Category: Taxes
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Church and taxes
The topic of church and taxes in is the news this week as Trump plans to dispose of the federal law known as Johnson Amendment that has effectively separated church and state for most of our lives. Let’s be clear this is not about expressing opinions- we all get to do that. This is about money…
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Limitations on free tax preparation for 2016 returns
Each tax season I am pleased to prepare some individual tax preparation services for n fee except the filing fee. My online filing service provider’s fee is $20 per return so the tax filer must cover this cost. My offer is usually made to a small number of middle income neighbors as a way to promote my…
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Signs of further division in tax practice
I recently resigned from a large online group of tax professionals that I had grown to rely upon for daily advice and news. My past work in the tax field has primarily focused on political forecasting (efforts that were not so successful lately, by the way) and small business lobby efforts. My future plans revolve around…
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Tax planning for small business owners in 2017
Tax laws change every year, often providing new opportunities for business and personal planning that can save money and improve our overall financial results. This year is no exception. While there are no major changes to tax law affecting small business owners this year, there are a number of more subtle developments in tax procedure…
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Trump sparks tax protest plans
Over the past month I’ve heard and read about a number of tax protest plans. Some are idiotic, others are criminal. Some might actually work. Some taxpayers want to take advantage of imagined tax reductions promoted by scammers. Other refuse to support the federal government led by Donald Trump and are looking for the safest…
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The tax madness has begun
Yesterday, still a few days before the IRS officially begins accepting 2016 tax returns, an accountant shared this advertisement found by a client: Of course, the tax client wanted to know how to double their tax refund.
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Tip for 1099-MISC processing
I just finished the required 1099-MISC year end processing work for my on businesses because the new due date is January 31 this year. This task is pretty easy within QuickBooks. It took less than 15 minutes and cost less than $15. But I noticed one snag: it is difficult to tell which vendors are…
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Taxation of S corporation shareholder health insurance
Taxation of health insurance for S corporation shareholders is one of the most discussed and convoluted topics in the accounting industry. This article by Shaw and Associates in Colorado presents the topic in a useful format for setting up a payroll system that I’ve not seen in other presentations: http://www.kevinshawcpa.com/s-corporation-shareholder-health-insurance-instructions/
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Scammy tax advsertisement
A client sent me a scammy advertisement that read, in part: URGENT for Anyone Who Bought ANYTHING in 2016: Congress Passes $42.4 BILLION “Consumer Rebate Program”! 119 Million Taxpaying Americans Can Now Get a Cash Rebate on Virtually EVERY SINGLE PURCHASE Made in 2016… But You Must Act Between January 1 and April 17 to…
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Free tax return preparation services
Some independent tax preparers are in a panic this month that the largest national tax preparation firm is offering to do tax returns for free through its network of retail stores. The big company has been losing money, its stock price is down, and consumer reviews have been terrible. The free service deal is apparently…