Dear Friends,
Sometimes, good advice is worth repeating! You may recall that in our last newsletter, we talked about the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). Here's what we said: Beware of the "stealth tax," so called because it sneaks up on you.....
We
think that this issue is so important, we're devoting an entire
newsletter to the subject. Be sure to check-out the additional
resources we've listed at the end....and as always, please call me with
any questions or concerns you may have.
Certified pain relief is always just a phone call away!
Cindy Brandt
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The Alternative Minimum Tax What You Should Know
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The
Alternative Minimum Tax was originally designed to prevent wealthy taxpayers
from using tax shelters to avoid paying their fair share of taxes.
However,
Congress has changed the tax laws many times since the inception of the AMT and
shut down many of the tax-avoidance opportunities that existed in the 1960s and
1970s. Today, the AMT affects millions of taxpayers with no tax-avoidance
motives at all - unless one considers choosing to live in a high-tax state or
choosing to have children to be a tax-avoidance motive. Thus, about 87 percent of the additional
income subject to the AMT tax is simply a result of where you live or the size of your family!
Moreover,
the AMT is now affecting increasing numbers of middle-income taxpayers, because
the amount of income exempt from the AMT is not
indexed for inflation. When Congress first enacted a minimum tax in 1969, the
exemption amount was $30,000 for all taxpayers. If Congress had indexed that
amount, it would be equal to about $165,000 today. Instead, the exemption amountsare $45,000 for married taxpayers and $33,750 for most other taxpayers.
As a result, it is now projected that in
2007, absent a change in law, 23.4 million individual taxpayers - or about 26
percent of individual filers who pay income tax - will be subject to the AMT. Among the categories of taxpayers hardest
hit, 89 percent of married couples with adjusted gross incomes between $75,000
and $100,000 and two or more children will owe AMT.
Could the IRS Make It Any More Difficult?
The burden
that the AMT imposes is substantial. In dollar terms, it is estimated that each
AMT taxpayer will owe, on average, an additional $6,782 in tax in 2006.
In terms of complexity and time, taxpayers often must complete a
16-line worksheet, read ten pages of instructions, and complete a
55-line form simply to determine whether they are subject to the AMT.
Thus, it is hardly surprising that 77 percent of AMT taxpayers hire
practitioners to prepare their returns.
Perhaps most
disturbingly, it is often very difficult for taxpayers to determine in advance
whether they will be hit by the AMT. As a result, many taxpayers are unaware
that the AMT applies to them until they receive a notice from the IRS, and some
discover they have AMT liabilities that they did not anticipate and cannot pay.
To make matters worse, the difficulty of projecting AMT tax liability in advance
makes it challenging for taxpayers to compute and make required estimated tax
payments, which often results in these taxpayers being subject to
penalties. How Do I Know if the AMT Applies to Me?
Unfortunately,
there's no good answer to this often asked question - which is one of
the big problems with the AMT. One big item on your tax return can push
you into the AMT liability, or you might fall into it because of a
combination of many small items. Some
things that can contribute to AMT liability are common items that
appear on many tax returns, such as a deduction for state income tax,
interest on a second mortgage, long term capital gains, incentive stock
options, or even your personal and dependency exemptions. See Top 10 Things that Cause AMT Liability for details on how these items can affect your AMT liability.
The
Internal Revenue Service also has an online calculator to help you figure out if
you are subject to the alternative minimum tax. It's called the AMT Assistant for Individuals.
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At CA Brandt, we know how difficult financial management for the small business owner can be. After all, you didn't start your business because you loved accounting, right?
Time and time again, we've been able to take the headache out of business and tax planning, as well as a host of other financial challenges that keep you awake at night. That's why we call our services "Certified Financial Pain Management" because at CA Brandt, we take the pain of financial management and planning away, so that you can get back to the real business at hand.
Sincerely,
Cindy Brandt
CA Brandt LLC
Woburn Office
12 Alfred Street, Suite 330 Woburn, MA 01801 Phone: 781.897.1755 Fax: 781.897.1756
Cambridge Office
777 Concord Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138 Phone: 617.547.4594 Fax: 781.897.1756
Haverhill Office 50 Main Street Haverhill, MA 01835 Phone: 978.556.5050 Fax: Fax 978.521.4081 |
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The Alternative Minimum Tax
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We clear-up the confusing and perplexing AMT tax law.......
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ASK CINDY
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I am self employed. I have been told that taking a home office
deduction raises red flags. Is this
true?
No,
the home office deduction is a perfectly legitimate deduction, as long as the
taxpayer meets the requirements for a home office. To deduct home office expenses, a self-employed taxpayer must use the home office space exclusively and regularly:
1. As a principal place of business;
2. As a place to meet or deal with clients and customers in the normal course of business; or
3. In connection with the business if the space is a separate structure from the residence (Sec. 280A(c)(1)).
Note:
While employees may also claim home office deductions, the home's business use
must be for the convenience of the employer and the space must be used
exclusively and regularly for job-related activities, conditions which are much
more difficult to meet. What's Your Question? Email me at [email protected]!
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