@111 CHAP ZZ ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ INCOME TAXES AND ESTIMATED TAX REQUIREMENTS ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ @Q "Taxation without representation is tyranny." @Q -- Patrick Henry @Q @Q "Taxation with representation is worse." @Q -- Will Rogers Individual federal income tax rates for 1993 (for joint filers) are as follows: Taxable Income Bracket Tax Rate and Amount ---------------- --------------------- $0 to $36,900 15% of Taxable Income Over $36,900, up $5,535 plus 28% of to $89,150 excess over $36,900 Over $89,150 $20,165 plus 31%* of excess over $89,150 (* The actual marginal rate for taxpayers with Adjusted Gross Income over $108,450 may be higher, by another 0.93% if they have certain kinds of itemized deductions which are subject to a phase-out, equal to a 3% reduc- tion in allowable itemized deductions for AGI in excess of $108,450. In addition, joint filers with AGI over $162,700 will have part of their personal exemptions phased out, at a rate of 2% of the exemption amount for each $2500 of AGI, or fractional portion of $2500, in excess of $162,700. This would add approximately 1/2% to the effective tax rate for each personal exemption claimed. Thus, for a family of four in the 31% tax brac- ket, with AGI in the phase-out range for both itemized deductions and personal exemptions, the effective margin- al tax rate on each additional dollar of income would be about 34% in 1993. Congress "simplifies" the tax law like this each year, a blessing for which we can all be grateful.)  Use the TAXES command--MAIN Menu--to calculate your 1992 & 1993 taxes. Each of the rate brackets noted above is indexed for infla- tion in each year. If your filing status is other than married, filing jointly, the size of each of the above brac- kets is smaller. For example, for a single person, the 15% bracket ends at only $22,100 of income, rather than the $36,900 for married filing joint, in 1993. 1992 federal income tax returns for individuals are due on April 15, 1993, although an automatic extension of time to file (but not an extension of time to pay the tax due) to August 15, 1993, is available, simply by filing Form 4868 and paying the approximate tax due on April 15th. (An ad- ditional filing extension to October 15, 1993 may be avail- able, by filing Form 2688, if you have a valid reason for the delay.) It is also possible to file your federal income tax return electronically and the IRS will experiment with combined federal/state filing of electronic tax returns in 1993. @CODE: IN KS KY LA ME MI MS NY NC OK SC UT WV WS @STATE is one of the 14 states testing this joint federal-state electronic system of filing in 1993. @CODE:OF PAYMENTS OF ESTIMATED TAX. For individual taxpayers, such as self-employed persons (sole proprietors or partners in a partnership), whose tax liability is not substantially covered by withholding from wages, it is necessary to make quarterly payments of federal (and in most cases, state) estimated income tax and federal self-employment tax. The federal tax payments must be made with Form 1040-ES by the 15th day of April, June, September and on January 15th of the following year. Any remaining tax due (or refund) is reported on Form 1040, individual income tax return, on the following April 15th. To avoid penalties for underpayment of estimated tax, the amount of the quarterly payments must generally equal 90% of the tax liability, with a "safe harbor" for most taxpay- ers if they pay in an amount based on 100% of the PRIOR year's tax liability during the current year. NOTE: This safe harbor is no longer allowed after 1991 for certain taxpayers if: . their AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) for the current year exceeds $75,000; and . their specially modified AGI for the current year ex- ceeds last year's AGI (not subject to the special mod- ifications) by more than $40,000 ($20,000 if filing married, separate); and . they paid estimated tax in at least one of the three preceding tax years (or were assessed a penalty for failing to do so). The special "modifications" to the current year's AGI that are excluded include gain from a sale or "involuntary conver- sion" (fire, etc.) of a residence and income from an S corp- oration or partnership, where the taxpayer has less than a 10% interest in the entity.) Taxpayers who are no longer permitted to use the "safe harbor," must pay in, as estimated tax, the LESSER of: . 90% of the current year's tax liability (the general rule for all taxpayers, except where the safe harbor applies); or . the GREATER of an amount based on: (1) 90% of the tax on the "modified" current year taxable income; or (2) 100% of last year's tax liability. For all practical purposes, the new rule means that, in 1992 and thereafter, if you are subject to the new rule, and your AGI for the current year is not subject to any of the modi- fications described above, YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE TO PAY ESTI- MATED TAX BASED ON 90% OF THE CURRENT YEAR'S TAX LIABILITY. (Except on your first quarterly estimate, which can still be based on 100% of the prior year's tax; or on any subse- quent quarterly estimate, where your annualized income to date indicates you will not exceed the $40,000 or $75,000 thresholds for the year.) Clear as mud? This is merely Congress's latest "simplifica- tion" of the estimated tax rules, enacted November 15, 1991, and there are exceptions to the above exceptions, but we suspect you may already be starting to get angry at your Congressthing and somewhat confused by this point, so we won't go any deeper into this particular hall of mirrors.... SCHEDULES C AND E. There is no separate tax return form for sole proprietors. A sole proprietor simply includes the income or loss from his or her business on Schedule C of form 1040. Beginning with returns filed in 1993, some sole proprietors may file a simplified Schedule C-EZ, which has only about 1/3 as many lines to fill in as the regular Schedule C. The firms who qualify to use Schedule C-EZ must meet 10 requirements, including: . Gross receipts of $25,000 or less; . Business expenses of $2,000 or less; . Using cash method of accounting; . Have only one sole proprietorship business; . No employees, no inventory; . No net business loss for the year; and . Not deducting home office expense. @IF116xx]@NAME is a @ENTITY: @IF116xx] Like proprietorships, partnerships generally pay no tax either, although they file an information return annually (Form 1065) on which the income or loss of each partner is reported on a Form K-1. Each partner reports the income or loss items on the K-1 form on appropriate schedules of his or her Form 1040 (mainly on the Schedule E). Accord- ingly, partnerships and proprietorships do not, as enti- ties, make estimated tax payments. @CODE: AL The maximum individual income tax rate in Alabama is 5%, which starts at taxable income levels of $6,000 for married persons filing jointly, or at $3,000 for other individual taxpayers. @CODE:OF @CODE: AZ Individual tax rates in Arizona were reduced after 1989 to a maximum of 7% on income over $300,000 ($150,000 for single or married filing separate). @CODE:OF @CODE: AR Individual tax rates in Arkansas start at 1% and rise to a maximum of 7% on taxable income over $25,000. @CODE:OF @CODE: CA ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ CALIFORNIA PERSONAL INCOME TAXES ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ California personal income tax rates begin at 1% of income and rise to a maximum rate of 11% on income over $207,200 (over $414,400 for married taxpayers filing jointly, and $282,030 for head of household) in 1992, which is higher than the flat 9.3% rate at which California taxes the in- come of corporations. In addition, the individual alterna- tive tax rate was raised to 8.5% in 1991, so that the alternative tax has now become harder to avoid. California's estimated income tax payment system parallels the federal rules rather closely, with payments made on Form 540-ES. Beginning in 1993, California individual taxpayers will also be subject to the same new rule as recently adopted for federal tax purposes, limiting the use of the ability to avoid penalty simply by paying in an amount equal to the prior year's tax liability, for certain individuals whose adjusted gross income is in excess of $75,000 and has increased by more than $40,000 over the prior year's income (with certain adjustments and exceptions). As under federal law, partnerships doing business in the state of California are not generally taxable entities, but must still file an annual information return (Form 565) by April 15th of the following year (for a calendar year part- nership). However, a limited partnership in California is now subject to payment of annual minimum franchise tax ($800 a year), the same as paid by corporations. @CODE:OF @CODE: CO Colorado taxes individual income at a flat rate of 5%, based on federal taxable income with certain adjustments. @CODE:OF @CODE: CT Connecticut recently enacted a personal income tax, at the rate of 1.5% of taxable income in 1991, and 4.5% after 1991. The former tax on capital gains and dividends is being phased out. (As of early 1993, the state legislature has passed a bill that would raise the top bracket to 6.25% in 1993, but Gov. Weicker has vetoed the bill....Stay tuned.) @CODE:OF @CODE: DE Individual tax rates in Delaware start at 3.2% on income over $2,000 and rise to 7.7% on income over $40,000. @CODE:OF @CODE: DC Individual tax rates in the District are fairly high, with a top rate of 9.5% on income of only $20,000 or more. Note that business income of a partnership or sole proprietor- ship is NOT generally reported on the individual partner or proprietor's D.C. income tax return, but is instead separ- ately taxable under the D.C. Unincorporated Business Fran- chise Tax (Form D-30) at a tax rate of 10.5% (10.25% for periods ending after September 30, 1992). @CODE:OF @CODE: GA Georgia individual tax rates are fairly low, starting out at 1% and rising to a maximum rate of 6% on income over $10,000 (joint filers). @CODE:OF @CODE: HI ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ HAWAII PERSONAL INCOME TAXES ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ Hawaii personal income tax rates begin at 2% of income and rise to a maximum rate of 10%. Since the maximum corporate tax rate is only 6.4%, there is often a considerable tax incentive to incorporate a Hawaii business, although the opposite tilt in federal corporation tax rates (since the federal Tax Reform Act of 1986) will often more than offset the state tax savings from incorporating. Hawaii's estimated income tax payment system closely paral- lels the federal rules, with individual estimated tax dec- larations made on Form N-1. Quarterly payments are due in the same months as federal estimates, but on the 20th day (not the 15th) of each such month. As under federal law, partnerships in Hawaii are not taxable entities, but must still file an annual information return (Form N-20) each year. The income from a partnership is reported on Schedule E of the partner's Hawaii individual income tax return. @CODE:OF @CODE: ID Individual tax rates in Idaho start at 2% and range up to a maximum of 8.2% in the top bracket. @CODE:OF @CODE: IL Illinois taxes individual income at a rate of 3%, applied to federal adjusted gross income with modifications. This tax rate is due to decrease to 2.75% after June 30, 1993. @CODE:OF @CODE: IN Personal income in Indiana is taxed at a rate of only 3.4%, based on federal adjusted gross income, with certain adjust- ments. @CODE:OF @CODE: IA Iowa has relatively high individual tax rates, reaching a maximum of 9.98% on taxable income in the highest bracket ($47,700 of taxable income) in 1993. @CODE:OF @CODE: KS Kansas has a maximum individual tax rate (joint returns) 6.45% for joint filers and 7.75% for other taxpayers. Re- cent legislation did away with the election to deduct federal income taxes on the Kansas tax return, effective for the 1992 tax year. @CODE:OF @CODE: KY Individual income in Kentucky is taxed at a maximum rate of 6%, on income of over $8,000. @CODE:OF @CODE: LA Personal income tax rates in Louisiana top out at 6% on income over $50,000 (per individual taxpayer, regardless of filing status). @CODE:OF @CODE: LS Personal income tax rates in @STATE start out at 96% on and go up as high as 1000%. Members of the Inner Party are exempt. @CODE:OF @CODE: ME Individual tax rates under Maine's income tax law start at 2.1% and go up to a maximum of 9.89% (1992 rates) on income over $75,000 (joint returns), which includes the 1991-1992 surtax. @CODE:OF @CODE: MD Maryland taxes the income of individuals at rates of 2% to 6%. The 5% tax bracket begins at income levels of only $3,000, however, and only reaches 6% at levels of $150,000 for joint filers or heads of household ($100,000 for single or married filing separate). Many counties, including Baltimore, also impose local income taxes. @CODE:OF @CODE: MA Most kinds of income, such as earned income, are taxed at an individual tax rate of only 5.95% in Massachusetts after 1991. However, investment income such as interest, divi- dends and net capital gains are taxed at a 12% rate. @CODE:OF @CODE: MI Michigan imposes a 4.6% income tax on the taxable income of individual taxpayers, which is based on federal taxable in- come with certain adjustments and modifications. However, a person's business income is also subject to the 2.35% Michigan "Single Business Tax," which is somewhat similar to an income tax, but with no deductions for wages or sal- aries, and without taking into account interest income or expense or royalty income or expense, as well as making certain other adjustments. @CODE:OF @CODE: MN Minnesota taxes individual incomes at rates of 6% to 8.5%. There is also an alternative minimum tax, which applies to alternative taxable income at a rate of 7%. @CODE:OF @CODE: MS Mississippi taxes individuals' taxable income of over $10,000 at a 5% rate. Tax rates start at 3% on the first $5,000 and go up to 5% on taxable income over $10,000. @CODE:OF @CODE: MO Tax rates on individuals in Missouri start at 1.5% and rise to 6% on income over $9,000. @CODE:OF @CODE: MT Montana had the distinction of having one of the highest individual tax rates of any state, at 11% on income over $59,400 in 1992. In addition, there was a 2.3% surtax for the taxable year 1992. However, the Montana individual tax system has been completely overhauled for 1993, so that now there is a flat tax rate equal to 6.7% of taxable income for individuals, but with no itemized deductions or personal exemptions allowed under the new tax system. @CODE:OF @CODE: NB Individual income tax rates in Nebraska start at 2.62% and go up to a maximum rate of 6.99% (1993 rates). @CODE:OF @CODE: NJ Personal income tax rates in New Jersey were substantially increased, to 7% for various brackets, depending on filing status, beginning in 1991. @CODE:OF @CODE: NM New Mexico's personal income tax begins at a tax rate of 2.4% on income of $8,000 or less and tops out at a maximum tax rate of 8.5% on taxable income in excess of $64,000 (joint filers). @CODE:OF @CODE: NY New York State individual income tax rates start at 4.55% on the first $13,000 of income and are graduated up to a maxi- mum rate of 7.875% on income taxable income in the highest income bracket (1993 rates, for married couples filing joint returns). The maximum rate is scheduled to decline on April 1, 1994 (to 7.5%) and again on April 1, 1995 (to 7%), but don't hold your breath, in light of the state's current fiscal dilemma. (The top rate of 7.875% has already been "extended," and this is likely to occur again.) There is also a "tax table benefit recapture supplemental tax" that takes back the benefit of lower tax brackets, on a sliding scale, for taxpayers whose adjusted gross incomes exceed $100,000, with full recapture occurring at levels of $150,000 or more. Note that taxpayers in New York City are also subject to New York City income tax. @CODE:OF @CODE: NC Tax rates on individual income in North Carolina start at 6% and go up to a maximum tax bracket of 7.75%. @CODE:OF @CODE: SC Tax rates on individual income in South Carolina start at 2.5% and go up to a maximum tax bracket of 7% on income over $10,600, in 1992, with the top bracket starting at $10,800 in 1993. @CODE:OF @CODE: ND North Dakota has a very high nominal tax rate of 12% on individual income over $50,000. However, taxpayers may elect to instead pay a tax equal to 14% of their federal income tax (with adjustments) for the year. @CODE:OF @CODE: OH Ohio's highest individual tax rate is 6.9% in 1992. This rate applies only at income levels of $100,000 or more. However, starting in 1993, there is a new 7.5% tax bracket, on income over $200,000. @CODE:OF @CODE: OK Oklahoma's personal income tax law imposes a relatively high maximum tax rate of 10%, but allows taxpayers a deduction for federal income taxes. For taxpayers who do not deduct federal income tax, a lower Oklahoma tax rate applies, with a maximum bracket of only 7% (in 1992). @CODE:OF @CODE: OR Oregon taxes individual income at rates ranging from 5% to 9%. @CODE:OF @CODE: PA Pennsylvania's current regular income tax rate is 2.8%, plus a temporary surtax of 0.3% that applied during the last six months of 1991 and the first six months of 1992. Pennsylvania taxable income consists of 8 categories of income, and in general bears very little resemblance to federal taxable income. No personal exemptions are al- lowed, for example. In addition, the cities of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Scranton all impose city income taxes on individuals' ear- nings and on net profits from businesses and professions. @CODE:OF @CODE: RI VT Individual taxpayers in @STATE compute their state income tax as a percentage of their federal income tax liability, which, at present, is computed at the rate of @CODE:OF @CODE: RI 27.5% of the federal tax (on federal tax in excess of $15,000, the rate is temporarily increased to 29.75% in 1992 and 32% in 1993). @CODE:OF @CODE: VT 28% of the federal liability, rising to as much as 34% of the federal tax liability over $13,100 in 1991-93 tax years. The rate is supposed to drop back down to 25% after 1993. (A special "land gains tax" also applies to capital gains on land sales or transfers, if land was held for less than 6 years.) @CODE:OF @CODE: UT Utah taxes individual taxpayers at income tax rates ranging from 2.55% up to 7.2%. @CODE:OF @CODE: VA Personal income tax rates in Virginia range from 2% up to a maximum tax bracket of 5.75%, which begins at $17,000 of income. @CODE:OF @CODE: WV West Virginia taxes individual income at rates up to 6.5% on income of over $60,000 (over $30,000 for married filing separate returns). @CODE:OF @CODE: WS Wisconsin individual income tax rates range from a low bracket of 4.9% to a top bracket of 6.93% @CODE:OF @CODE: AK FL SD NV TX WY WA TN NH There is no individual state income tax in @STATE. @CODE:OF @CODE: SD South Dakota voters decided on November 3, 1992, not to approve an income tax, that would have imposed rates up to 6%. @CODE:OF @CODE: NH (Except on certain investment income -- interest and divi- dends -- at a rate of 5%.) However, there is also an 8% Business Profits Tax, similar to an income tax, on all business entities, incorporated or otherwise, with over $12,000 of gross income. @CODE:OF @CODE: TN (Except on certain investment income -- interest and divi- dends from stocks and bonds.) @CODE:OF @CODE: WA However, Washington imposes a Business and Occupations tax, which varies by type of business, on most forms of business gross income. The tax rate ranges from about 1/2 of 1% up to 2%, generally, with a new 2.5% tax on various business ser- vices, effective July 1, 1993. @CODE:OF ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ CORPORATE ESTIMATED TAX REQUIREMENTS ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ A C corporation (or an S corporation, if it is subject to tax, which it usually is not) must make quarterly payments of estimated federal corporation income taxes on the 15th day of the 4th, 6th, 9th, and 12th months of its taxable year. All such tax payments must be made as tax deposits in a depository bank, accompanied by a Federal Tax Deposit coupon. Don't attempt to send such corporate tax payments directly to the IRS, which will either return them to you, lose them, or ignore them, any one of which results will be most unpleasant to you, including the standard 5% pen- alty that will apply if you try making a direct payment to the IRS. (This, of course, is the infamous Catch 22 you've heard so much about -- You can be penalized for PAYING your taxes, as well as for not paying them!) With certain exceptions, a corporation must generally pay in 90% of its total tax liability for the year as estimated tax payments in order to avoid the penalty for underpayment of estimated tax. However, starting in 1992, the percent- age of its current year tax that a corporation must pay in as estimated tax, to avoid underpayment penalties, in- creased from 90% to 93%, and increased further to 97% for tax years beginning after June 30, 1992, before (theoreti- cally) dropping back to 90% after 1996. (Certain "large" corporations are no longer allowed to base their current year estimated tax payments on their prior year tax lia- bility, except for the first quarterly payment of the current year.) @CODE: CA California also requires corporations to make quarterly estimated tax payments, on the same due dates as the fed- eral quarterly payments, and generally following the same rules. However, the first California quarterly franchise tax payment by a corporation must at least equal the mini- mum franchise tax for the year, which is $800 a year. Starting January 1, 1993, the percentage of estimated tax that must be paid in as estimated tax payments increases from 90% to 95% of the actual California franchise tax liability for the year. However, corporations other than certain "large" corporations will still be able to avoid tax underpayment penalties if they pay in an amount equal to at least 100% of the PRIOR year's tax liability. "Large" corporations, for this purpose, are those that had at least $1 million of taxable income in any of the three preceding taxable years. @CODE:OF @CODE: HI Hawaii also requires corporations to make estimated income tax payments, with Form N-3. However, unlike the quarterly federal payments, Hawaii requires only 2 annual payments to be made, on September 20 and the following January 20th for a calendar year corporation. @CODE:OF @CODE: NV TX WA WY Most states also require corporations to make payments of estimated corporate income taxes (but there are no such taxes in @STATE). @CODE:OF