by Daniel Kittell | Accounting News, News, Stimulus, Tax, Tax Planning - Individual
President Biden’s “Build Back Better” policy initiative, which targets economic recovery, includes a $1.8 trillion American Families Plan (AFP) and a $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan. The administration plans to fund both initiatives through a Made in America Tax Plan. Below is an overview of what’s included in this far-reaching tax overhaul.
American Jobs Plan
Estimated to cost around $2.3 trillion over the next eight years, this part of Biden’s “Build Back Better” initiative would consist of clean energy projects; affordable housing; the reconstruction or repair of 20,000 miles of road and 10,000 bridges; as well as funding for those who provide care for the elderly and disabled, and direct investment in rural and tribal areas by equipping them with 100% broadband coverage.
American Families Plan
Estimated to cost over $1.8 trillion over the next ten years, the American Families Plan would include universal preschool; two years of free community college; paid family and medical leave; extensions of the Child Tax Credit, the Earned Income Credit, and the Child and Dependent Care Credit. It would also extend certain provisions set forth in the Biden administration’s economic stimulus bill, the American Rescue Plan.
Funding for the American Families Plan would come through a series of tax increases on high-income Americans, including: increasing the top individual income tax rate from 37% to 39.6%; taxing unrealized capital gains above $1 million at death; and adjusting the threshold for the 3.8% Medicare tax to all income above $400,000.
Made in America Tax Plan
The administration plans to pay for these initiatives with a “Made in America Tax Plan” over the next 15 years. It is estimated that the tax reform plan will raise over $2 trillion over the next decade and a half by increasing various taxes on American corporations, including:
- Raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%
- Increasing the global minimum tax that multinational corporations must pay to 21%. This is much higher than the 12.5% minimum rate recently discussed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
- Intensifying tax enforcement of U.S. corporations that invert (relocate operations overseas) or claim tax havens
- Imposing a 15% minimum tax on book income reported to investors.
Individual Tax Rates
The Biden administration’s proposals on individual taxation are intended to avoid increasing taxpayers with annual incomes less than $400,000. The plan aims to increase the tax rate for the top income bracket from the current 37% to 39.6%. The top rate on capital gains would nearly double, increasing from 20% to 39.6%. Further, the current net investment income surtax of 3.8% levied on high-income taxpayers presumably would still apply. This means that the new top federal tax rate on capital gains would total 43.4%, nearly double the current law top combined rate of 23.8%.
by Pete McAllister | Accounting News, News, Resources, Tax, Tax Planning - Individual, Tax Preparation - Individual
“New Year, New Me.” This phrase is often uttered in the early parts of a new year as individuals prepare to make changes in their health, career, relationships or a variety of other personal traits. This phrase could ring true for 2017 as America prepares to inaugurate our 45th President and witnesses many political and policy shifts. One proposition that may enact some major adjustments is President-Elect Trump’s new tax plan. If you’d like to learn more about his tax proposals, check out our article highlighting major changes for individuals and businesses here. However, Trump’s plans have the potential to cause more shifts than just tax cuts; researchers believe it could have an impact on the housing market, specifically on mortgage interest deductions.
The President-Elect’s current plans include a rise in standard deductions for both individual filers and those filing jointly. Under current laws, many filers itemize their deductions rather than taking the standard deduction of $6,300 in order to receive additional tax breaks. But now, single filers could see a rise in exemption from $6,300 to $15,000 and joint filers could see a rise double that, at $30,000. Therefore, previously, those paying $10,000 in mortgage interest would have benefited from itemizing, but under Trump’s new proposals, in many cases, taxpayers would benefit more by taking the new standard deduction rather than itemizing. Although these propositions could simplify the filing process, they could also discourage individuals from buying. If homeowners no longer have an incentive to itemize and deduct their mortgage interest, then many may feel that renting is just as advantageous as buying.
Many economists would suggest that mortgage interest deduction does not actually motivate individuals to buy, but just encourages them to spend more or buy larger homes. However, limiting tax preferences for homeownership could cause a drop in the value and price of homes, a potential benefit to buyers, though a definite negative for sellers. One positive the market may have to look forward to is lower tax rates for many tax brackets, which has the potential to encourage individuals to spend more money on a variety of things, including housing. While the President-Elect’s tax changes could cause shifts to housing and homeownership, his proposals are ever changing and still being ironed out in many places. Current homeowners (who aren’t looking to sell in the next year) may have nothing to worry about, but future homeowners might consider what unfolds in the coming months before purchasing a home in 2017.
by Daniel Kittell | Bookkeeping, IRS, News, Resources, Tax, Tax Consulting, Tax Planning, Tax Planning - Individual, Tax Preparation - Individual
The dust has ultimately settled from the somewhat turbulent Presidential Election of 2016 and preparations are fully underway for our new President’s January 20th inauguration. The transition period from President Obama to President Trump is in full swing with staff being nominated and confirmed and policies taking shape. One such plan that taxpayers would do well to pay notice to is the President-Elect’s tax plan. Trump’s plans for both businesses and individuals may involve some considerable shifts and could impact your early 2017 filing decisions. Although tax laws and regulations are in almost constant flux, Trump’s proposals could trigger some significant changes.
One major alteration Trump has proposed is to shift from seven tax brackets to only three tax brackets at 12%, 25% and 33% respectively. While this would present a cutting of taxes for some higher income brackets who had seen rates as high as 43.4% under President Obama, some lower income brackets could actually see their tax rates raised from 10% to 12%. Joint filers without children could also see definitive benefits from Trump’s plan, though large families or single parent filers may not. The President-Elect has also proposed to remove the 3.8% net investment income tax enacted under Obamacare. Thus, the top tax rate would be capped at 33%, and the top capital gains and dividends rate would not exceed 20%. Another proposal of Trump’s plan for individuals would include capping itemized deductions for married couples at $200,000.
On a business level, Trump’s proposals seem even more drastic. The President-Elect has suggested that he would cut all business tax rates to 15%, a drastic shift from the average 35% tax rate for most major corporations. Under President Obama, corporations have been paying a 35% tax rate, and those owning LLC’s, partnerships and S corporations are taxed for their flow-through business income at their respective income rate, though not exceeding 43.4%. Trump’s plan would prove especially beneficial for sole proprietors who had previously fit into the highest tax bracket; these entities could see their tax rates drop by almost 30%.
However, Trump’s tax plan is not presenting significant changes for many IRS tax rules, including the constructive receipt doctrine, which affects both businesses and individuals. Essentially, the IRS can tax you on any income or payment you have the legal right to in 2016, even if you don’t actually receive it until 2017. This includes sales made but not officially received until January, or bonus checks sent out but not cashed until January, something to keep in mind when filing in 2017. In addition to tax cuts, Trump’s plans have the potential to affect the housing market as well. To read more about the President-Elect and the housing market, check out our blog here. Of course, some of Trump’s proposals may not occur, but with a Republican majority in both the House and Senate, some level of tax cuts are likely. However, no matter what changes eventually come into effect, these prospective tax revisions could have significant impacts on 2017 and the years beyond.
