This month, President Obama released his proposed FY 2014 budget which contains new taxes, limits on deductions, and other changes intended to meet the goal of raising more than $580 billion in revenue.
The most significant of these is the termination of capital gains breaks and qualified dividend treatment, causing them both to be taxed as ordinary income. The Kiplinger Tax Letter suggests taking capital gains before 2015 to lock in the lower rate. However, as always, do not let a tax strategy override a good investment plan.
Here is a summary of other changes that may affect you:
The 28% Limitation:
• Affects married taxpayers filing jointly with income over $250,000 and single taxpayers with income over $200,000.
• Limits the tax rate at which these taxpayers can reduce their tax liability to a maximum of 28%.
• Applies to all itemized deduction including charitable contributions, mortgage interest, employer provided health insurance, interest income on state and local bonds, foreign excluded income, tax-exempt interest, retirement contributions and certain above-the-line deductions.
The “Buffet Rule”
• Households with income over $1 million pay at least 30% of their income (after charitable donations) in tax.
• Implements a “Fair Share Tax,” which would equal 30% of the taxpayer’s adjusted gross income, less a charitable donation credit equal to 28% of itemized charitable contributions allowed after the overall limitation on itemized deductions. The Fair Share Tax would be phased in, starting at adjusted gross incomes of $1 million, and would be fully phased in at adjusted gross incomes of $2 million.
Estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer (GST) Tax
• Reintroduce rules that were in effect in 2009, except that portability of the estate tax exclusion between spouses would be retained.
• This change would take effect in 2018.
• Top tax rate would be 45% and the exclusion amount would be $3.5 million for estate and GST taxes, and $1 million for gift taxes.
The Kiplinger Tax Letter anticipates the changes being acted on as early as 2014. On April 23, 2013, Max Baucus (D-MT), the head of the Senate Finance Committee, announced he would retire from the U.S. Senate at the end of his term in 2015. In The Kiplinger Tax Latter, Vol. 88, No. 9, Kiplinger predicts that “he’ll push to make revamping the tax code his legacy.”
You may feel as though you are done with taxes and do not need address them for another year. Resist that urge and schedule a meeting with us so we can review the potential impact of proposed tax changes on your portfolio and investments. We can also discuss the best strategies for saving money on your 2013 and 2014 tax returns.
Category Archives: Tax Law Changes
Update on estate planning – what should you gift now?
Estate planning remains stuck in limbo. That is, after 2012, the $5 million credit for gift and estate taxes goes away and we could be back at a $1 million credit. Also, the generation skipping tax limit now at $5 million would decrease. Finally, the portability of estate tax exemptions between spouses expires, meaning that the survivor can no longer use any credit amount not used by the first spouse, which would allow more to pass on estate tax free.
So far, Congress has taken no action. Many expect the 35% rate and a credit of at least $3 million to be the law for 2013 on. However, Congress failed to fix the estate tax for 2010 so nothing is certain.
Planning: This means you need to review your estate plan, especially your gifting strategies, and act now to take advantage of the higher gift tax credit. You can gift up to $5 million of assets free of gift tax now, or $10 million for married couples. The benefit is that all future income and appreciation on these gifts is removed from your estate. The downside is that the gifts are irrevocable, so you must be certain that what you pass on now you will not need later.
You always want to select assets that you expect will grow in value. If the assets decline, the strategy is frustrated. An example of what could go wrong is gift of a home at peak values that is now worth far less.
Remember that you have the annual gift tax exclusion allowing you and your spouse can each give $13,000 per year to any individual without eating away at your gift and estate tax credit. And note: any payments made to colleges or hospitals for the benefit of another person are not counted at all. (No gift tax return is required for these excluded amounts.)
How do you effectively structure the gift? Here are some examples:
• Family limited liability company (FLLC): With real estate or business assets, you can transfer minority interests in the FLLC to children or grandchildren. You retain control and the amount you gift is discounted because the minority interests lack control and lack marketability. You will need an appraisal for the value and the discount.
• Dynasty trust: This type of trust is designed to pass assets on multiple generations. Distributions can be made to the first generations, but they never actually receive a final amount – they rely on the trustee for any amounts to be distributed to them.
• Grantor retained annuity trust (GRAT): This trust transfers assets to children after a specified term while retaining a fixed annuity. The amount you gift is discounted, because children do not receive it until the end of the term. If the amount transfers, you succeed in transferring a discounted amount that becomes worth much more to the next generation.
• Qualified Personal Residence Trust (QPRT) Like the GRAT, your children receive your house in the future, so the value of the gift made now is discounted. You can even stay in the house after that term, but you have to pay rent, which is in effect another gift.
One note of caution: some have expressed the concern that if Congress does not act, the IRS could try to take back the excess in some fashion. Be sure to consult with your estate tax advisor before taking any moves.
We added gifting as a “to do” on the Finance Health Day page .
Financial impact of the budget plan and planning for tax reform
First, the on-going budget battle in Washington, or “the debt ceiling crisis,” should be kept in perspective. The battle is more a game of chicken, where one side will eventually blink and the ceiling increased. This political battle is not likely to have an impact on investments, as the markets have already accounted for the outcome, as usually happens well before the event. In fact, by way of example, this is much like 1989 when the municipal bonds of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts we downgraded to a rating just above that for Louisiana. Many investors panicked. However, the underlying economy had not changed. Therefore, the smart investment strategy at the time was to buy Massachusetts bonds. After Governor Weld came to office, the rating went back up and investors who held or bought the bonds had a nice profit. The equivalent today would be to buy treasuries.
Second, as it is shaping up, the deficit reduction package contains major tax reform provisions as well as huge spending cuts. This could ultimately be good for the economy and our markets, as it would bring corporate tax rates in line with other countries, falling in the 23 to 29% range. However, the base would be broadened, possibly including depreciation over longer periods, eliminating deductions for domestic production and trimming or dropping the R&D credit.
The tax overhaul raises substantial revenue, $1 trillion over 10 years. However, this less than half the amount that would have been raised by simply letting the Bush tax expire as scheduled.
New Tax Law: Many specifics will not be known until a new tax law is enacted, which is not likely to occur this year. What Kiplinger’s Tax Letter and others are predicting the following: Instead of six tax rates or brackets, with the highest at 35%, three are expected: one in the 8 to 12% range, the next in the 14 to 22% range, and the in the last in the 23 to 29% range. The Alternative Minimum Tax (“AMT”) would be repealed. The earned income credit and child credit would remain.
To do all this, there will be pain: itemized deductions would be significantly reformed, changing home interest and property tax deductions as well as charitable deductions. For example, deduction of interest might be limited to a mortgage of $500,000 used to purchase a home, but not any for a second home. In addition, the deduction of equity line of credit interest may be eliminated (no one knows what will be grandfathered, so better to have a line in place than to wait). Higher bracket taxpayers may see the deductions converted into a 12% credit.
Something of a surprise, given the push over the last ten years or more to increase personal savings, the deductions for retirement contributions may be cut back, lowering the ceiling and amount of the contributions that will be allowed for 401(k), IRA, Keogh, SEP-IRAs, profit-sharing plans and so on. Similarly, flex plan and health savings accounts may be curtailed or repealed.
We will continue to monitor the information on tax reform, and post updates when appropriate.
Any changes that are this sweeping will require serious tax planning, so that should be on your “to do” list for this fall!
Possible tax law changes and tax planning opportunities
From the predictions we see, Congress will be reviewing and in most cases renewing certain tax cuts. They will also pass some additional tax changes.
Here is a summary of what is expected to become law (let me know if you need more detail):
The following expired provisions are expected to be renewed: The tax free status of distributions made directly from IRAs to charity; the add-on to the standard deduction for state and local property taxes; tax breaks for state sales tax, college tuition and teachers’ school supplies; 15-year write-offs for restaurant renovations and leasehold improvements; and the R&D tax credit. The will also be a small business tax cut for hiring (let me know if you need details).
2010 is the year for Roth IRA conversion strategies, where the taxes can be paid over two years. Because of market volatility, you may want to have separate IRAs by asset classes so if one goes down, you can “un-convert”. (See prior posts on this) Note, however, that Roth conversion income can affect Medicaid premiums and taxation of Social Security benefits.
Also expected is an increase of tax rates for income and capital gains taxes for high income tax filers, where one possibility is raising the top tax rate to 39.6% on singles with taxable income above $196,000 and on married couples for taxable income over $231,000. With this could be a top capital gains rate of 20% for this group, up from 15% now. Itemized deductions could be affected as well – perhaps by capping at 28% the rate at which itemizations reduce a filer’s tax liability.
Future changes to tax rates will affect planning for 2010 – taking more income and possibly selling assets then later buying them back to up the basis for future sales.
The item still missing from the list is the fix for the estate tax (see prior posts on this). The expected change will be reviving the estate tax retroactive to January 1. However, Democrats support a $3.5-million exemption amount and a 45% rate while Republicans want $5 million and 35%. If no action is taken, 2010 will continue to have no estate tax and 2011 will have a $1 million exemption with a 60% top rate.
If you want to consider how this all applies to you, for income taxes or estate planning, let us know.
Let us know if you have questions or comments. Thanks,
Steven
Planning for Tax Law Changes – the Investment Piece
Among the anticipated changes in taxes for individuals are the increase of the long-term capital gains rate from 15% to at least 20% and the elimination of the qualified dividend rate of 15%. How do you respond? That depends on several factors.
If the investments are tax-sheltered, as in an IRA or 401(k) plan, then the change has no impact: current growth is sheltered and withdrawals are always taxed as ordinary income. If the investments are in a taxable account, then the analysis involves your long-term plans and investment style. On the long-term capital gains, if you may be selling investments soon, doing so now and buying back (subject to the wash sale rules, if applicable), would increase your basis so that less would be taxed later at a higher rate. However, if you plan to hold investments long-term, there is little reason to react now. That is, the increased tax far in the future is less, on a net present value basis, than paying a lower tax today.
The long-term capital gains tax is still likely to be less than the maximum marginal rate, so converting what would be earned income into capital gains remains attractive (e.g., the basis for exercising and holding Incentive Stock Options)
As for the dividends tax, again this depends on your investment strategy. If you believe that the proper stocks or funds include those that distribute dividends, then the tax cost is part of your analysis in selecting those investments over funds or stocks that do not pay dividends.
As with any decision regarding the tax impact on investments, it is the investment strategy that should rule the outcome.
We will report more on possible tax changes and related strategies in upcoming newsletter posts.
Let us know if you have questions or comments. Thanks,
Steven