Tax Planning Lawyers in the USA

One of the most common questions often asked of corporate attorneys by small business owners who are just setting up their first company is how to write off expenses. Usually, two of the most important expenses these people want to write off are meals and entertainment expenses.

In 2012, with the dreaded “Fiscal Cliff” looming, many were worried about the inaction that would cause the estate tax exemption level to fall to $1 million. However, in the first two days of the new year, Congress finally passed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA) which makes permanent the $5 million exemption as well as portability.

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA) extended and made permanent (i.e., until Congress changes its mind) a number of key estate tax provisions. This includes a $5 million ($5.25 including inflation) estate tax exemption and portability of a deceased spouse’s exemption to the surviving spouse. The result of this means that married couples can shelter up to $10.5 million of their estate from federal taxes.

The Supreme Court’s recent decision to allow same-sex couples to receive marriage benefits raised several questions that left many lawmakers, financial institutions and individuals anxious for answers. Now, finally, the IRS has issued guidance in Revenue Ruling 2013-17. A Revenue Ruling is the IRS’s interpretation of the law.

If you have already been sued, it is probably too late to do anything to protect your assets. But, if you are a planner and looking to protect your assets before you have a problem, this article is for you.

It is wise to know what the tax changes are when planning for the next tax season. Following are a few of the changes for 2013 that could affect the amount of taxes that you will pay.

A study was released earlier this year by the American Journal of Medicine regarding bankruptcies caused by medical bills that were simply too overwhelming to address. They found that in 2007 62% of all bankruptcies were due to an inability to pay health care debt. If you are in a position to assist family members who may be in financial difficulty due to medical bills you may be concerned about the gift tax.

Leaving behind your final wishes via the construction of a Last Will is part of the equation when you are making preparations for the inevitable. But words on a piece of paper are not going to accomplish much in and of themselves. Someone is going to have to actually make sure that your wishes are carried out,and this will be the executor or personal representative.

As they say time flies,and it is kind of hard to believe that we are so far into 2012 already. This is a very interesting year on a number of different levels and coming changes to the tax code are among the points of intrigue. You may remember that the Bush era tax cuts were scheduled to expire at the end of 2010.

The Federal estate tax is unified with the gift tax.As a result,gifts that you give are subject to the same 35% tax that is applied to your estate. It should be noted that there is a unified gift/estate tax exemption and right now it sits at $5.12 million. However, these numbers are only accurate for 2012.As laws currently stand,the exclusion is going to be reduced to $1 million in 2013 and the rate is scheduled to rise to 55%.