Tax

Subscribe to Tax via RSS

As the laws change, we strive to share how they will affect our clients and readers of this blog. Thus, we are pleased to share the following guest post by Florida Bar Board Certified Wills, Trust and Estate Planning Attorney Eric Gurgold.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act does not repeal the Federal estate tax. Instead, the Act doubles the amount of wealth that is exempt from the estate tax. In 2018, the new estate tax exemption will be $11,200,000 per individual. A married couple may be able to shield $22,400,000 from Federal estate taxes. The exemption is indexed to increase each year with inflation. However, the changes to the exemption will sunset and revert to today’s numbers after 2025.

Given the high estate tax exemptions, it is possible that not enough estate taxes will be paid to justify retaining the Federal estate tax; and Congress may repeal it.

Would Repeal of the Estate Tax be Good for Your Bottom Line?

Continue Reading The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Does Not Repeal the Federal Estate Tax!

There is a change in the federal partnership audit rules that take effect for tax years on or after January 1, 2018, that may impact you.

Who is Affected?

All entities classified as partnerships for federal tax purposes. This includes, for example, multi-member LLC’s that have not elected to be taxed as corporations (C or…

Guest post by Beth T. Vogelsang, Esquire, Florida Bar Board Certified Divorce, Marital and Family Law Attorney

On November 2, 2017, House Republicans released an income tax reform bill known as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.” There has been much publicity about the bill’s proposed corporate tax cuts and the purported reduction and simplification of individual income tax rates. One provision of the 492-page bill, which has gone largely unnoticed, is the proposed repeal of the deductibility of alimony payments.

Current IRS Regulations on Alimony

Continue Reading Will Tax Reform Eradicate the Alimony Tax Deduction?

As the year-end approaches, you may want to consider steps to reduce your federal income tax bill, especially as Congress weighs tax reform. The current proposals would reduce income tax rates for most businesses and individuals, and increase the available business deductions. Whether or not the proposed tax reforms become law, the following tax tips should help you save on federal income taxes.

Tips for Business Owners: Expensing and Depreciation

Continue Reading Tax Planning and Proposed Tax Reform

As our area recovers in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, one less thing we need to worry about in the immediate future are certain tax matters. The IRS has issued relief to taxpayers in Presidential Disaster Areas, which includes Lee, Charlotte, and Collier Counties. Among the relief granted, for affected individuals and businesses there is…

As the deadline for filing entity returns closes and the deadline for individual income tax returns approaches, there are issues outside the four corners of the return that taxpayers should keep in mind:

  1. Stay current with your tax obligations. To avoid default or rejection of an installment agreement or offer in compromise under review

…

tax burdenCommercial leases and short-term residential rentals are generally subject to sales tax, and it is the tenant’s responsibility to pay it, but the landlord’s responsibility to collect and remit the tax to the Florida Department of Revenue. Other than writing the check to the landlord for the rent, including the sales tax, the tenant often forgets about the sales tax issues. However, there are areas where the tenant could still be responsible directly to the Department of Revenue, as well as areas for planning when negotiating the lease terms.

What if the landlord fails to pay the Department of Revenue?

Sales taxes are what are commonly referred to as “trust fund taxes,” meaning the person collecting the tax (here, the landlord) is holding those funds in trust for the state. Those monies are the state’s property at the time of collection, and if the landlord fails to pay it to the state, the state can then seek the taxes, penalties, and interest not only from the landlord-entity, but from its owners, officers, and employees who were responsible for paying (or failing to pay) the tax. Depending on the circumstances, criminal sanctions may also be sought.Continue Reading Sales Tax on Leases – Traps for the Unwary