 These days, most businesses need a website to remain competitive. It’s an easy decision to set one up and maintain it. But determining the proper tax treatment for the costs involved in developing a website isn’t so easy. That’s because the IRS hasn’t released any official guidance on these costs yet. Consequently, you must apply existing guidance on other costs to the issue of website development costs.
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 There’s good news about the Section 179 depreciation deduction for business property. The election has long provided a tax windfall to businesses, enabling them to claim immediate deductions for qualified assets, instead of taking depreciation deductions over time. And it was increased and expanded by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).
Even better, the Sec. 179 deduction isn’t the only avenue for immediate tax write-offs for qualified assets. Under the 100% bonus depreciation tax break provided by the TCJA, the entire cost of eligible assets placed in service in 2019 can be written off this year.  Spring and summer are the optimum seasons for selling a home. And interest rates are currently attractive, so buyers may be out in full force in your area. Freddie Mac reports that the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 4.14% during the week of May 2, 2019, while the 15-year mortgage rate was 3.6%. This is down 0.41 and 0.43%, respectively, from a year earlier.
But before you contact a realtor to sell your home, you should review the tax considerations.  If you read the Internal Revenue Code (and you probably don’t want to!), you may be surprised to find that most business deductions aren’t specifically listed. It doesn’t explicitly state that you can deduct office supplies and certain other expenses.
Some expenses are detailed in the tax code, but the general rule is contained in the first sentence of Section 162, which states you can write off “all the ordinary and necessary expenses paid or incurred during the taxable year in carrying on any trade or business.”  Merger and acquisition activity has been brisk in recent years. If your business is considering merging with or acquiring another business, it’s important to understand how the transaction will be taxed under current law.
 The Internal Revenue Service recently introduced the Tax Exempt Organization Search (TEOS), a new online tool on IRS.gov designed to provide faster, easier access to publicly available information about exempt organizations. It replaces EO Select Check, a more limited tool available since 2012 that focused primarily on providing information on an organization’s tax-exempt status.
"This new tool provides taxpayers an easy way to get information about charitable organizations," said Acting IRS Commissioner David Kautter. "Tax-exempt organizations play a critical role in our nation, and this will provide greater insight for people considering donations." By ensuring the entity you want to donate to is a qualified charitable organization, you are making sure your gift is allowed as a charitable deduction.  Typically when property is sold any gain must be reported as taxable income. IRS Code Section 1031 allows for the deferral of tax of gain on sale of property by so-called like-kind exchanges, also known as 1031 exchanges. They work under the simple premise implied by the name: property is exchanged for like-kind property, and when all the rules are followed any gain that would have been taxable is deferred.
The deferral is allowed because the basis in the newly acquired property is reduced by the amount of gain recognized. Thus, the gain is eventually recognized when the new property is sold, because the decreased basis increases the amount of gain on sale (unless, somehow, the gain is deferred again by another like-kind exchange). |
Next Step BlogOur blog is intended as a tool to keep people informed about relevant tax and accounting issues. If you have a question or an idea for a post, let us know! Categories
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