Tax obligations are part and parcel of running a business. If your tech company is based in California, for instance, some of the taxes that you’ll have to pay include:
- Income taxes
- Employment taxes
- Excise taxes
For years, tech companies have been slammed for failing to pay a fair share of taxes. However, it’s fallacious to make a blanket accusation to the effect that tech companies engage in tax evasion. Just like other businesses, these companies only devise ways of reducing their tax burden.
From the local government to the IRS, tech executives should beware of all their tax obligations. This entails knowing how much tax you owe to different entities, when you should file, and the type of taxes that you ought to pay. Here are five strategies that a tech company can leverage to ease its tax burden.
1. Automating Tax Records
This sounds like a no-brainer, but some tech companies still take a casual and laidback approach to bookkeeping. Being proactive as far as bookkeeping is concerned could entail automating your records and books. Certain records are mandatory for you to take deductions. Without these records, expenditures might not be deductible. In this regard, here’s what you should consider doing:
- Automate your books to track your company’s income and expenses. There are dozens of record-keeping programs that can help you do this.
- Establish a file system to categorize your expenditure. Since some business expenditures are deductible, a system that categorizes your expenditure will help you determine and claim your tax relief.
2. Making Smart Tax Decisions
Under federal tax law, most business expenses are deductible. On the other hand, most income is taxable. Furthermore, the law also gives you options about when and to what extent you can report income or claim certain deductions. Being aware of these provisions can go a long way in helping you lessen your tax burden.
3. Staying Apprised of Law Changes
The American tax law constantly changes with significant legislation, IRS rulings, and court cases frequently emerging, thus altering the taxation landscape. Contrary to what you might think, these new developments are not meant to stifle your tech company. Instead, they present tax opportunities that you can leverage. Staying apprised with law changes can help you act on such opportunities.
For instance, in the aftermath of Hurricanes Wilma, Rita, and Katrina in 2005, several short-term tax breaks were enacted to benefit both individuals and corporations. By leveraging such opportunities when they arise, you’ll be able to lessen your tax burden significantly.
4. Contributing to Retirement Plans
Once your tech company breaks even, you should consider sheltering its income in a retirement plan that provides you with tax deductions for your contributions. The added benefit to this is that providing employees with such a savings opportunity helps you gain their loyalty. In the long-run, you’ll be able to tax on contributions until you start taking money from the retirement plan.
5. Structuring Your Business Appropriately
This is perhaps the most overlooked aspect of tax planning. Often, tech companies that start small fail to change their business structure as they scale. For instance, you can gain significant tax benefits by structuring your tech company as a C corporation rather than an S company or an LLC. When you structure your company as a C corporation, the initial $50,000 of its income will attract a 15% tax rather than a 35% tax.
The Incentax Advantage
Every business owner deserves a tax break. However, few of them know about opportunities that they can leverage to pay less tax. Moreover, you can avoid clashing with state and federal tax agencies by outsourcing the expertise of tax professionals. For top-notch tax consultation and advisory, contact us today.