4Thought Blog

The IRS defines an opportunity zone as an “economically distressed community where new investments may be eligible for preferential tax treatment.” The Treasury has certified nearly 9,000 of these districts across all U.S. states and its territories, including the entire island of Puerto Rico. An opportunity zone designation has the potential to trigger a rush of investment activity and is intended to help revitalize neglected areas.

A qualified opportunity zone fund is an investment vehicle that must invest at least 90 percent of its assets in businesses that operate in a qualified opportunity zone, either by acquiring stock or a partnership interest. The fund can also make direct investments in properties and real estate located within a qualified opportunity zone. REITs and other operators are forming opportunity zone funds to access the capital expected to be generated by this program to acquire and develop properties.

Most businesses will owe less tax for the 2018 tax year than they would have under prior law, thanks to changes brought by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. But have you done everything possible to lower your business tax bill for last year?

Even though 2018 is in your review mirror, there are some possibilities for business owners to consider if your return for the last tax year hasn't been prepared yet.

Many businesses will pay less federal income taxes in 2018 and beyond, thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. And some will spend their tax savings on merging with or acquiring another business.

Before you jump on the M&A bandwagon, it's important to understand how your transaction will be taxed under current tax law.

More than a year after sweeping federal and state tax reform were enacted, businesses of all sizes are still wrapping their arms around the changes.

Additional guidance and regulations have been issued nearly every month — indeed, change is the new normal. Strategic tax planning now is key to lowering businesses’ total tax liability.

Read on for eight top planning opportunities and considerations businesses should review as part of their 2019 strategy.

Now that tax reform through the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 is no longer breaking news, it’s time we take a closer look at a question that arose for McDonald’s franchisees as a result of the change in the tax law.

One of the headline reforms of the new legislation was the slashing of the corporate tax rate from the graduated maximum of 35% to a flat 21%. This begged the question, “Is it now more beneficial for a McDonald’s Owner/Operator to be a C Corporation than a pass-through S Corporation?”

Without examining the merits of the latter choice of entity type, let us instead lay out some (but not all) of the pros and cons of operating your McDonald’s business as a C Corporation.

When President Trump signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017, much was made of the dramatic cut in corporate tax rates. But the TCJA also includes a generous deduction for smaller businesses that operate as pass-through entities, with income that is “passed through” to owners and taxed as individual income.

The IRS issued proposed regulations for the qualified business income (QBI), or Section 199A, deduction in August 2018. Now, it has released final regulations and additional guidance, just before the first tax season in which taxpayers can claim the deduction. Among other things, the guidance provides clarity on who qualifies for the QBI deduction and how to calculate the deduction amount.

The new rules include important clarifications for rental real estate owners, service businesses and the owners of multiple businesses. Read on for the important clarifications.

The IRS this week announced it is waiving the estimated tax penalty for many taxpayers whose 2018 federal income tax withholding and estimated tax payments fell short of their total tax liability for the year.

The IRS is generally waiving the penalty for any taxpayer who paid at least 85 percent of their total tax liability during the year through federal income tax withholding, quarterly estimated tax payments or a combination of the two. The usual percentage threshold is 90 percent to avoid a penalty.

This relief is designed to help taxpayers who were unable to properly adjust their withholding and estimated tax payments to reflect an array of changes under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the far-reaching tax reform law enacted in December 2017. 

The IRS has announced its 2019 cost-of-living adjustments to tax items that might affect you. Many of the amounts increased to account for inflation, but some remained at 2018 levels. As you implement 2018 year-end tax planning strategies, be sure to take these 2019 adjustments into account in your planning.

Have you thought about your personal tax situation for 2018? In addition to reviewing the adequacy of your payroll withholdings and estimated tax payments, there's still time to employ some tax-savvy moves that could potentially decrease this year's tax bill. Tax reform legislation has changed the rules of the game, so it's important to discuss end-of-year strategies with your tax advisor as soon as possible. 

The passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in late 2017 brought significant changes to the tax landscape. As the first tax season under the law looms on the horizon, new year-end tax planning strategies are emerging. Meanwhile, some of the old tried-and-true strategies have changed and others remain viable.