Monday, July 25, 2011

Tax Preparation in New Castle Delaware 19720: Obstacle Course Awaits Congress in Quest for Simpler Tax Code

Tax Preparation in New Castle Delaware 19720: Obstacle Course Awaits Congress in Quest for Simpler Tax Code

Posted on July 25, 2011 by colonialtax


The allure of a simpler, more efficient tax code that could fuel economic growth presents a tantalizing possibility for U.S. lawmakers. The path to that goal is littered with political and legislative obstacles.

Even if President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner had agreed to pursue a tax code overhaul as part of a deal to raise the debt ceiling, completing such an effort would require sustained bipartisan cooperation on an issue that deeply divides Republicans and Democrats.

Congress hasn’t rewritten the U.S. tax code since 1986, and that isn’t for lack of trying. The problem extends beyond disagreements about the proper size of government and the role of government in fighting income inequality. The difficulty is that the clearest track to a simpler code with lower rates would require eliminating or curtailing cherished tax breaks such as those for home mortgage interest, charitable contributions, domestic manufacturing and capital gains.

“A lot of these groups are pretty well-organized, so I think this battle within the business community of who’s going to win and who’s going to lose is the big issue,” said David Kautter, managing director of the Kogod Tax Center at American University in Washington. “That’s what makes it hard.”

Negotiators had been discussing an agreement that would set a short timeline for rewriting the tax code with parameters for revenue and an enforcement mechanism that would trigger consequences if Congress doesn’t act. Boehner said yesterday that he was ending discussions with the White House.

‘Incredibly Difficult’

The outlines of an agreement could have made it difficult for lawmakers to agree on the details of a tax rewrite, said Melissa Mueller, a former Democratic tax counsel for the Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees.

“They’ve sort of gotten whipped up in the frenzy of tax reform and how easy it might be in the abstract,” said Mueller, now a partner at the Washington lobbying firm Capitol Tax Partners. “But when you actually get in and see the specific ways of doing it, it’s incredibly difficult.”

The arithmetic required to trade tax breaks for lower rates, it’s much simpler than the politics, said Representative Kevin Brady, a Texas Republican on the Ways and Means Committee.

“On paper, yeah, it’s very easy to make the adjustments and changes,” he said in an interview yesterday. “In real life, to seriously dial down the tax rates, you have to seriously eliminate some very popular, very politically sensitive exemptions, credits and incentives.”

Higher Revenue

Additionally, if an agreement included higher revenue through a tax code overhaul as a condition of obtaining spending cuts, Republicans would have to write a bill that violates some of their core principles.

“The higher revenues make it harder to get the kind of tax reform that we need to grow our economy,” Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp said yesterday in an interview on “Political Capital with Al Hunt” airing on Bloomberg Television this weekend. “And also, I really believe it will make it harder for us to create jobs.”

Camp said in an interview after the televised taping that such a revenue target wouldn’t necessarily make it impossible to overhaul the tax code, and he didn’t rule out advancing tax changes with a higher revenue target as part of a broader bipartisan deficit-reduction package.

In 1986, during the last major tax code overhaul, Congress stuck to a revenue-neutral framework, which created a zero-sum environment. In that law, Congress shifted tax benefits from businesses to individuals. A framework this year that raised revenue would tip the balance so that politically vocal losers would outweigh the winners, Kautter said.

“When you don’t have a reduction for most people,” he said, “then I think the dynamic changes dramatically.”

Advancing a Rewrite

The Ways and Means chairman said he is trying to write a corporate tax overhaul bill this year. Because many businesses are taxed through the individual tax code, Camp has long said he wants to address both parts of the tax system together.

Camp, a Michigan Republican, and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, have been holding hearings this year on the tax code. Next week, Camp’s panel will consider consumption taxes and Baucus’s committee will hear about the tax code’s effect on job creation from chief executive officers of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Kimberly-Clark Corp., PMC- Sierra Inc., and CVS Caremark Corp.

The hearings haven’t focused on a particular proposal. The Treasury Department may release a corporate tax overhaul framework after the debt ceiling debate is concluded, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has said.

“There is nothing really specific, no proposal to point at to say, this works and this doesn’t,” Mueller said. “Once you really have a proposal, then you can really have a serious conversation. How long that takes? I don’t know.”

Ultimate Goals

While Camp and Baucus talk regularly and on July 13 held their committees’ first joint hearing on tax policy in more than 70 years, they don’t necessarily agree on the ultimate goals of tax policy. The gaps between them mirror the philosophical gaps between their parties.

Camp wants to lower the top individual and corporate tax rates to 25 percent and collect the same amount of revenue as if all of the expiring tax cuts were extended and the tax increases in last year’s health-care law were repealed.

Baucus, in contrast, wrote major portions of the health- care law and has supported Democratic efforts to extend tax cuts for individuals earning less than $200,000 a year and married couples earning less than $250,000 without also extending the cuts for high-income taxpayers.

Political Calendar

One additional complication is the political calendar. Any tax-code rewrite would have to occur in the months leading up to the 2012 election, while Obama is running for re-election and while the House and Senate minorities seek control of their respective chambers.

“It absolutely makes it more challenging,” said Arshi Siddiqui, a partner at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld in Washington who was a tax adviser to Representative Nancy Pelosi when she was House speaker. “It will take a while to do kind of a reasoned approach to this.”

Even without a total rewrite of the tax code, Congress likely will pass significant tax legislation before it adjourns at the end of 2012. Extensions of the income and estate tax cuts expire at the end of 2012. Popular business tax breaks such as the research and development tax credit expire at the end of this year.






About colonialtax
Colonial Income Tax Service, LLC can help you with a full range of tax services. Our services include preparing your Federal and state income tax returns, and assisting you with tax planning opportunities. We also do business returns, including corporations, partnerships, LLC’S and trusts. The fees we charge vary depending on the complexity of the tax preparation or planning services you need. We believe our fees are both reasonable and competitive for the professional services we provide.The fee range for our service begins at $100 for Form 1040 with standard deduction, and $250 for a Form 1040, with schedule A – itemizing your deductions, and schedule B – listing your interest and dividends and, state return. Additional forms will increase our time and fee charges. We offer a $20 discount for new clients and our initial meeting to discuss your needs is FREE. To begin our service we will interview you using our tax data organizer which lists a host of questions and documents we will need to prepare your return. Based on the interview we can prepare an estimate of our fee charges. You decide whether we proceed with your tax return preparation. In payment we accept cash, checks, money orders, VISA and MasterCard. Call us today, 302-322-1135, to arrange a FREE initial consultation. Colonial Income Tax Service LLC 700 Delaware Street New Castle, DE 19720 Website: www.ColonialIncomeTax.Com E-Mail: Info@ColonialIncomeTax.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/ColonialTax LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/colonialtax
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← Delaware Accountants at Tax Preparation Service Located in Historic New Castle Delaware. Colonial Financial & Income Tax Service can help you with a full range of financial planning, retirement planning, investment products and tax services. Our staff members include Certified Public Accountants (CPA), Financial Planners (CFP), Chartered Life Underwriters (CLU) and Tax professionals (MS) with many years of experience. Our services include a comprehensive assessment of your current investment picture, beneficial adjustments to your portfolio, income tax preparation for your federal and state income tax returns, and assisting you with tax planning opportunities. We also do business returns, including corporations, partnerships, LLC’S and trusts..



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Friday, June 24, 2011

Colonial Income Tax : The revised standard mileage rates are 55.5 cents per mile for business use of an automobile and 23.5 cents for use of an automobile as a medical or moving expense.

The revised standard mileage rates are 55.5 cents per mile for business use of an automobile and 23.5 cents for use of an automobile as a medical or moving expense.

Internal Revenue Service is revising the optional standard mileage rates. For computing the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, medical, or moving expense purposes and for determining the reimbursed amount of these expenses that is deemed substantiated. This modification results from recent increases in the price of fuel. The revised standard mileage rates are 55.5 cents per mile for business use of an automobile and 23.5 cents for use of an automobile as a medical or moving expense. The mileage rate for use of an automobile as a charitable contribution is fixed by statute and remains 14 cents. The revised standard mileage rates apply to deductible transportation expenses paid or incurred for business, medical, or moving expense purposes on or after July 1, 2011, and to mileage allowances that are paid both (1) to an employee on or after July 1, 2011, and (2) for transportation expenses an employee pays or incurs on or after July 1, 2011.

Internal Revenue Service is revising the optional standard mileage rates. For computing the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, medical, or moving expense purposes and for determining the reimbursed amount of these expenses that is deemed substantiated. This modification results from recent increases in the price of fuel. The revised standard mileage rates are 55.5 cents per mile for business use of an automobile and 23.5 cents for use of an automobile as a medical or moving expense. The mileage rate for use of an automobile as a charitable contribution is fixed by statute and remains 14 cents. The revised standard mileage rates apply to deductible transportation expenses paid or incurred for business, medical, or moving expense purposes on or after July 1, 2011, and to mileage allowances that are paid both (1) to an employee on or after July 1, 2011, and (2) for transportation expenses an employee pays or incurs on or after July 1, 2011.
www.M-Series.com

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Colonial Income Tax What Happens after I File?

IRS Tax Tip 2011-76, April 18, 2011
Now that the federal income tax filing deadline is in your rear-view mirror, what happens after you file? A lot of taxpayers have post tax-filing questions such as what records do I keep and more importantly, “Where’s my Refund?” The IRS has answers for you below.
Refund Information
You can go online to check the status of your 2010 refund 72 hours after IRS acknowledges receipt of your e-filed return, or 3 to 4 weeks after you mail a paper return. Be sure to have a copy of your 2010 tax return available because you will need to know your filing status, the first Social Security number shown on the return, and the exact whole-dollar amount of the refund. You have three options for checking on your refund:
• Go to http://irs.gov and click on “Where’s My Refund”
• Call 800-829-4477~24 hours a day, seven days a week, for automated refund information
• Call 800-829-1954 during the hours shown in your tax form instructions
• Use IRS2Go. If you have an Apple iPhone or iTouch or an Android device you can download an application to check the status of your refund.
What Records Should I Keep?
Normally, tax records should be kept for three years, but some documents — such as records relating to a home purchase or sale, stock transactions, IRAs and business or rental property — should be kept longer.
You should keep copies of tax returns you have filed and the tax forms package as part of your records. They may be helpful in amending already filed returns or preparing future returns.
Change of Address
If you move after you filed your return, send Form 8822, Change of Address, to the Internal Revenue Service. If you are expecting a paper refund check, you should also file a change of address with the U.S. Postal Service.
What If I Made a Mistake?
Errors may delay your refund or result in notices being sent to you. If you discover an error on your return, you can correct your return by filing an amended return using Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return.
Visit the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov for more information on refunds, recordkeeping, address changes and amended returns.
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Colonial Income Tax can help you with a full range of tax services. Our staff members include Certified Public Accountants (CPA) and IRS Certified tax professionals with many years of experience. Our services include income tax preparation for your federal and state income tax returns, small business tax returns, partnerships, LLC'S and trusts.
The initial meeting for new clients is free. Our fees will vary on the complexity of your tax situation. In payment we accept cash, checks, debit card, VISA, MasterCard and money orders. Please call us at, 302-322-1135 to arrange a meeting with one of our tax professionals or e-mail JCW@ColonialIncomeTax.com for more information.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Colonial Income Tax Helps Celebrate the 150th Year of The Start of the Civil War With Historical Highlights of The Nation’s Tax System | colonialtax

Colonial Income Tax Helps Celebrate the 150th Year of The Start of the Civil War With Historical Highlights of The Nation’s Tax System | colonialtax

Colonial Income Tax Helps Celebrate the 150th Year of The Start of the Civil War With A Recount of Historical Highlights of The Nation’s Tax System

Colonial Income Tax Helps Celebrate the 150th Year of The Start of the Civil War With A Recount of Historical Highlights of The Nation’s Tax System

1862 - President Lincoln signed into law a revenue-raising measure to help pay for Civil War expenses. The measure created a Commissioner of Internal Revenue and the nation's first income tax. It levied a 3 percent tax on incomes between $600 and $10,000 and a 5 percent tax on incomes of more than $10,000.
1867 - Heeding public opposition to the income tax, Congress cut the tax rate. From 1868 until 1913, 90 percent of all revenue came from taxes on liquor, beer, wine and tobacco.
1872 - Income tax repealed.
1894 - The Wilson Tariff Act revived the income tax and an income tax division within the Bureau of Internal Revenue was created.
1895 - Supreme Court ruled the new income tax unconstitutional on the grounds that it was a direct tax and not apportioned among the states on the basis of population. The income tax division was disbanded.
1909 - President Taft recommended Congress propose a constitutional amendment that would give the government the power to tax incomes without apportioning the burden among the states in line with population. Congress also levied a 1 percent tax on net corporate incomes of more than $5,000.
1913 - As the threat of war loomed, Wyoming became the 36th and last state needed to ratify the 16th Amendment. The amendment stated, "Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census or enumeration." Later, Congress adopted a 1 percent tax on net personal income of more than $3,000 with a surtax of 6 percent on incomes of more than $500,000. It also repealed the 1909 corporate income tax. The first Form 1040 was introduced.
1918 - The Revenue Act of 1918 raised even greater sums for the World War I effort. It codified all existing tax laws and imposed a progressive income-tax rate structure of up to 77 percent.
1919 - The states ratified the 18th Amendment, barring the manufacture, sale or transport of intoxicating beverages. Congress passed the Volstead Act, which gave the Commissioner of Internal Revenue the primary responsibility for enforcement of Prohibition. Eleven years later, the Department of Justice assumed primary prohibition enforcement duties.
1931 - The IRS Intelligence Unit used an undercover agent to gather evidence against gangster Al Capone. Capone was convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years.
1933 - Prohibition repealed. IRS again assumed responsibility for alcohol taxation the following year and for administering the National Firearms Act. Later, tobacco tax enforcement was added.
1942 - The Revenue Act of 1942, hailed by President Roosevelt as "the greatest tax bill in American history," passed Congress. It increased taxes and the number of Americans subject to the income tax. It also created deductions for medical and investment expenses.
1943 - Congress passed the Current Tax Payment Act, which required employers to withhold taxes from employees' wages and remit them quarterly.
1944 - Congress passed the Individual Income Tax Act, which created the standard deductions on Form 1040.
1952 - President Truman proposed his Reorganization Plan No. 1, which replaced the patronage system at the IRS with a career civil service system. It also decentralized service to taxpayers and sought to restore public confidence in the agency.
1953 - President Eisenhower endorsed Truman's reorganization plan and changed the name of the agency from the Bureau of Internal Revenue to the Internal Revenue Service.
1954 - The filing deadline for individual tax returns changed from March 15 to April 15.
1961 - The Computer Age began at IRS with the dedication of the National Computer Center at Martinsburg, W.Va.
1965 - IRS instituted its first toll-free telephone site.
1972 - The Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Division separated from the IRS to become the independent Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
1974 - Congress passed the Employee Retirement and Income Security Act, which gave regulatory responsibilities for employee benefit plans to the IRS.
1986 - Limited electronic filing began. President Reagan signed the Tax Reform Act, the most significant piece of tax legislation in 30 years. It contained 300 provisions and took three years to implement. The Act codified the federal tax laws for the third time since the Revenue Act of 1918.
1992 - Taxpayers who owed money were allowed to file returns electronically.
1998 - Congress passed the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act, which expanded taxpayer rights and called for reorganizing the agency into four operating divisions aligned according to taxpayer needs.
2000 - IRS enacted reforms, ending its geographic-based structure and instituting four major operating divisions: Wage and Investment, Small Business/Self-Employed, Large and Mid-Size Business and Tax Exempt and Government Entities. It was the most sweeping change at the IRS since the 1953 reorganization.
2001 - IRS administered a mid-year tax refund program to provide advance payments of a tax rate reduction.
2003 - IRS administered another mid-year refund program, this time providing an advance payment of an increase in the Child Tax Credit. Electronic filing reached a new high - 52.9 million tax returns, more than 40 percent of all individual returns.


Colonial Income Tax can help you with a full range of tax services. Our staff members include Certified Public Accountants (CPA) and IRS Certified tax professionals with many years of experience. Our services include income tax preparation for your federal and state income tax returns, small business tax returns, partnerships, LLC'S and trusts.
The initial meeting for new clients is free. Our fees will vary on the complexity of your tax situation. In payment we accept cash, checks, debit card, VISA, MasterCard and money orders. Please call us at, 302-322-1135 to arrange a meeting with one of our tax professionals or e-mail JCW@ColonialIncomeTax.com for more information.

Colonial Income Tax Helps Celebrate the 150th Year of The Start of the Civil War With Historical Highlights of The NationĂ¢€™s Tax System | colonialtax

Colonial Income Tax Helps Celebrate the 150th Year of The Start of the Civil War With Historical Highlights of The NationĂ¢€™s Tax System | colonialtax

Colonial Income Tax Service Located at 700 Delaware Street,New Castle Delaware 19720: Colonial Income Tax Helps Celebrate the 150th Year...

Colonial Income Tax Service Located at 700 Delaware Street,New Castle Delaware 19720: Colonial Income Tax Helps Celebrate the 150th Year...: "Colonial Income Tax Helps Celebrate the 150th Year of The Start of the Civil War With A Recount of Historical Highlights of The Nation’s Tax..."