Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Tax Planning: A Way You Can Reduce Your Burden



Costs can drain the life out of a company. For those who live on a month to month basis with their business, not a lot of effort goes into such things as tax planning. Either those in charge of the business are not well aware of what is required to effectively engage in tax planning or they simply do not prioritize it. The former is somewhat understandable, but the latter is really nothing more than a path to getting into serious fiscal woes. Businesses do need liquidity in order to survive if not thrive. Cash flow and cash in reserve accounts allow a business to immediately access funds. Yes, it is true that a line of credit can do so as well. However, borrowing from a line of credit is exactly that: borrowing. When money is saved in reserve, it contributes to the overall net assets of the business. Also, the funds can be placed in a conservative investment where it can draw interest. Interest, of course, increases the value of the money saved in it.

This is where effective tax planning comes into play. There can be quite a number of misunderstandings about what tax planning entails. On the simplest of levels, tax planning refers to putting the proper effort through the year to be sure the lowest amount of taxes is paid. This is not as easy as some assume. Most do realize that taking deductions will greatly cut down on the amount of taxable income a business presents. A good accountant can definitely maximize the amount of deductions that a business can employ. Being able to do so would be the sign of a truly excellent and helpful accountant. However, there is far more to tax planning which can be done here.

One other effective component of tax planning would be to take advantage of tax credits. Tax credits are simply bonus deductions offered as incentives. One example of a tax credit could be taking a certain percentage of the costs to purchase alternative, green energy systems in an business. In some instances, a business might already have invested in making such purchases but does not take the tax credit because management simply does not know the credits are available. Professional who work in tax planning can invest a huge amount of time in research so they can locate the tax credits which could prove hugely helpful to a business.

There is also a strategy of replanning which a tax consultant can put effort into. For example, a business may be interested in starting down path A, but scores of tax credits could be gained by traveling down path B. Qualified tax planners and accountants just might be able to help devise more logical and business friendly paths for those interested in saving money and doing better with the operation of their business.


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