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Falling interest rates and the current slowdown in the U.S. economy are having a widespread affect on today's economy and individuals' financial resources, from savings accounts to personal loans and credit card debt. The drop in interest rates that has occurred over the course of the last few months has also produced strategic tax planning opportunities for individuals contemplating certain types of asset transfers.

No. Even though trash pickup and neighborhood oversight provided by a governmental entity such as a town or county can be figured into the amount of deductible property taxes paid by a homeowner, a payment to a nongovernmental entity is not a deductible tax.

The business incentives in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (2009 Recovery Act) are much anticipated and valuable. Three significant business incentives in the 2009 Recovery Act are an extended net operating loss (NOL) carryback provision, extended and enhanced Code Sec. 179 expensing, and extended bonus depreciation for 2009.

Like the Internet itself, the correct deductibility of a business's website development costs is still in its formative stages. What is fairly clear, however, is that it is highly unlikely that any single tax treatment will apply to all of the costs incurred in designing an internet site because the process encompasses many different types of expenses.

An accuracy-related penalty applies to a tax underpayment due to "negligence or disregard of the rules and regulations." "Negligence" for this purpose includes any failure to make a reasonable attempt to comply with the Tax Code, to exercise ordinary and reasonable care in preparing your tax return, to keep adequate books and records, or to properly substantiate items on your return. A return position that has a reasonable basis is not negligent. A taxpayer can also qualify for relief by showing reasonable cause and good faith.



The amount of interest required to be paid for underpayment of tax is compounded daily. In order to calculate compound interest, you divide the Code Sec. 6621 interest rate by the number of days in the year, 365 (or 366 in a leap year, such as 2008) and then compound the daily interest rate each day.

The small business corporation (S corp) is one of the most popular business entities today, offering its shareholders the flow-through tax treatment of a partnership and the limited liability of a corporation. The S corp has become an even more prominent entity in the small business community, in part, because the IRS has relaxed certain requirements for electing S corp status. A small business corporation does not need to elect to be treated as an S corp each year to maintain S corp status.

Employees who qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) can elect to receive the credit in advance payments from their employer along with their regular pay during the year. Advance earned income tax credit (AETIC) payments result in the employee's receipt of larger paychecks throughout the year, but still provide for a tax refund after the employee files his or her Federal income tax return. However, the IRS reports that few eligible workers know about, or take advantage of, of the EITC and the AEITC. Employers should understand their processing and reporting obligations as they relate to the payment of an AEITC to an employee. Letting your employees know about the AEITC can provide them with what they will consider a valuable benefit at no tax cost and very little administrative expense to your business.







The alternative minimum tax (AMT) is imposed on corporations in an amount by which the tentative minimum tax exceeds the regular income tax for the taxable year. The purpose of the AMT is to prevent taxpayers with substantial economic income from avoiding all tax liability through the use of exclusions, deductions and credits. Without the AMT, corporate taxpayers could significantly reduce their tax income through tax benefits under the regular tax structure, to the point of such reduction being unfair and unintended by Congress.

With the subprime mortgage mess wreaking havoc across the country, many homeowners who over-extended themselves with creative financing arrangements and exotic loan terms are now faced with some grim tax realities. Not only are they confronted with the overwhelming possibility of losing their homes either voluntarily through selling at a loss or involuntarily through foreclosure, but they must accept certain tax consequences for which they are totally unprepared.





A lump-sum of social security benefits is usually included in gross income for the year in which it is received. However, a recipient may choose to include in gross income the total amount of benefits that would have been included in gross income in the appropriate year if the payments had been received when due.


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