Guest Article

Imagine your clients, a couple, tell you they are going to start a business. They will breed horses, start a band, get into car racing, or write a book about beekeeping. Of course, there will be losses starting out, but they have plenty of income to shelter and in the long run, they figure they can make money. If you are as I used to be, you may discourage them from deducting the losses, particularly if there are other complications on their return. You figure the Schedule C or Schedule F will be a red flag, and they will likely lose on audit. I’d like to suggest that you rethink that attitude. It is fine if you want to talk your physician client out of going into horse breeding or raising cattle, but if they are going to do it anyway, you should not try to talk them out of claiming the losses. Rather, you should talk to them about what they need to do to beef up their chances of winning an audit of their cattle ranch. And the great thing is that you are the one who can help them more than anybody. Read on to find out how.

Buying a vehicle is a way to potentially receive a large tax deduction, but is it always the best thing to do? What about buying versus leasing? The tax code treats vehicles differently from other types of assets and business expenses, so it helps to make sure you’re informed when thinking about using your vehicle to reduce your tax liability. Background A vehicle purchase by a business is treated as the purchase of an asset. This means you can deduct part of the expense each year in the form of depreciation deductions. Vehicles also might qualify for accelerated depreciation methods. In this current era of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and 100% bonus depreciation, that means a 100% deduction when you buy a vehicle … right? Not so fast. Section 280F of the Tax Code places restrictions on depreciation deductions for vehicles. The terminology used in this section of the Code is “luxury vehicle” (in fact the title of §280F is “Limitation on depreciation for luxury automobiles”), but this is a misleading term. When we think of “luxury vehicle” we likely think of a high-end vehicle. But the reality is, the tax law defines such a vehicle as any 4-wheeled vehicle with an unloaded gross vehicle weight of 6,000 pounds or less. I bet you didn’t think your 5 year old minivan with high mileage falls into the “luxury vehicle category,” but it can! This means you may be limited in how much you can write off against your taxable income. Can leasing a vehicle work as a way to get around the §280F limitations? The IRS has thought about that too. But keep reading - we’ll give you some loopholes that work around the luxury auto limitation and help you decide if leasing or buying your next vehicle will help you pay less in tax.

There is no better time than a multi-year worldwide pandemic to reevaluate the 9 to 5 office grind. Many people are realizing it was never actually necessary to work from a fixed location as long as they have a laptop and an internet connection. So why not take the show on the road? Hop in an RV and head out to see the country and work from wherever you like that day. It’s a great plan, but what does it mean for your taxes? Is your RV a business vehicle or is it a lodging that happens to be on wheels? Buckle up and let’s find out which is best to save you the most money.

The promoters of Monetized Installment Sales got some bad news from the IRS earlier this month. The IRS released an analysis the Office of Chief Counsel did outlining six, count them six, ways in which the transaction does not work as the promoters claim. The release will not stop the industry in its tracks, but it will probably be a relief to practitioners who have been advising that the technique is flawed.

Cryptocurrency is currently one of the hottest topics in taxation. The use cases of crypto are continually evolving, and official IRS guidance is perpetually several years behind the types of transactions investors engage in. We are left trying to force a crypto transaction to fit into the existing code that was not written with crypto in mind. Additionally, with the lack of official guidance, we are forced to attempt to anticipate how the IRS will interpret novel transactions or worry about potential penalties and interest down the road. Staking is a transaction that has become extremely common among crypto users, yet the IRS is silent on how to report and tax it. Read on to learn more about cryptocurrency “mining”, staking, and how the current IRS interpretations of the tax code (or lack thereof) may affect your income reporting.

Do you have homes in destination spots? Places where people flock during specific times of the year? Mardi Gras? Spring break? Sports championships or events? Maybe you own a home in places commonly used as film locations? For example, Albuquerque, New Mexico, is often the site for movie and television productions, and it hosts the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta every year (excluding global pandemics, obviously). The 10-day long event hosts well over 100,000 visitors to the city each year. But this article isn’t about Albuquerque tourism, it’s about the easiest tax-free money you will ever make.

Frequent flyer miles and similar programs for other forms of consumption like grocery shopping raise a host of tax issues. There are the concerns of the recipients of the “rewards” and also of the issuers of the various sorts of points. A recent Tax Court decision brought the taxability of rewards into focus again and the opinion encourages the IRS to provide more guidance. Here is where we seem to be now. This is the first of two articles discussing the tax strategies available to boat owners. Part 1 focuses on using a boat as a residence, but if that doesn’t meet your needs, stay tuned because Part 2 will cover boats for business use (including as a home office). Why not consider both options and see how your tax savings can help fund your floating condo? Keep reading to learn more.

Ever thought of using a recreational vehicle like a boat to lower your taxes? Yes, it’s possible using the right strategies, and there’s no time like the present to make that happen. Even more than pre-pandemic taxpayers may be considering buying their own island. Those for whom buying an actual island is beyond the budget may be considering buying a boat or an RV for use as a residence, an office, or both. Whatever the type of use, there are tax strategies available for boat owners if they meet the requirements. As with any tax strategy it is important to have a full understanding of the requirements to ensure the deduction is legal and to ensure the taxpayer can substantiate the deduction should the tax authorities examine the return. This is the first of two articles discussing the tax strategies available to boat owners. Part 1 focuses on using a boat as a residence, but if that doesn’t meet your needs, stay tuned because Part 2 will cover boats for business use (including as a home office). Why not consider both options and see how your tax savings can help fund your floating condo? Keep reading to learn more.