Have you heard of “Giving Tuesday” yet? On December 1, 2015, many charities used “Giving Tuesday” as a catchy way to launch their year-end fundraising campaigns. It’s a critical time of year for the not-for-profit sector. Historically, a significant amount of charitable donations occur in the last weeks, days and even hours of the year  Continue Reading »

Changes brought by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) continue to roll in. For affected Maine employers, these changes could mean higher expenses and will add filing responsibilities with the IRS. Background: The ACA has a language of its own, with many new terms employers must learn. For example, “applicable large employer,” or ALE, is defined as an  Continue Reading »

Virtually all Maine small business owners are frustrated with our current tax system. In fact, five out of today’s Top 10 small business concerns relate to state and federal tax issues, according to the Small Business Problems and Priorities survey released by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), a small business advocacy group. Small businesses  Continue Reading »

Here in Maine, Fall is often a time to stop and enjoy the beautiful foliage, but it is also the time to start your year-end tax planning for 2015, and to tie up loose ends that remain from the 2014 tax season. However, be aware that the October 15th extension date has passed. Here are  Continue Reading »

There are some tax breaks out there that may be available to small business owners. However, business owners may only qualify if their adjusted gross income is under a certain amount. If a small business owners could qualify, but their income was a little too high, they might lose access to tax breaks like higher  Continue Reading »

As a Maine-based small business owners know that they need to be mindful of the tax implications of any decision they make, regardless of the time of year. Here are just five of the tax-smart decisions to make during the year that could significantly reduce tax liability if handled properly: If the small business needs new vehicles,  Continue Reading »

As a Maine-based small business owner, it’s important to plan all year long to make the most of the tax law. Here are just five of the tax-smart decisions to make during the year that could, if handled properly, significantly reduce tax liability: Should vehicles, equipment, and buildings be purchased or leased? If a major business purchase  Continue Reading »

When starting a new Maine-based small business, there are a variety of entity choices. Some will be easily ruled out based on the business’ operation. The six basic entities are: 1. A sole proprietorship This is a business owned by one person, who may be the only employee. A sole proprietorship is not a separate legal  Continue Reading »

Thanks to legislation passed in 2013, the federal income tax rates for individuals remain historically low for single taxpayers with taxable income below $400,000.The rates for C corporations, however, remain at the same levels that have been in place for years. As a Maine-based business owner, you may wonder if you should switch a C  Continue Reading »

Slow-moving inventory is easy enough to discount or liquidate, but there’s another option that can give your Maine-based business more of a benefit: donate that stock or computer equipment to charity. In general, when you donate inventory or property used in your business, your write-off is limited to the cost of the items or property.  Continue Reading »