Tax
An Indian hotel company (an Indian tax resident) enters into a contract with a US company to host a conference in India, and the US party requires it to submit Form W-9 or W-8 to handle the advance payment. The company believes that the advance payment corresponds to services provided in India, and since the Indian company has no business presence or permanent establishment in the US, withholding tax may not be required under the India-US tax treaty. The company asks whether it must submit Form W-8/W-9, and whether any other documents are needed to complete the contract.
In a minority business accelerator course, a case involving payment for intellectual property acquisition with LLC partnership interests sparked intense discussion among financial professionals. This article outlines two main approaches: full recognition of income versus recognition of only actual cash, and analyzes their tax consequences.
A fee-only financial advisor (already holding an Enrolled Agent certification) is considering adding tax preparation to their services and seeks the best way to gain experience, including whether to join a chain like H&R Block or Liberty for a season.
This article analyzes whether a cash-basis C-Corp, under an IP transfer agreement, purchasing custom software with payments spread over 5 years, while the software is fully depreciated within 3 years and payments occur after the depreciation period, incurs a tax liability.
Under an intellectual property transfer agreement, a nonresident alien sells the intellectual property of custom software to a C-Corp, with the agreement stipulating that the C-Corp will make a lump-sum payment within 5 years after the software is fully depreciated (3 years). This article analyzes whether the nonresident alien is only subject to individual income tax on the software payment, or whether other taxes may be involved.
A Hong Kong-registered company supplies and installs furniture for Asian investors in UK properties. It purchases and installs furniture from UK suppliers and is charged 20% VAT. The company asks whether, as a Hong Kong entity, it is liable for this tax, whether suppliers can quote at zero rate and reclaim the tax, and whether it needs to register for UK VAT and whether referral fees can be exclusive of tax. Based on UK VAT regulations, this article analyzes the relevant rules for cross-border B2B services, supplies of goods, and referral fees.
A SaaS company practitioner shared their research on economic nexus and software taxability matrices, noting that states define SaaS differently, with some treating it as canned software on tangible media and others as custom software. The article aims to find reliable sources of information for tracking and compliance.
Controversy over Adjustment of Business Travel Mileage Reimbursement Policy: How Do IRS Rules Apply?
A company adjusted its mileage reimbursement policy for travel to temporary work locations, requiring that normal commuting mileage be deducted from the mileage from home to the temporary location. However, employees who use public transit found that their actual commuting costs did not align with the mileage, sparking controversy. The article cites IRS Revenue Ruling 94-47 to explore whether reimbursement should be calculated based on the full mileage and whether the commuting method affects the application of the rules.
Texas Cleaning Service Sales Tax Confusion: Should Subcontractors Charge Tax to General Contractors?
A California cleaning company operates in Texas, charging customers sales tax on cleaning services and supplies. However, its subcontractors only tax supplies, not services, prompting the general contractor to question the correctness of the tax treatment. This article outlines the background and cites relevant Texas tax regulations to help clarify the tax obligations between subcontractors and general contractors.
Focusing on asset sales using the installment method, this article analyzes the calculation of the gross profit margin, paying special attention to complex factors such as inventory sold at cost, fixed assets with depreciation recapture, and mixed payments of cash and notes, and addresses whether installment recognition applies only to the capital gain from goodwill.