Tax Policy - The S Corporation Association

Peering into the Future of Tax Policy

We’ve been asked to gaze into our crystal ball and see what the future of tax policy looks like. For S Corporations, it looks a lot like when the Ghost of Christmas Future popped in to see Ebenezer Scrooge. Nothing has been etched in stone yet, but it’s still not a pretty picture of things to come.

On the macro level, three factors are going to frame the tax policy debate in the next Congress:

1. All the tax relief enacted in 2001 and 2003 expires at the end of 2010. Unless Congress takes action, tax rates on individuals and flow-through businesses, …

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admin2019-02-06T18:43:57+00:00February 25, 2008|

2008 Tax Forecast

While everyone else is predicting the presidential primaries, we thought we’d take a look at the forecast for tax policy in Congress this year.

The usual refrain for a presidential election year is that all the real policy issues are pushed aside in favor of posturing for the election and the following session of Congress.

While we expect to see lots of posturing, there are two reasons why some real tax work might get done this year, namely, the deteriorating economy and the expiration of the R&E tax credit and other tax extenders.

Nearly all of the Presidential candidates have put forward a …

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admin2019-02-06T18:43:58+00:00January 16, 2008|

Chairman Rangel Proposes Payroll Tax Increase on Small and Family-Owned Businesses

When Congress created the S corporation in 1958, the IRS ruled that only S corporation shareholders who are active in their business should be subject to payroll taxes, and then only on amounts received for their labor.

Fast forward fifty years. While the payroll tax has grown dramatically, the application of payroll taxes has always applied to labor income only – not capital income.

Last week, all this changed. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel [D-NY] introduced legislation that turns 50 years of tax policy on its head.

The bill, the Tax Reduction and Reform Act of 2007, would lower …

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admin2019-02-06T18:43:59+00:00October 29, 2007|

AMT Legislative Forecast

While Congress is considering numerous changes to the Tax Code, the 800 pound gorilla in tax policy these days is the projected growth of the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) and what exactly Congress plans to do about it. A couple of news items this week do an excellent job of setting the table for what might happen.

According to the New York Times,

…

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admin2019-02-06T18:46:05+00:00April 13, 2007|

109th Congress Concludes Business

Out with the Old Challenges

Last week the House and Senate wrapped up the 109th Congress by approving a “continuing resolution” to fund the federal government through February 15th. Doing so leaves major 2007 spending decisions to the new Democratic-controlled Congress when they convene in January.

The House and Senate also approved a $45 million tax bill that extends for two years popular to tax benefits, such as the Research and Development and Work Opportunity Tax Credits, many of which expired at the end of last year. This comprehensive package also included an energy tax title that extended, again for two years, …

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admin2019-02-06T18:46:06+00:00December 11, 2006|