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1、Tax PlanningTax planning involves conceiving of and implementing various strategies in order to minimize the amount of taxes paid for given period. For a small business, minimizing the tax liability can provide money for expenses, investment, or growth. In this way, tax planning can be a source of w
2、orking capital. According to The Entrepreneur Magazine Small Business Advisor, two basic rules apply to tax planning. First, a small business should never incur additional expense only to gain a tax deduction. While purchasing necessary equipment prior to the end of tax year can be a valuable tax pl
3、anning strategy, marking unnecessary purchases is not recommended. Second a small business should always attempt to defer taxes when possible. Deferring taxes enables the business to use that money interest-free, and sometimes even earn interest on it, until the next time taxes are due.Experts recom
4、mend that entrepreneurs and small business owners conduct formal tax planning sessions in the middle of each tax year. This approach will give them time to apply their strategies to the current year as well as allow them to get a jump on the following year. It is important for small business owners
5、to maintain a personal awareness of tax planning issues in order to save money. Even if employ a professional bookkeeper or accountant, small business owners should keep careful tabs on theirs own tax preparation in order to take advantage of all possible opportunities for deduction and tax savings.
6、 Whether or not you enlist the aid of an outsider, you should understand the basic provisions of the tax code. Just as you would not turn over the management of your money to another person, you should not blindly allow someone else to take complete charge of your tax paying responsibilities. In add
7、ition, as Frederick W. Dailey wrote in his book Tax Savvy for Small Business, Tax knowledge has powerful profit potential. Knowing what the tax law has to offer can give you a far better bottom line than your competitors who dont bother to learn.General Areas of Tax PlanningThere are several general
8、 areas of tax planning that apply to all sorts of small businesses. These areas include the choice of accounting and inventory-valuation methods, the timing of equipment purchases, the spreading of business income among family members, and the selection of tax-favored benefit plans and investments.
9、There are also some areas of tax planning that are specific to certain business formsi.e., sole proprietorships, partnerships, C corporations, and S corporations. Some of the general tax planning strategies are described below:ACCOUNTING METHODS. Accounting methods refer to the basic rules and guide
10、lines under which businesses keep their financial records and prepare their financial reports. There are two main accounting methods used for record-keeping: the cash basis and the accrual basis. Small business owners must decide which method to use depending on the legal form of the business, its s
11、ales volume, whether it extends credit to customers, and the tax requirements set forth by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The choice of accounting method is an issue in tax planning, as it can affect the amount of taxes owed by a small business in a given year.Accounting records prepared using
12、the cash basis recognize income and expenses according to real-time cash flow. Income is recorded upon receipt of funds, rather than based upon when it is actually earned, and expenses are recorded as they are paid, rather than as they are actually incurred. Under this accounting method, therefore,
13、it is possible to defer taxable income by delaying billing so that payment is not received in the current year. Likewise, it is possible to accelerate expenses by paying them as soon as the bills are received, in advance of the due date. The cash method is simpler than the accrual method, it provide
14、s a more accurate picture of cash flow, and income is not subject to taxation until the money is actually received.In contrast, the accrual basis makes a greater effort to recognize income and expenses in the period to which they apply, regardless of whether or not money has changed hands. Under thi
15、s system, revenue is recorded when it is earned, rather than when payment is received, and expenses recorded when they are incurred, rather than when payment is made. The main advantage of the accrual method is that it provides a more accurate picture of how a business is performing over the long-te
16、rm than the cash method. The main disadvantages are that it is more complex than the cash basis, and that income taxes may be owed on revenue before payment is actually received. However, the accrual basis may yield favorable tax results for companies that have few receivables and large current liab
17、ilities.Under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), the accrual basis of accounting is required for all businesses that handle inventory, from small retailers to large manufacturers. It is also required for corporations and partnerships that have gross sales over $5 million per year, thou
18、gh there are exceptions for farming businesses and qualified personal service corporationssuch as doctors, lawyers, accountants, and consultants. Other businesses generally can decide which accounting method to use based on the relative tax savings it provides.INVENTORY VALUATION METHODS. The method
19、 a small business chooses for inventory valuation can also lead to substantial tax savings. Inventory valuation is important because businesses are required to reduce the amount they deduct for inventory purchases over the course of a year by the amount remaining in inventory at the end of the year.
20、 For example, a business that purchased $10,000 in inventory during the year but had $6,000 remaining in inventory at the end of the year could only count $4,000 as an expense for inventory purchases, even though the actual cash outlay was much larger. Valuing the remaining inventory differently cou
21、ld increase the amount deducted from income and thus reduce the amount of tax owed by the business.The tax law provides two possible methods for inventory valuation: the first-in, first-out method (FIFO); and the last-in, first-out method (LIFO). As the names suggest, these inventory methods differ
22、in the assumption they make about the way items are sold from inventory. FIFO assumes that the items purchased the earliest are the first to be removed from inventory, while LIFO assumes that the items purchased most recently are the first to be removed from inventory. In this way, FIFO values the r
23、emaining inventory at the most current cost, while LIFO values the remaining inventory at the earliest cost paid that year.LIFO is generally the preferred inventory valuation method during times of rising costs. It places a lower value on the remaining inventory and a higher value on the cost of goo
24、ds sold, thus reducing income and taxes. On the other hand, FIFO is generally preferred during periods of deflation or in industries where inventory can tend to lose its value rapidly, such as high technology. Companies are allowed to file Form 970 and switch from FIFO to LIFO at any time to take ad
25、vantage of tax savings. However, they must then either wait ten years or get permission from the IRS to switch back to FIFO.EQUIPMENT PURCHASES. Under Section 179 of the Internal Revenue Code, businesses are allowed to deduct a total of $18,000 in equipment purchases during the year in which the pur
26、chases are made. Any purchases above this amount must be depreciated over several future tax periods. It is often advantageous for small businesses to use this tax incentive to increase their deductions for business expenses, thus reducing their taxable income and their tax liability. Necessary equi
27、pment purchases up to the limit can be timed at year end and still be fully deductible for the year. This tax incentive also applies to personal property put into service for business use, with the exception of automobiles and real estate.WAGES PAID TO FAMILY MEMBERS. Self-employed persons can also
28、reduce their tax burden by paying wages to a spouse or to dependent children. Wages paid to children under the age of 18 are not subject to FICA (Social Security and Medicare) taxes. Under normal circumstances, employers are required to withhold 7.65 percent of the first $62,700 of an employees inco
29、me for FICA taxes. Employers are also required to match the 7.65 percent contributed by every employee, so that the total FICA contribution is 15.3 percent. Self-employed persons are required to pay both the employer and employee portions of the FICA tax.But the FICA taxes are waived when the employ
30、ee is a dependent child of the small business owner, saving the child and the parent 7.65 percent each. In addition, the childs wages are still considered a tax deductible business expense for the parentthus reducing the parents taxable income. Although the child must pay normal income taxes on the
31、wages he or she receives, it is likely to be at a lower tax rate than the parent pays. Some business owners are able to further reduce their tax burden by paying wages to their spouse. If these wages bring the business owners net income below $62,700the threshold for FICA taxesthen they may reduce t
32、he self-employment tax owed by business owner. It is important to note, however, that the child or spouse must actually work for the business and that the wages must be reasonable for the work performed.BENEFITS PLANS AND INVESTMENTS. Tax planning also applies to various types of employee benefits t
33、hat can provide a business with tax deductions, such as contributions to life insurance, health insurance, or retirement plans. As an added bonus, many such benefit programs are not considered taxable income for employees. Finally, tax planning applies to various types of investments that can shift
34、tax liability to future periods, such as treasury bills, bank certificates, savings bonds, and deferred annuities. Companies can avoid paying taxes during the current period for income that is reinvested in such tax-deferred instruments.Tax Planning for Different Business FormsThe first step in tax
35、planningfor small business owners and professionals, at leastis to select the right form of organization for your enterprise, according to Albert B. Ellentuck in the Laventhol and Horwath Small Business TaxPlanning Guide. Youll end up paying radically different amounts of income tax depending on the
36、 form you select. And your odds of being audited by the IRS will change, too. Many aspects of tax planning are specific to certain business forms; some of these are discussed below:SOLE PROPRIETORSHIPS AND PARTNERSHIPS. Tax planning for sole proprietorships and partnerships is in many ways similar t
37、o tax planning for individuals. This is because the owners of businesses organized as sole proprietors and partnerships pay personal income tax rather than business income tax. These small business owners file an informational return for their business with the IRS, and then report any income taken
38、from the business for personal use on their own personal tax return. No special taxes are imposed except for the self-employment tax (SECA), which requires all self-employed persons to pay both the employer and employee portions of the FICA tax, for a total of 15.3 percent.Since they do not receive
39、an ordinary salary, the owners of sole proprietorships and partnerships are not required to withhold income taxes for themselves. Instead, they are required to estimate their total tax liability and remit it to the IRS in quarterly installments, using Form 1040 ES. It is important that the amount of
40、 tax paid in quarterly installments equal either the total amount owed during the previous year or 90 percent of their total current tax liability. Otherwise, the IRS may charge interest and impose a stiff penalty for underpayment of estimated taxes.Since the IRS calculates the amount owed quarterly
41、, a large lump-sum payment in the fourth quarter will not enable a taxpayer to escape penalties. On the other hand, a significant increase in withholding in the fourth quarter may help, because tax that is withheld by an employer is considered to be paid evenly throughout the year no matter when it
42、was withheld. This leads to a possible tax planning strategy for a self-employed person who falls behind in his or her estimated tax payments. By having an employed spouse increase his or her withholding, the self-employed person can make up for the deficiency and avoid a penalty. The IRS has also b
43、een known to waive underpayment penalties for people in special circumstances. For example, they might waive the penalty for newly self-employed taxpayers who underpay their income taxes because they are making estimated tax payments for the first time.Another possible tax planning strategy applies
44、to partnerships that anticipate a loss. At the end of each tax year, partnerships file the informational Form 1065 (Partnership Statement of Income) with the IRS, and then report the amount of income that accrued to each partner on Schedule K1. This income can be divided in any number of ways, depen
45、ding on the nature of the partnership agreement. In this way, it is possible to pass all of a partnerships early losses to one partner in order to maximize his or her tax advantages.Whats more, enterprises to carry out the correct tax, the need for the adoption of the following major route of transm
46、ission.First, reasonable means of financing options. In accordance with the provisions of Chinas current tax law, corporate interest payments on the loan within a certain range can be pre-tax expenses, and dividends can only be spending the after-tax profits of enterprise expenses. From a tax point
47、of view, appropriate to the bank business loans and financing between enterprises, rather than directly to the fund-raising benefits.Second, a reasonable choice of trading partners. Chinas existing value-added tax system has a general taxpayers and small-scale taxpayers on the points, choose a diffe
48、rent supplier object, the tax burden on enterprises is not the same. For example, when the Department of suppliers of value-added tax general taxpayer, the business after the purchase of goods, according to the amount of tax deduction of input tax amount of the corresponding balance after payment of
49、 value-added tax; if the purchase of goods for small-scale taxpayers, VAT can not be achieved Its not contain the amount of input tax deduction, the tax burden more than the former. Such as open invoices can also be part of deduction. Third, the easy way out tax conversion. Enterprises will be converted to high-tax low-tax, refers to economic activities in the same, there are a variety of revenue options to choose from, the taxpayers to avoid high-tax point, choose the low tax and reduce the tax liability . The
