Offers In Compromise May Be Severely Curtailed

Pending legislation may well put a stop to offers that would be submitted under the IRS' offer in compromise (OIC) program. The OIC allows a taxpayer to offer an amount to the Service in full payment of their IRS debts. Last year, the Service added an application fee to reduce the number of offers they receive, but that must not have been enough for them.

The Service would like to require a 20% nonrefundable down payment be made with any offer. It's feared that this would be a disincentive to submissions, as there's no guarantee your offer will be accepted, and taxpayers would be out their down payment. I suppose the funds would be applied to the debt already owing, but this still stands to curtail a program that has been a lifesaver for many taxpayers.

A New Deduction For Your Production

Beginning in 2005, companies engaged in 'domestic production' will be allowed a new deduction for their efforts. The deduction will be 3% of the income generated by qualified production activities (increasing to 6% in 2007 and 9% in 2010).

There are still a lot of details to be worked out regarding eligibility for the deduction, but some industries that qualify are construction (in the US), manufacturing, and farming. You don't have to be incorporated to benefit, either.

While this might not be a huge deduction for most companies until the rates increase, I'd put this one under 'Every little bit helps'!