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Tax breaks in the new small business bill

September 27, 2010

While Congress can't agree on individual tax law legislation, the House and Senate did send a small business bill to the White House. Obama signed the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act into law earlier today.

U.S. President Barack Obama signs the Small Business Jobs Act during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, September 27, 2010. Obama signed a $30 billion small business lending bill into law on Monday, claiming a victory on economic policy for his fellow Democrats ahead of November congressional elections.    REUTERS/Jason Reed  (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS)

Among the key tax provisions are:

  • Extension of bonus depreciation
  • Expanded Section 179 expensing
  • Increased start-up costs deduction
  • Five-year carryback for general business credits
  • A health insurance deduction that will reduce self-employment taxes

It's late, so rather than reinvent the wheel and elaborate on these and other tax provisions in the latest small business bill, I defer to folks who specialize in small business taxes … and who have already done the work!

You can find good detail on the small biz tax measures from:

Dean Zerbe, Forbes' Taxdude, who answers the question Small Business Bill — What Do Business Owners Need to Know to Cut Their Taxes?

Eva Rosenberg, the TaxMama.com writing this time for MarketWatch about New tax breaks for small businesses,

Paul Caron, the TaxProf Blog guru who tells us President Obama Signs Small Business Tax Bill, and

Joe Kristan who got a bit of a head start at Tax Update Blog with Extended bonus depreciation, $500K Section 179 deduction await President's signature.

Thanks to my tax blogging colleagues for making my life easier and letting me get to bed tonight at a more decent hour!

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It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

Comments
  • 500K Section 179, extended bonus depreciation enacted

    The President yesterday signed HR 5297 into law. Some kep provisions: – $500,000 Section 179 depreciation limit for years beginning…

  • This bill contains some very key benefits for small business owners, it is my hope that congress will continue to stimulate the economy by focusing on ways to help small business people.

  • New tax breaks for the 2010 tax planning home stretch

    The 2010 tax year is three-fourths over for most of us. By now, we should have a decent idea of what sort of year we’re having, so it’s time to get serious about our year-end tax planning. The president this…

  • I hope the bill will further encourage business newbies to start and grow their own businesses further.

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