenses

Prior to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, individuals could deduct their medical expenses if those expenses reached 7.5 percent of their adjusted gross income. That figure has now risen to 10 percent, reducing the availability of these deductions for rich and poor alike.

Changes to Flexible Spending Accounts

For 2013, only the first $2,500 deposited into flexible spending accounts (FSAs) will be tax-free. All other deposits will be liable to the regular tax rates applied to other earned income. As a result, many firms are now implementing limits of $2,500 on FSAs to eliminate the need for specialized W-2 forms and to protect their employees against potential financial liabilities when tax time rolls around once more.

New Taxes on Durable Medical Goods and Devices

The Affordable Care Act requires a new excise tax on medical devices including braces, gloves, pacemakers, nebulizers and many other items of medical equipment. While this new tax will not affect patients directly, it is likely to increase the costs of these items and may shift a greater percentage of the financial burden for advanced systems to the private individual as medical supply companies adjust their rates to make up for these added costs.

What You Can Do

Making the necessary changes to withholding, FSA contributions and other healthcare-related activities can help consumers manage the new requirements of the Affordable Care Act and can provide an added level of defense against increased taxes and reduced services in the medical arena. Make sure you consult with experienced and qualified tax experts who can advise you on the latest tax-related changes and help you navigate them.

Tax Help 101: Casualty, Disaster, And Theft Losses

You never know when problems can occur, and this year people have experienced their fair share of unexpected problems.  This summer alone people across the country are dealing with blazing wildfires, destructive storms with dangerous winds, and other natural disasters.  Some people are lucky and come out of the damage relatively unscathed, but others aren’t as fortunate.  Some people have had significant damage done to their property, and they’re trying to find a way to rebuild.  There are also some people that aren’t dealing with disasters caused by nature, they’re dealing with problems caused by other people. Theft of expensive objects, damage done by vandals, blackmail, and other problems happen to people every day.

Tax Help 101: Casualty, Disaster, And Theft Losses
Internal Revenue Service (Photo credit: LendingMemo)

Many people don’t know what to do when disaster occurs. People with insurance may be able to get some help from their policy, but some policies don’t have enough coverage to completely compensate the policy holder for their loss.  Luckily for tax paying American citizens, Uncle Sam has measures in place to help people in their hour of need. Financial losses incurred because of casualty, disaster, and theft losses may be tax-deductible. Tax payers can report casualty and theft can be reported on Form 4684 and Form 1040 Schedule A.

Casualty Losses

A casualty is defined as the loss, significant damage, or destruction of property because of a sudden event.  In order to claim property as a casualty cost, the event that caused it must be easily identifiable and unexpected.  Natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, storms, and wildfires fit the criteria, but Mother Nature doesn’t have to be the only cause of your loss.  Losses due to car accidents, terrorist attacks, and vandalism can all be claimed as a casualty loss.

Theft Losses

The IRS’ definition of theft isn’t too different from what law enforcement officials view as theft of property.  The IRS defines theft as “the taking and removing of money or property with the intent to deprive the owner of it. The taking of property must be illegal under the law of the state where it occurred and it must have been done with criminal intent.”  According to the IRS embezzlement, robbery, blackmail, burglary, extortion, larceny, and even kidnapping for ransom all full under the umbrella of theft losses.

Losses You Can’t Claim

The government offers IRS tax help to taxpayers that have experienced hardship, but there are some situations where you won’t be able to claim the property and finances you lost over the year.  Property that was misplaced cannot be claimed as a loss, nor can property that was accidentally broken.  Tax payers may also not claim any property that has gone through progressive deterioration.  In order to be tax-deductible the damage must be cause by a sudden and unexpected event.  As an example, if your home was significantly damaged in a storm you would be able to claim that.  If your home was damaged because of termite infestation or mold over a period of time, you would not be allowed to claim that.

*Not a solicitation for legal services*

5 Popular Business Destinations For Tax Havens

5 Popular Business Destinations For Tax Havens

Monaco (Photo credit: Pirotek)

Business Destinations For Tax Havens: Taxes can often prove to be rather annoying expenditures that Government enforces on its people. Unfortunately there are different types of taxes which are applicable to different scenarios and businesses can often face various forms of taxes as their business grows and expands. While there are many tax deductible items, they’re not much so many businesses might face an ever growing amount of taxes for each year.

Fortunately, businesses now have a little trick up their sleeves and look for business destinations for tax havens. These little havens are governed under various governing bodies that don’t always have the same amount of tax. However, tax havens have a special quality and that is that they have almost no form of taxation. Furthermore, businesses have no obligations to reveal any information which is related to their tax payments or bank accounts.

However, the following 5 business destinations for tax havens are extremely popular and many businesses are tempted by them:

Panama

With a well developed commerce and banking sector, the picturesque city of Panama is not just loved for its famous canal. Considered to be among the best business destinations for tax havens, Panama has been popular for well over a decade now. Although it still has some laws ensuring tax payments from all business ends, Panama has become a business tax haven for many local and international businesses and organizations. These businesses in turn have greatly boosted Panama’s banking sector and go for it.

The Cayman Islands

Falling under British rule, these little clustered islands are considered to be more of a tourist destination; the Cayman Islands have started garnering popularity as a great tax haven for many businesses. Its lack of income tax, corporation tax and capital gains taxes has made it one of the first places that any business chooses. With the availability of various international banks as well, the Cayman Islands is a popular place. However, there is a rumor that there has been a Community Enhancement Fee which works like a tax for the people. Find out more information about Cayman Islands offshore company regulations

Luxemburg

A pretty exotic location that is a large popular tourist attraction, Luxemburg favors business endeavors with it’s easy to keep laws and high GDP that attracts businesses towards it. Already crowned as the second largest financial hub in Europe, Luxemburg enjoys numerous local and international businesses. Capitalizing on a large number of foreign banks, Luxemburg has money storage systems. Even after Luxemburg adopted the OECD standards the policies of Luxemburg have hardly changed from its former tax evasive ways.

Monaco

Surrounded near France, Monaco’s claim to fame had been the Formula One race courses but it increasingly became a favorite among many multimillionaires and their businesses. Although there are other taxes in place, there is no income tax and no inheritance tax. While still ideal for businesses, Monaco has increasingly become more favored for millionaires through this little loophole. In fact, Monaco also has a rather extensive international banking sector which houses billions of tax free revenue.

Connecting With Tax Experts Via Video Conference

Tax preparation help at the library

Tax preparation help at the library (Photo credit: Newton Free Library)

Filing your income taxes is one of those necessary evils that nobody looks forward to. It’s a time consuming, highly detailed process that typically requires several hours of your attention. Luckily, in today’s digital world, filing your taxes doesn’t have to be such a headache. Thanks to advances in technology, you can now work with an accountant to file your taxes from the comfort of your own home. There are a couple of different options for electronic filing that help you to save time and money when you’re doing your income taxes.

Virtual accounting

Let’s face it: we’re all busy and sometimes we just don’t have the time to sit through an hours-long appointment with a tax preparer. When you add in the time spent commuting across town and finding parking, in-person meetings can really start to add up. A number of firms out there that now offer virtual income tax preparation. Some even provide online drop off service, so that you can simply send all of your tax documents in electronically without ever setting foot in a physical office. Nothing is more convenient than that.

You can either choose to work with a large tax preparation service like H&R Block, or an accountant in your area that offers virtual tax preparation services. It’s simply a personal choice based on your comfort level and preferences. Either route you choose, it’s likely you will need to have some face time with your accountant. This can be done in a few different ways. The most common way to connect is through video conferencing that’s done via the web. Some accountants will also connect with you over the phone or through a chat feature that is offered on their website.

Scheduling time to talk via video conference, phone, or live chat ensures that your taxes will be prepared according to your needs and preferences. Generally, filing your income taxes virtually requires a simple conversation at the beginning of the process in order to hammer out necessary details before your accountant gets down to the nitty-gritty of doing your taxes. You then converse by email or phone if there are questions during the process or after the return has been prepared.

Tax preparation software

An estimated 81% of people in the United States filed their taxes electronically last year. While virtual accountants are starting to become more prevalent, it’s likely that the bulk of these individuals used tax preparation services to simplify the filing process. Tax preparation software has seen a surge in popularity over the past decade, with the development of popular programs like TurboTax by Intuit which allow you to complete the filing process online from start to finish.

The program’s popularity is largely attributed to its convenience. TurboTax provides an inexpensive, easy to follow, and convenient solution for filing your income taxes. You can simply download the software or purchase it at a nearby store, run it on your computer and begin entering information from your W-2s and other tax forms. It simplifies the deduction process by taking you step by step through common (and uncommon) tax deductions. Generally, the software helps to maximize your return because it covers all the bases with tax deductions.

If you don’t finish doing your taxes on TurboTax in one sitting, you can always come back to them. The program saves your progress online or on your computer, so you can simply pick up where you left off. Once you’ve completed your tax returns, you can file with the click of a button and opt to receive your refund electronically, or via paper check in the mail. You can also pay your taxes electronically if you end up owing money. It’s a highly convenient solution with little margin for error, and a great choice if you are not particularly confident in your skills when you’re filing taxes on paper.

Thanks to today’s technology, there are a few great ways to minimize the hassle of filing your income taxes, including Intercall’s virtual events and other tech options. If you would like to explore a more convenient solution for filing, look into options for virtual accounting or consider purchasing tax preparation software to simplify the process. Tax software will save you a lot of time and potential frustration!