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Returning Value Blog

Understanding Wage Reporting and Withholding Requirements for Foreign Employees

Posted by Lesley L. Price, CPA on Mar 27, 2017

If your business utilizes foreign employees (aka, aliens), it is critical that you correctly comply with IRS regulations concerning payments to foreign workers. Understanding and complying with these regulations is crucial. Still, businesses of nearly every size and scope seem to struggle with correctly reporting these kinds of wages.

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Posted in Business Tax

Did You Know Machen McChesney Has a Manufacturing Group?.....

Posted by Michael D. Machen, CPA, CVA on Feb 28, 2017

Machen McChesney offers several industry-specific knowledge and expertise.  One of these industries is the Manufacturing, Distribution & Automotive sector.  Machen McChesney has the skill set to provide guidance to help your business reduce labor and production cost, help optimize inventory management systems and controls, and the ability to ensure you are paying the correct sales and use tax rates.  

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Posted in Business Tax

Immediate Tax Benefits for Business Property

Posted by Nick Wheeler, CPA on Feb 10, 2017

Section 179 provides generous tax break

There is a unique tax break for business entities of all shapes and sizes contained in Section 179 of the Internal Revenue Code. Under this section, a business can elect to “expense,” or currently deduct, the cost of qualified property placed in service during the year, up to a maximum level. It is near-instant tax gratification.

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President Obama Signed Bill that Eliminates the ACA Penalty on Certain Health Care Premiums Reimbursed to Employees

Posted by Jessica L. Pagan, CPA on Jan 25, 2017

Summary

On December 13, 2016, President Obama signed the 21st Century Cures Act, which allows certain small employers to establish a new type of health reimbursement arrangement that reimburses for health insurance premiums without exposure to the $100 dollar per day penalty under the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”).  Under these new rules, small business owners are permitted to compensate employees for medical visits or the cost of individual insurance premiums up to an annual limit of $4,950 for individuals, or $10,000 for families. These reimbursements are also excludible from the employee’s gross income.  
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Posted in Business Tax

Top Three Tax Planning Ideas for Startup Companies

Posted by Michael D. Machen, CPA, CVA on Jan 23, 2017

Welcome to 2017. As we move through January and get ever-closer to April 15, we are fast-approaching the 2016 year-end tax season. We understand just how stressful this time can be—and particularly so for individuals who are working to grow startup companies

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Posted in Business Tax

How to Use the Safe Harbor Election for Capital Expenditures

Posted by Marty Williams, CPA on Dec 16, 2016

Does your manufacturing company plan to purchase equipment or machinery early in 2017? If so, it is worth considering the timing of when you purchase that equipment for the best tax savings. It all has to do with something called the de minimis safe harbor election.

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Posted in Business Tax

Structuring Like-Kind Exchange Transactions Outside of Revenue Procedure's 2000-37 Safe-Harbor

Posted by Marty Williams, CPA on Nov 11, 2016

Summary

On August 10, 2016, in the case of Estate of George H. Bartell Jr. et al. v. Commissioner, 147 T.C. No. 5, the Tax Court approved a reverse section 1031 exchange where the safe harbor tests under Revenue Procedure 2000-37 (“Rev. Proc. 2000-37”) were not met. The case and the court’s reasoning may support alternatives for structuring reverse exchanges that, for whatever reason, cannot meet the safe harbor.
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Posted in Business Tax

Opportunity For Fiscal Year Taxpayers to Claim Missed Bonus Depreciation on 2015 Assets

Posted by Nick Wheeler, CPA on Nov 07, 2016

Summary

A highlight of the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (“PATH Act”) is the five-year extension of additional first-year depreciation, or “bonus depreciation,” from 2015 through 2019.  Enacted on December 18, 2015, the “PATH Act” retroactively extended 50-percent bonus depreciation to apply to qualified property placed in service in 2015.  The enactment came too late for some fiscal year taxpayers that had already filed federal tax returns for tax years beginning in 2014 and ending in 2015, and for taxpayers with a taxable year of less than 12 months beginning and ending in 2015.  Consequently, these taxpayers may have failed to claim bonus depreciation on their tax returns for qualifying property placed in service in 2015.  Recently, the Internal Revenue Service issued relief guidance in Rev. Proc. 2016-48 to provide affected taxpayers with procedures for claiming, or not claiming, the 50-percent bonus depreciation on such property.

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Posted in Business Tax

How to Maximize the Tax Benefits of Business Trips

Posted by Nick Wheeler, CPA on Sep 17, 2015

Are you planning a business trip to a distant city? If the destination is known for its cultural attractions or recreational activities, you might want to combine your business with a little pleasure. In fact, this could be a chance to get away after the children have gone back to school or to just spend some quality “alone time” with your spouse.

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Posted in Business Tax

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