Tax Finance Wisdom

The rules and structure of the corporate tax was borrowed from the income tax system. As a result profits suffered double taxation.

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One prominent Republican congressman would shut down the IRS as part of a plan to replace the income tax with a consumption tax . However, although he apparently does not acknowledge as much, any tax (including a consumption tax ) will …

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Additional “tax cuts” touted in the budget are similarly hard to justify since they increase the ” consumption tax ” features in the income tax–expanding the “saver’s credit” is a too costly $27 billion over ten years; and expanding the …

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It’s that time of year again when the taxman wants to know how much you have earned and how much tax you owe him. Don’t forget that your individual tax return has to be returned to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by April 15 this year, unless you have applied for, and received an extension. We all want to pay less tax, but instead of looking for loopholes and gray areas, rather focus on managing your tax affairs as efficiently as possible. The following business and personal tips should make the current tax year a little easier on your pocket when completing your return:

1. Travel Expenses It is good practice to keep a mileage logbook of distance travelled, in order to accurately determine you travel deduction. If you have two jobs, you can deduct the cost of traveling from the first to the second, but if you have a single job, you cannot deduct commuting costs because it is considered a personal expense, not a business expense. Travel for business, including costs to go to seminars and conferences are 100% deductible. Deductible travel costs include hotels, airfare, taxis, car rentals, parking fess, tolls and tips.

 2. Medical Expenses Keep records (including invoices and statements) of medical expenses which are not covered by your medical aid, in order to get a deduction for those expenses on assessment. Depending on your income, certain medical expenses including health insurance and dental insurance premiums may be deductible. This deduction is limited to costs over 7.5% of your income. Pursue turning your non-deductible personal medical expenses into a legitimate business expense.
3. Entertainment Expenses Be careful of entertainment allowances. Since March 1, 2002, no deductions can be claimed against entertainment allowances for personal reasons. Make sure your employer is aware of this and that the allowances are taxed in full, otherwise you might end up with a tax liability on assessment. You may however deduct “ordinary and necessary” business meal and entertainment expenses up to 50%.

4. Tax Records
Why not make your life easier and ensure that you don’t miss any deductions by organizing your record keeping system early and keeping it updated. Not only does having organized records make it easier and less frustrating for you to file your tax return, it also enables you to explain an item on your return that the IRS might question, and could prevent you from having to pay additional taxes and penalties for unsubstantiated items. Although legally you need only keep tax records for three years , you should keep a copy of the returns in case you need information from these returns at some point.5. Electronic Filing
If you want your return processed in approximately half the time of a paper return, you should consider filing the forms electronically. IRS E-file makes you life a lot easier as it picks up problems with your returns instantly and provides immediate feedback and confirmation regarding your return.
6. Avoid Refund Anticipation Loans While it would be nice to get your money back in your pocket as soon as possible, it is much better to wait for your refund. The downside of these loans is that the annual interest rates on them are very high, usually between 50% and 500%. So between the loan fee, tax preparation fees and other administrative fees imposed on the loan, you end up losing a big portion of your refund.
7. Deadlines
Be aware of deadlines in order to avoid penalties. Tax returns must be submitted before the due date given by the IRS. If your previous years’ tax affairs are up-to-date, an extension for submission of the return can be requested. However, extensions are granted less frequently, depending on your particular circumstances.
Conclusion
Tax season makes everyone a little nervous. Rather start early to allow yourself time to prepare and to ensure that you are taking full advantage of every eligible tax break.
It might be a good idea to purchase an electronic book or two in order to gain more information, and educate yourself about income tax and submitting your return correctly. The following E-books provide a wealth of tax information as well as tips, stories and explanations of tax laws and how to make the most of them:Planning Your Tax,Save on Taxes,Tax Survival Guide. Additionally, the Official IRS website is a great resource for additional information.

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Prepare Online Taxes is a very simple process for US Tax Payers. Do Taxes online is a great option for preparation of taxes. Typically tax payer’s personal information will be needed first. Then user will be creating one account. This will allow you to log into your account at any time and work on your tax return. You can take as much time as you want before submitting your completed tax forms to the IRS. And filing the taxes online might be much quicker and easier.

Prepare taxes online is the modern way to do your taxes. Many people are not aware of tax filing online. With advances in technology and widespread access to the internet, filing taxes has become a less painful task. In 2003 53 million or half of all tax returns were filed electronically and approximately 12 million were done online. Prepare taxes online via e-filing is a great option not only for the US taxpayer but also the Internal Revenue Service and local governments.

According to the IRS filing online will allow you to get your tax refund in as little as 10 days. By preparing and filing your tax return online Tax Payers will avoid the work involved in doing everything by hand, save the cost of paid tax preparation, and you will get your tax refund much faster. So it is the very good benefit for Online Tax Filers. Prepare online tax services allow US Tax Payers to securely prepare your IRS return from any computer with a web browser. In growing numbers American Tax Payers are electronically filing federal and state tax returns through online tax services or software, receiving the full benefits of advancing technology.

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Or would some other general tax, a consumption tax maybe, do better at raising adequate revenue while for the most part staying neutral on the question of how people should live? Or is the meddlesome part of the income tax its …

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Top Ten 2008 Income Tax Law Changes By David Roberts Every year for whatever reason whether it be political or an exchange of.

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Tax Deduction at Source on payment of interest on time deposits under Section 194A of the Income Tax Act, 1961 by banks following Core-Branch Banking Solutions (CBS) software – reg.

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So, in place of the income tax, professor Frank suggests implementing a “progressive consumption tax .” The idea here is pretty simple.

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Within the United States, DC and forty-three other states impose tax laws upon the income of an individual. The tax law of Tennessee and.

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