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Congressional Efforts to Close Tax Gap Means S Corp Payroll Tax Increase Is Still A Threat

Today the Senate Budget Committee held a hearing on “the causes of and solutions for addressing the federal tax gap.” Witnesses included IRS Commissioner Mark Everson, Government Accountability Office Comptroller General David Walker, and Nina Olson, National Taxpayer Advocate. The tax gap is the difference between what taxpayers owe and what they pay (or at least, what they pay on a timely basis).

This hearing stems from the release of the President’s FY07 budget (which makes funding recommendations for the IRS and includes other proposals to improve disclosure and tax administration) and the IRS’ announcement yesterday that the 2001 tax gap

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2019-02-06T18:48:17+00:00February 15, 2006|

The President’s Budget

One of the challenges of political advocacy is to separate real from imagined threats. For S Corps, the threat of increasing payroll taxes on S Corp profits continues to be very real indeed, despite the best efforts of a broad coalition of business groups to educate policy makers on why the proposals on the table are bad policy and bad economics. For example, the attached BNA story is about a relatively narrow proposal in the President’s new budget to increase collections of payroll taxes from companies that lease employees to other businesses.

At first blush, it’s not really about S Corps.

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2019-02-06T18:48:17+00:00February 10, 2006|

Political Landscape of 2nd Session of the 109th Congress

The second session of the 109th Congress has begun! The Senate was in session for a portion of January to consider President Bush’s nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court with the final vote to confirm him occurring on January 31st. Both the House and the Senate returned in earnest to legislative business that day which was also the day of the President’s State of the Union address. This week the President unveils his FY 2007 budget proposal which is likely to include new initiatives for energy independence and healthcare affordability.
First and foremost on the minds of House Republicans

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2019-02-06T18:48:17+00:00February 6, 2006|

S-CORP Victory in Senate Tax Bill; S Corporation Reform Legislation Introduced in the House!

November has been an active and exciting month for the S Corporation Association and we have much to be thankful for:

  • TWO S corporation modernization provisions approved by the Senate as part of a larger tax package
  • Efforts to oppose increased payroll taxes on S corporations continue to be successful
  • Congressman Clay Shaw along with Congressman Jim Ramstad introduce S corporation reform legislation in the House
  • Joint Committee on Taxation estimates revenue loss on built-in gains tax relief legislation

Before adjourning for a three-week recess, the Senate approved its reconciliation tax package that includes two provisions from the Subchapter S modernization and reform bill that

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2019-02-06T18:48:18+00:00November 29, 2005|

Tax Relief Delayed - Pressure for Offsets Grows

Congress returns to legislative business this week following a week long Columbus Day recess. With numerous outstanding issues for Congress to consider before adjourning for the year (possibly by Thanksgiving, but December remains a distinct possibility), the small and family owned business community must continue to be vigilant for any misguided efforts to raise payroll taxes on S Corps and other small businesses.

The first priority of the tax writing committees continues to be legislation to encourage the physical restoration of the areas hit by Hurricane Katrina. Both the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee are expected

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2019-02-06T18:48:18+00:00October 18, 2005|