Taxes Information

Slash Tax when Buying a Business


When buying a business, how the "purchase price" is made up can affect what you pay in tax. The plan is to make as much of the price tax deductible for you and not the other party.

Once a final price has been agreed upon, try to allocate that price in the sale and purchase agreement in such a way that you get maximum benefit.

Here are some ways to do this:

  • If you are buying allocate as high a value as possible to the assets in the purchase price (plant, equipment, computers, vehicles, fittings, machinery) so you can claim a higher deduction for depreciation of those assets. If you are selling, keep asset values down so you are not taxed for any depreciation recovered (that is, the excess of the amount you have sold the assets for over their book value).
  • If buying value goodwill at the lowest figure possible because it is not tax deductible to you but it does increase the assets allocation. If selling then the higher the goodwill figure the better for you as this lowers the assets figures in the price.
  • If buying, the higher the valuation for stock the better, because you pay tax on the stock profit, which is the difference between stock at the beginning and stock at the end of the period so keep this profit down. If selling, keep stock value as low as possible as they have the opposite effect.
  • If buying and part of the deal includes you taking over the lease, put in a value for "premium on lease" as this premium is tax deductible. If selling, don't include any premiums.
  • If buying and the old owner is staying on, lower the purchase price and increase wages the you'll pay to the former owner because those wages would be fully tax deductible. If selling and you're staying on, increase the purchase price and work for nothing for a period.
  • If buying, leave your repairs and maintenance for a year or two, so you'll have no problems getting a deduction. If you carry out the work immediately on moving in, there is a possibility that the expenses may be "capitalized" and only depreciation can be claimed. If selling, get the repairs done before the sale and increase your price.
  • If buying and you're paying off the balance of the purchase price, reduce the price and raise the interest rate, because interest is fully deductible to you. If you're selling increase the selling price and instead, give the buyer a loan at nil interest.


Copyright 2005 StartRunGrow
http://www.startrungrow.com

StartRunGrow (http://www.startrungrow.com) is a global online information organization that specializes in creating, developing and marketing business help information specifically with the aim of "making business easier" for entrepreneurs around the world. The StartRunGrow objective is to become a dominant player in the business help arena providing end to end solutions for the millions of small and medium businesses worldwide who continue to struggle daily with the difficulties of starting, running and growing a successful business.


MORE RESOURCES:

NEWS | SAN DIEGO Investing with confidence: Avoiding common pitfalls
San Diego Daily Transcript (subscription), CA - 1 hour ago
Investing successfully with confidence is not difficult, but it does require you to follow some simple yet effective guidelines. For starters, let's examine ...


China nouveau riche get taste of fine wine investing
Reuters - 22 hours ago
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and CITIC Bank, two of the country's biggest, have recently launched separate investment trusts aiming to raise ...


Investing online vs in person
Wayland Town Crier, MA - 4 hours ago
It is estimated that as little as 8 percent of Americans consider themselves "very knowledgeable" when it comes to investing. And, while the Internet is a ...


Confirmatory Bias and Oil Investing - Part Three
istockAnalyst.com, OR - 12 hours ago
Oil and Energy has been in a multi year bull market and if there is one thing I have noticed in investing, it is the presumption that because the "market" ...


The Outlook for Investing in Green Energy
U.S. News & World Report, DC - 12 hours ago
Watch the VC funds' spending for new investing ideas once markets improve and start-ups begin going public again in full force. US government support could ...


Asset allocation is key to successful investing
Times Herald-Record, NY - 5 hours ago
Here is an investment quiz for you. With your investments in mind, think about what determines portfolio performance. Timing the market? ...


Diversify Beyond Stocks And Bonds
Forbes, NY - 12 hours ago
Two areas of investing that are perennial favorites among self-directed retirement investors are real estate and private placements. ...
Top US real estate markets for investment Pittsburgh Post Gazette
all 2 news articles


Investing in ourselves pays off
Times-Mail (subscription), IN - 14 hours ago
By the Times-Mail editorial board Two, prudent saving and investment always pays off — particularly when the investment is in ourselves. ...


Koreans Investing Less in Overseas Real Estate
조선일보(영문판), South Korea - 8 hours ago
Korea's investment in overseas real estate dropped by over 50 percent year-on-year in June. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance says such investments have ...


Investing in Stock Market Leaders
LeadershipNigeria, Nigeria - 1 hour ago
However, when investing in stocks this is not always a good strategy. It may be emotionally attractive to hope the small, unknown company slays the bloated ...

Investing - Google News

home | site map
© 2006