@061 CHAP ZZ ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ CAPITAL-INTENSIVE BUSINESSES: CHOICE OF ENTITY ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ In general, capital-intensive businesses, such as high- tech, retail, and manufacturing firms, are still good can- didates for incorporating as C corporations, for several major reasons: . Limitation of personal liability is often highly important in these types of business (although an S corporation will provide the same degree of protection from creditors); . Businesses of these types often need to retain a significant part of their earnings to facili- tate expansion, pay off long-term debt, etc. Accordingly, they are good candidates for income- splitting, taking advantage of low corporate tax rates on the first $75,000 per year of taxable income. They are not subject to the flat rate 34% tax that applies to certain personal service corporations. Also, by the very nature of their business, it is often possible to justify accumu- lating large amounts of earnings in such corpora- tions over the years without incurring accumu- lated earnings penalty taxes, so long as the re- tained funds are used for business expansion, and not simply deposited in a bank account or invest- ed in stocks and bonds or similar non-business assets. . These kinds of businesses may still adopt fiscal tax years, which can be used, with proper tax planning, to defer taxes (by using a January 31 fiscal year, for example, and paying January bonuses each year to the employee-owners). . Even if they are considered "closely held C cor- porations," they may invest in activities that generate passive losses and fully deduct these losses against "net active income" (but not against "portfolio income") of the corporation. . C corporations have the advantage of being able to deduct medical insurance, medical reimburse- ment plan payments, disability insurance, and group term life insurance paid for owner- employees, which S corporations and unincorpor- ated businesses may not do, except on a very limited basis. While C corporations will face the problem of double taxa- tion when ultimately liquidated or sold, to the extent they retain income, and to the extent they have assets that ap- preciate, the problem of appreciating assets can be con- trolled somewhat by keeping assets that are likely to ap- preciate greatly over time, such as real estate, out of the corporation (by having the owners buy such assets and lease them to the corporation). Double taxation on the retained income itself will not occur unless you sell your stock or liquidate the corporation during your lifetime, since the stock generally gets a step-up in basis if it is included in your estate when you die (at least under pre- sent law). @IF119xx]PLANNING POINT FOR @NAME: @IF119xx]Your firm is currently a @ENTITY: @IF119xx]ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ @IF119xx]³In light of the advantages of C corporation status described³ @IF119xx]³above, perhaps you should consult your tax adviser regarding³ @IF119xx]³a possible shift to a C corporation, if yours is a capital- ³ @IF119xx]³intensive business that could benefit from such an entity. ³ @IF119xx]ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ