The Franchise Tax Board Increases Levies by 75 Percent

As you know, we at Simons Accountancy keep up with the latest changes and updates to the world of taxation, and this blog post is being posted to keep our clients and readers informed. And this could potentially be very damaging to some California taxpayers. It’s no secret that Sacramento’s lawmakers and politicians have had […]

The Tax Return Deadline for 2011 Has Passed. What Now?

The passing of April 17th has marked the end of this year’s tax deadline for most, but that does not mean that steps should not be taken to ease next year’s tax season as well. For those that have missed this year’s deadline and have fallen behind, there are some measures you can take. The […]

Is Obama’s Tax Proposal Good for Small Businesses?

A few weeks ago, President Obama released a proposal to lower the corporate tax rate, but we noticed it wasn’t getting rave reviews from either the left or the right. At first, many people thought that this proposal would be good news for small businesses, yet small-business advocates say that Obama’s plan will benefit only […]

Should I Use a Certified Public Accountant or a Tax Preparation Firm?

We’ve already talked about how using tax preparation software can lead to all sorts of problems on your tax return, including a potential audit. Even though the software might be helping you along, it does not have an actual brain to advise you on deductions or expenses. In which case you may be thinking—“You’re right! […]

How Do I File My Taxes with a Short Sale or Foreclosure

Many people have asked me recently: How do I report my property when I’ve had a short sale or foreclosure? There’s no easy answer, even though there’s a lot of information out there, for sure. But even true professionals don’t know how to handle foreclosures in a tax-return situation correctly. For example: I told a […]

How To Classify Your Employees and Why: SB 459

Many business owners have a lot to deal with on a day-to-day basis, whether it is managing staff, dealing with clients, working through administrative paperwork—there are few California business owners who have the time to look at every Senate Bill that gets passed. Here’s one that we think you should all know about: California Senate […]

Should I Incorporate My Orange County Small Business or Not?

Incorporation doesn’t sound like something a small-business owner needs to worry about—corporations are those big, faceless companies in big shiny skyscrapers, right? Not necessarily! You only have to be making $50,000 a year to make it worth it from a tax perspective—for the most part.

What IS Use Tax, and Why Do I Have to Pay It?

Amazon has been in the news a lot lately because of their affiliate programs and not charging their California customers state sales tax on their purchases. The definition of use tax from the Franchise Tax Board website is as follows: Use tax is a separate tax that is generally due on the purchase of tangible […]

December Tips for Savings Accounts and Estate Planning

Are you looking to take advantage of any tax breaks available by the end of the year? It’s a good idea if you are positioned correctly. If you are a W2 employee, there is not much time left for you to augment your 401(k) savings. IRAs allow you to contribute until April 15, but 401(k)s […]

Anaheim Hills Accountant Answers: What IS a Business Expense?

Here’s another one of those questions I get asked a lot: Why isn’t that a business expense? Primarily because there’s a difference between what the IRS defines as a business expense and what we’d like to write off as a business expense. Let’s start with an example. Say you’re working late on a project, and […]