In response to the ongoing pandemic, on March 13, 2020, President Trump declared the coronavirus or COVID-19, a national disaster under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. This declaration put into play a little-known existing provision of the tax law –Section 139 of the Internal Revenue Code. Section 139 allows employers […]
Tax and Wealth Advisor Blog
Wisconsin law already provides that any extension granted by the IRS for filing income taxes also extends the time allowed for filing Wisconsin income taxes. Nevertheless, Governor Tony Evers and Department of Revenue Secretary Peter Barca announced on Saturday March 21, 2020 that Wisconsin law will automatically extend time and waive interest and penalties for […]
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin just announced that the IRS will be moving the tax filing date to July 15 from April 15. Mnuchin says people and businesses will have more time to file and make payments without interest or penalties. Mnuchin made the announcement on Twitter, saying the move came at the direction of […]
The Treasury Department issued guidance March 18, 2020 saying that taxpayers can delay paying some federal income taxes for 90 days but still must submit their forms to the Internal Revenue Service — or officially request an extension — by April 15. Individuals can delay payments of up to $1 million in taxes and corporations […]
With all the tax changes taking effect in recent years, entities taxed as partnerships may have overlooked an important change from a few years ago—the new partnership audit rules. The changes to the partnership audit rules were unrelated to the highly publicized Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, and instead were introduced in the […]
President Trump unveiled a budget proposal for the 2021 fiscal year. Of note, the income tax and estate tax cuts provided in the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 which are scheduled to expire on January 1, 2026, are being extended in this proposal to 2035. This includes the increased estate tax exemption of […]
The “Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement” Act (the SECURE Act), signed into law by President Trump on December 20, 2019, pointedly changes many requirements for employer-provided retirement plans, IRAs, and other tax-favored savings accounts. While some of the provisions of the SECURE Act may provide taxpayers with great tax savings opportunities, not all […]
When a gift is made, the fair market value of the gift must be determined for federal gift tax purposes. The fair market value of a gift is important to determine whether the donor’s gift exceeds the annual gift tax exclusion amount ($15,000 per person per year in both 2019 and 2020), and if so, […]
As we enter the holiday season and focus on what we are most thankful for, many of us will begin planning for our annual charitable contributions. While tax benefits are not the primary reason behind most giving—giving back is its own reward—the IRS has established these tax benefits to encourage charitable giving. This year, as […]
This the 4th of 11 articles based on our firm’s book The Art, Science and Law of Business Succession Planning. In the last article we discussed the five essential objectives a good succession plan needs to address. In this article we will discuss the first objective in more detail–maximizing the value of the business. Number 1: Maximize […]