Tax Credits You Might Not Be Aware Of

Money is like manure; it’s not worth a thing unless it’s spread around encouraging young things to grow. – Thornton Wilder
The lack of money is the root of all evil. – Mark Twain

Did you know that Congress passed a bill in 2005 that can provide you a tax credit (that’s a dollar for dollar reduction in your tax bill to Uncle Sam!) for items that you may need to purchase for your house or even a new car?

That’s right Congress passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This federal legislation can provide you with up to $500 in tax credits for improvements to your house. Over $3,000 in tax credits for buying a hybrid car, and if you’re a person who wants to help the environment and you install some solar electric panels on your roof or a solar water heater collector on your roof you can get up to another $2,000 for each!!

Wow, where was this bill when I had some home improvements performed on my house two years ago. And if you’re a business owner you can get tax credits too for your building, company vehicles, and The Energy Policy Act provides a variety of tax credits for businesses, homeowners, home builders, appliance manufacturers, and hybrid/fuel efficient automobiles. Some of these tax credits expire in December 2007 while others expire in later years. And even our Congress is looking a spreading these tax credits around to as late as 2015.

So what do I have to do to get qualify for these tax credits and is it really something I need. Well this all depends on your needs. If you are a homeowner you can qualify for up to $500 in tax credits if installing new items in your home, they are up to $200 for a new furnace or boiler, another $200 for new windows, and up to $300 for a new air conditioner, or new doors, or a water heater, or insulation.

The maximum tax credit you can claim for your house is $500, with the exception of installing a solar electric system (call Solar PV – photovoltaic) or a solar water heating system. Both of these systems can net you another $2,000 each in tax credits.

You can also claim up to $3,400 in tax credits when buying a new hybrid vehicle. The tax credit is based upon the type of vehicle and how much does fuel savings does the hybrid achieve when compared to its non-hybrid cousin. The more efficient hybrids are going to qualify for the higher tax credits and reports from such distinguished periodicals such as Consumer Reports is saying a Hybrid car actually costs less than the non-hybrid version after five years this includes all of the associated maintenance costs and fuel costs over the life of the vehicle.

Depending upon what type of business you own you can qualify for thousands of dollars in tax credits. If you’re a homebuilder you may qualify for a $2,000 tax credit, and manufactured homebuilders can receive either a $2,000 tax credit or a $1,000 credit.

Congress did not forget the business owner and also provides a tax credit for solar photovoltaic or solar water heating systems and the credit can exceed $2,000. The owner of a commercial building, including apartment complexes, can also claim a deduction (not a tax credit) on new efficient lighting installed at their facility.

Gas station owners can add an Ethanol system at their station and receive thousands of dollars in tax credits. The IRS continues to interpret and release notices to the public describing their interpretation of the congressional bill.

Before buying any new product for your house checkout different websites to obtain updated information on the tax credits, what has changed, and what has recently been released through a Notice.

As Thornton Wilder said “it’s not worth a thing unless it’s spread around and encouraging young things to grow.” Congress has spread around tax credits and incentives for us to help this industry grow lets all do our part and remember there may be a tax credit available to you when you make an improvement to your house or buy a new car.

Go Solar And Pay Less On Your Taxes With A Tax Credit

As we sit in the middle of winter, most people can’t believe how high their utility bills are. Going with solar energy can lower your bills and you get a hefty tax credit

Solar Tax Credit

Solar energy is a clean, renewable energy source. The production of solar energy on residential and commercial structures creates no pollutants and is starting to make serious financial sense. In 35 states, the concept of net metering is now an established fact. Net metering simply means you can sell energy from solar panel systems back to utilities, thus eliminating or seriously reducing utility bills. As oil and natural gas costs skyrocket, the Federal Government is doing even more to promote the use of solar energy.

In 2005, Congress enacted the Energy Policy Act. As part of the act, a tax credit was established for any person purchasing and installing residential solar energy systems for electric and water heating purposes. If you purchase and install solar systems for either of these purposes, you can take a 30 percent tax credit. If you install systems for both of these purposes you can double the tax credit. To avoid tax abuse, each tax credit has a cap of $2,000.

Importantly, tax credits are far more valuable than tax deductions. Tax deductions are taken from your gross income prior to figuring the amount of tax owed. Tax credits are a dollar for dollar reduction of the actual amount of tax you owe. For instance, if you prepare your tax returns and find you owe $5,000 to the IRS, a tax credit would be deducted from this $5,000 figure. In short, a tax credit gives you a lot more bang for your buck.

To claim the solar tax credit, there are a few restrictions and requirements. First, you can’t claim the tax credit if you use the solar system to heat a hot tub or pool. Second, the system must be certified by a solar rating certification corporation to establish that you, in fact, installed a working system. Third, the system must be activated between January 1, 2005 and the end of 2007. Finally, you cannot claim the credit if the government gave you a grant or financing to purchase the system, to wit, no double dipping.

When solar energy is discussed as a potential alternative energy source, most supporters point to the environmental benefits. Ultimately, the benefits to ones bank account will really make the difference and the solar tax credit is a solid step in that direction.

7 Ways To Pay Less Taxes

Are you paying too much in income taxes? Are you getting all the credits and deductions you are entitled to? Here are 7 tips to help you minimize taxes and keep more in your pocket:

1. Participate in company retirement plans. Every dollar you contribute will reduce your taxable income and thus your income taxes. Similarly, enroll in your company’s flexible spending account. You can set aside money for medical expenses and day care expenses. This money is “use it or lose it” so make sure you estimate well!

2. Make sure you pay in enough taxes to avoid penalties. Uncle Sam charges interest and penalties if you don’t pay in at least 90% of your current year taxes or 100% of last year’s tax liability.

3. Buy a house. The mortgage interest and real estate taxes are deductible, and may allow you to itemize other deductions such as property taxes and charitable donations.

4. Keep your house for at least two years. One of the best tax breaks available today is the home sale exclusion, which allows you to exclude up to $250,000 ($500,000 for joint filers) of profit on the sale of your home from your income. However, you must have owned and lived in your home for at least two years to qualify for the exclusion.

5. Time your investment sales. If your income is higher than expected, sell some of your losers to reduce taxable income. If you will be selling a mutual fund, sell before the year-end distributions to avoid taxes on the upcoming dividend or capital gain. Also, you should allocate tax efficient investments to your taxable accounts and non-efficient investments to your retirement accounts, to reduce the tax you pay on interest, dividends and capital gains.

6. If you’re retired, plan your retirement plan distributions carefully. If a retirement plan distribution will push you into a higher tax bracket, consider taking money out of taxable investments to keep you in the lower tax bracket. Also, pay attention to the 59-½ age limit. Withdrawals taken before this age can result in penalties in addition to income taxes.

7. Bunch your expenses. Certain expenses must exceed a minimum before you can deduct them (medical expenses must exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income and miscellaneous expenses such as tax preparation fees must exceed 2% of your AGI). In order to deduct these expenses, you may need to bunch these types of expenses into a single year to get above the minimum. To achieve this, you might prepay medical and miscellaneous expenses on December 31 to get above the minimum amount.

The most important thing is to be aware of the tax deductions and credits that apply to you and to plan for taxable events. And don’t be afraid to ask for help. The benefits from consulting an experienced tax professional far outweigh the cost to hire that professional.

Can You Really Pay Zero Taxes?

How many times have you heard someone say, “I don’t pay any taxes. My accountant takes real good care of me . . . I haven’t paid a dime in taxes in years.”

Does that outrageous statement sound familiar?

Maybe it’s your brother-in-law, or a fellow Soccer Mom, or a co-worker at the office.

And so you think to yourself, “What am I doing wrong? How come I’m paying taxes and so-and-so says he/she pays nothing? How do they do it!”

Is it really possible to pay “zero taxes”?

For purposes of this article, let’s give your “no-tax” friend or relative a name. Let’s call him “Charlie” (or if he is a she, just think “Charlene”).

OK, what is Charlie up to? What’s his secret?

Charlie has no secret. He’s not doing anything that you should be doing. Do not be envious of Charlie, and here’s why . . .

I can think of at least five reasons you should ignore whatever Charlie says about his “no-tax” situation.

REASON #1: Charlie is a liar. Every family has one, so don’t feel bad. Let’s face it, some people just like to indulge in fabrications to make themselves feel good. Charlie is telling you a big fat lie because Charlie has “issues.” ‘Nuff said?

REASON #2: Charlie is pond scum. OK, hear me out on this one. I don’t mean to offend you if Charlie is a close and dear relative, or your best friend, but I’m going to give it to you straight: Charlie cheats on his tax return, and he cheats big time. There are plenty of folks out there like Charlie. He’s one of the reasons that you and I pay so much in taxes — he doesn’t report all his income, and he deducts bogus expenses by the thousands.

He and his accountant may even be in cahoots on this. Charlie brings in his records and his accountant crunches the numbers, then calls Charlie and says, “You owe $5,000.” So Charlie rummages around in his files and somehow manages to come up with another batch of expenses that miraculously
reduce his balance due to zero. It’s like magic!

End result: Charlie’s tax return is a big lie.

Charlie is a thief. Charlie should be put in jail for the tens of thousands in taxes he has illegally withheld from the government over the years.

REASON #3: Charlie is stupid. Again, I’m sorry if I’m being too hard on Charlie. But some people are so clueless about taxes that if they have no balance due on their return, or if they are getting a refund, they mistakenly believe they didn’t pay any tax that year.

And believe it or not, this is actually a very common misconception that thousands of people cling to. Ah, to be so blissfully ignorant!

I hope you are not so naive to think that the “bottom line” on your tax return tells the whole story about your tax liability. It doesn’t.

REASON #4: Charlie is broke. Charlie may actually pay zero taxes because –are you ready for this one? — Charlie doesn’t make any money!

Charlie owns a small business or works full-time at his self-employment activity, and Charlie may rake in hundreds of thousands in income from sales of his product or service — but Charlie’s business spends more than it brings in, and Charlie’s business has a loss every year.

So Charlie doesn’t really have a tax problem. Instead Charlie has any number of other problems. He has a marketing problem, or a management problem, or a personnel problem. Charlie’s business is failing, and paying zero taxes is just a symptom of a business that will eventually close.

REASON #5: Charlie is just scraping by. Charlie’s business may not be losing money every year, but it’s not really making much either. He has a small profit — enough to keep him busy. His business may even “look” profitable, but it’s really the classic shoestring operation.

So now, I ask you, do you really want to pay zero taxes? People who don’t pay taxes are usually in one of these five categories: Chronic Liars, Pond Scum, Stupid, Broke, or Just Scraping By.

The purpose of business is to be profitable.

The unavoidable result of a profitable business is taxes. And yes, you should do everything legally possible to reduce those taxes. But if you are going to be successful, you are going to pay some taxes.

When it comes to taxes, stay away from Charlie.