January 2011 tax time surprises

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  • Johnny C

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    May 18, 2009
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    Solsberry , In
    I havent researched this yet so I cant vouch for the facts, but a buddy sent me this, so I thought I would post it.

    On January 1, 2011, here’s what happens... (read it to the end, so you see all three waves)...


    First Wave:

    Expiration of 2001 and 2003 Tax Relief
    In 2001 and 2003, the GOP Congress enacted several tax cuts for investors, small business owners, and families.
    These will all expire on January 1, 2011.


    Personal income tax rates will rise.
    The top income tax rate will rise from 35 to 39.6 percent (this is also the rate at which two-thirds of small business profits are taxed).

    The lowest rate will rise from 10 to 15 percent.

    All the rates in between will also rise.

    Itemized deductions and personal exemptions will again phase out, which has the same mathematical effect as highermarginal tax rates.

    The full list of marginal rate hikes is below:
    * The 10% bracket rises to an expanded 15%
    *
    * The 25% bracket rises to 28%
    *
    * The 28% bracket rises to 31%
    *
    * The 33% bracket rises to 36%
    *
    * The 35% bracket rises to 39.6%



    Higher taxes on marriage and family.
    The "marriage penalty" (narrower tax brackets for married couples) will return from the first dollar of income.

    The child tax credit will be cut in half from $1000 to $500 per child.

    The standard deduction will no longer be doubled for married couples relative to the single level.

    The dependent care and adoption tax credits will be cut.

    The return of the Death Tax.
    This year only, there is no death tax. (It’s a quirk!) For those dying on or after January 1, 2011, there is a 55 percent top death tax rate on estates over $1 million. A person leaving behind two homes, a business, a retirement account, could easily pass along a death tax bill to their loved ones. Think of the farmers who don’t make much money, but their land, which they purchased years ago with after-tax dollars, is now worth a lot of money. Their children will have to sell the farm, which may be their livelihood, just to pay the estate tax if they don’t have the cash sitting around to pay the tax. Think about your own family’s assets. Maybe your family owns real estate, or a business that doesn’t make much money, but the building and equipment are worth $1 million. Upon their death, you can inherit the $1 million business tax free, but if they own a home, stock, cash worth $500K on top of the $1 million business, then you will owe the government $275,000 cash! That’s 55% of the value of the assets over $1 million! Do you have that kind of cash sitting around waiting to pay the estate tax?


    Higher tax rates on savers and investors.
    The capital gains tax will rise from 15 percent this year to 20 percent in 2011.
    The dividends tax will rise from 15 percent this year to 39.6 percent in 2011.
    These rates will rise another 3.8 percent in 2013.


    Second Wave:
    Obamacare

    There are over twenty new or higher taxes in Obamacare. Several will first go into effect on January 1, 2011. They include:


    The "Medicine Cabinet Tax"
    Thanks to Obamacare, Americans will no longer be able to use health savings account (HSA), flexible spending account (FSA), or health reimbursement (HRA) pre-tax dollars to purchase non-prescription, over-the-counter medicines (except insulin).

    The "Special Needs Kids Tax"
    This provision of Obamacare imposes a cap on flexible spending accounts (FSAs) of $2500 (Currently, there is no federal government limit). There is one group of FSA owners for whom this new cap will be particularly cruel and onerous: parents of special needs children.
    There are thousands of families with special needs children in the United States, and many of them use FSAs to pay for special needs education.
    Tuition rates at one leading school that teaches special needs children in Washington , D.C. ( National Child Research Center ) can easily exceed $14,000 per year.
    Under tax rules, FSA dollars can not be used to pay for this type of special needs education.

    The HSA (Health Savings Account) Withdrawal Tax Hike.
    This provision of Obamacare increases the additional tax on non-medical early withdrawals from an HSA from 10 to 20 percent, disadvantaging them relative to IRAsand other tax-advantaged accounts, which remain at 10 percent.



    Third Wave:
    The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) and Employer Tax Hikes
    When Americans prepare to file their tax returns in January of 2011, they'll be in for a nasty surprise-the AMT won't be held harmless, and many tax relief provisions will have expired.
    The major items include:

    The AMT will ensnare over 28 million families, up from 4 million last year.
    According to the left-leaning Tax Policy Center, Congress' failure to index the AMT will lead to an explosion of AMT taxpaying families-rising from 4 million last year to 28.5 million. These families will have to calculate their tax burdens twice, and pay taxes at the higher level. The AMT was created in 1969 to ensnare a handful of taxpayers.

    Small business expensing will be slashed and 50% expensing will disappear.
    Small businesses can normally expense (rather than slowly-deduct, or "depreciate") equipment purchases up to $250,000.
    This will be cut all the way down to $25,000. Larger businesses can currently expense half of their purchases of equipment.
    In January of 2011, all of it will have to be "depreciated."

    Taxes will be raised on all types of businesses.
    There are literally scores of tax hikes on business that will take place. The biggest is the loss of the "research and experimentation tax credit," but there are many, many others. Combining high marginal tax rates with the loss of this tax relief will cost jobs.

    Tax Benefits for Education and Teaching Reduced.
    The deduction for tuition and fees will not be available.
    Tax credits for education will be limited.
    Teachers will no longer be able to deduct classroom expenses.
    Coverdell Education Savings Accounts will be cut.
    Employer-provided educational assistance is curtailed.
    The student loan interest deduction will be disallowed for hundreds of thousands of families.

    Charitable Contributions from IRAs no longer allowed.
    Under current law, a retired person with an IRA can contribute up to $100,000 per year directly to a charity from their IRA.
    This contribution also counts toward an annual "required minimum distribution." This ability will no longer be there.

    And worse yet?

    Now, your insurance will be INCOME on your W2's!
    One of the surprises we'll find come next year, is what follows - - a little "surprise" that 99% of us had no idea was included in the "new and improved" healthcare legislation . . . those who backed this administration will be astonished!
    Starting in 2011, (next year folks), your W-2 tax form sent by your employer will be increased to show the value of whatever health insurance you are given by the company. It does not matter if that's a private concern or governmental body of some sort.


    If you're retired? So what... your gross will go up by the amount of insurance you get.
    You will be required to pay taxes on a large sum of money that you have never seen. Take your tax form you just finished and see what $15,000 or $20,000 additional gross does to your tax debt. That's what you'll pay next year.
    For many, it also puts you into a new higher bracket so it's even worse.


    This is how the government is going to buy insurance for the15% that don't have insurance and it's only part of the tax increases.
    Not believing this??? Here is a research of the summaries.....
    On page 25 of 29: TITLE IX REVENUE PROVISIONS- SUBTITLE A: REVENUE OFFSET PROVISIONS-(sec. 9001, as modified by sec. 10901) Sec.9002 "requires employers to include in the W-2 form of each employee the aggregate cost of applicable employer sponsored group health coverage that is excludable from the employees gross income."


    - Joan Pryde is the senior tax editor for the Kiplinger letters.
    - Go to Kiplingers and read about 13 tax changes that could affect you. Number 3 is what is above.
     

    DarkRose

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    May 14, 2010
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    Columbus, Indiana

    Item #3 in that article seems to contradict one of the items posted above...

    " 3. A requirement that businesses include the value of the health care benefits they provide to employees on W-2s, beginning with W-2s for 2011. The amount reported is not considered taxable income."

    NOT considered taxable income, and that begins with W2's for 2011. The ones we'll get in January will be for 2010
     

    hornadylnl

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    I'm all for cutting the child tax credits. They'll find out who John Galt is soon enough if they let all these tax cuts expire.
     

    Expat

    Pdub
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    Feb 27, 2010
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    Michiana
    I hope they don't make any changes. Oh the wailing and gnashing of teeth we will hear when the Obama backers' taxes go up. The way I see it, the worse it gets the greater the likelihood that people will wake up. So raise those taxes Democrats. Punish those businesses that are still being successful out there. Put more and more of them out of business. Get that unemployment rate up even higher. Convince people finally that higher taxes and greater regulation is bad for the economy and the country. Make it a lesson that won't be unlearned for many generations.
     

    Johnny C

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    Unfortunately, Taxing the small businesses out of existance will just increase the "sucking sound toward socialism"...or maybe Fascism.
    it will increase the number of folks who are getting freebie checks from the Govt, and Folks won't wake up till their checks stop coming in...and then it will be too late...It's probally already too late.:xmad:
     

    Leadeye

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    How many taxes have been repealed after passage recently? People will be angry but will anything change.
     

    Doug

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    Well, this works out very well for the Demoncraps.
    The G.O.P. will take over congress.
    Obama will veto all efforts to lower taxes.
    The Animal Farm Media will bleat, "Republicans fail to provide promised tax relief."
    The Left will chant, "Failed Policies of George Bush!"
    The stupid people will re-elect Obamessiah in 2012 and give congressional control to the Demoncraps.
    By 2016, the USA will be bankrupt with each person's share of the National Debt well over $1,000,000.
    Police and Fire protection will be provided only by private firms to clients who subscribe to their services because the cities and states will also be bankrupt.
    It may even be worse than that.:(
     
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