March 18, 2010
How Can I Deduct Rental Car Costs On My Income Tax?
One of the popular questions asked related to tax is “Can I deduct rental car costs on my income tax?”. Many countries impose massive taxes on rental cars. Rental car companies are becoming more infuriated with the increasing taxes imposed on their clients.
Unfortunately, it is not easy to avoid these taxes, according to the Coalition Against Discriminatory Car Rental Excise Taxes. In 43 of the United States of America, there are a total of 114 different local and state excise taxes for leasing and or renting cars. In the 1990s, there were only fourteen such taxes. The CADCRET was formed in order to track and fight the proliferation of taxes.
Residents of Maine blocked a new state tax-reform law that proposed a 10-12,5% increase in car rentals. The petition managed to put the increase on hold for a while at least. This is a great relief for business travelers in particular as well as rental car companies and corporate travel departments.
Some cities charge as much as 20% in car rental taxes and cost Fortune 100 companies upwards of $5 million per year.
Taxes are imposed in order for cities to close gaps within their budgets. This has not made the car hire companies excited at all. They do not want to be associated with tax collection and they have to charge higher prices to accommodate the taxes. Subconsciously clients blame the care and truck rental companies for this. 36 months ago 8 rental brands and the National Business Travel Association formed a group to lobby against the taxes. They also took it upon themselves to provide education for consumers.
In New Jersey there is tax reform passed that permits municipalities to impose 5 % excise tax when people rent cars. As it is car renters already pay a whopping $5 daily in the form of sales tax and state tax.
Don’t rent a car in Wisconsin as you will be expected to pay $18 every time you rent a vehicle. The money from this tax is supposedly used to assist in the funding of a mass- transit project. This would translate to a tax increase of in excess of seventy percent in Milwaukee, Kenosha and Racine.
The lobbyist group also reports that in Michigan there is pending legislation that will, if passed increase taxes by a further $2.50 per transaction.
In order to find funding for rail projects in Florida. The people responsible for the law are fighting to increase the taxes by a further $2.00. This would mean the tax increases by 50!
The general consensus of these people who make the laws is that this tax is necessary and understandable. These sentiments receive fierce opposition for the coalition.
The recession has hit the states in America in a big way and the deficits in state coffers is horrendous to say the least.
It appears there is misappropriation of funds as when a project is complete then the money is used elsewhere. This explains some of the reasons that car renters are asking, “can I deduct car rental costs on my income tax?
Discount Car Australia offers everyday low rates, long-term Sydney car hire and one way car hire. Rental car classes include large corporate car rental, economy car rental, pickup truck rental.
Filed under Personal Finance by Adriana Noton
October 25, 2009
Reduce Your Income Taxes With These Common Loans
Just about everybody wants to borrow cash sometimes and it’s smart to do your research before jumping into a big loan. Were you aware that when you take out a loan you could also be shrinking the amount of taxes you have to pay at the end of the year? Surprisingly, not all loan programs are equal when it comes times to look at your tax situation. Some loans can give you a tax credit which shrinks the income tax you owe and other kinds of loans can give you a tax deduction which reduces your gross taxable income. Here’s a quick guide to which loans may qualify you for a tax credit, though obviously individual cases will be different.
School Loans: Did you know that some loans you take out for education could give you a tax advantage? You can, in some cases, deduct the interest you paid on the loan from your federal taxes. Not all education loans are eligible for this, but it’s a good way to decrease the taxes you pay, especially if you’re a cash-strapped student with a limited income. The interest you pay on some education loans can only be deducted if you make under a certain amount of money, based on how you file your taxes.
Home Mortgages: For most people their home is the biggest purchase they ever make, and paying a mortgage can actually be a good way to reduce the amount of money you owe on your federal taxes each year. Most house payment plans are set up so that you can deduct the amount of interest you pay on the loan every year. Out of all the loans that have tax benefits associated with them, home mortgages are probably the most well-known. Since most home mortgages are designed to be paid over thirty years, that means that purchasing a house can give you 30 years of potential tax benefits.
Home Equity Loans: If your dwelling is more valuable now than when you bought it then you might be able to take out a home equity loan (sometimes called a HELOC) and deduct the interest you pay on that borrowed money. There are some restrictions about how much of your loan’s interest actually qualifies for a tax deduction. You can use a home equity loan for a number of things, you may be able to get additional tax credits by using the money for home improvements. In some case you can even qualify for tax credits for using the money to upgrade your house’s energy efficiency. A home equity loan used to improve your dwelling could eventually raise the value of your dwelling and give you even more equity in the long run. For many people some of the cost of a HELOC can be minimized with home improvement tax credits.
Sometimes applying for the right kind of loan can definitely save you thousands of dollars on your income taxes, so it’s worth spending a little bit of time to look into what sort of tax benefits you qualify for. There are, of course, a lot of variables between these loans. Everyone will not be eligible for all the different tax credits that these loans may offer. Sometimes your living situation, the amount of money you want to borrow and the purpose of the loan will limit the amount of money you can deduct from your taxes in any given year. Before you apply for any of these loans you may want to talk with your tax professional to make sure the tax benefits apply to your individual situation.
Want to learn more about the ins and outs of home loans? Check out our site to learn more about how to modify a home loan, upside-downmortgages and the home buyer tax credit extension.
categories: income taxes,home loans,student loans,mortgages,saving money,money,home,loans,college,home ownership
Filed under Loans by Thomas James
