Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Annual "Buy One Alpaca and Get the Second for 1/2 Price" Sale




Annual "Buy One Alpaca and Get the Second for 1/2 Price" Sale



The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act extended the 50% Bonus Depreciation & increased Section 179 deduction ($250,000 maximum) through 2009 making this year the best year to begin or expand your herd.

Pick out your favorite alpaca and match it up with another of an equal or lesser value.

Match up as many combos as you like.

Cash, credit cards and terms.

Additional 5% discount for cash transactions (90 days is the same as cash).

No interest if paid off within one year.

Free transportation within Continental US.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

August is here; soon school will be back in session and before we know it the holidays will be upon us. This is just a reminder that during 2009 many new tax provisions were introduced. Follow this link to the IRS published summary of the provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The ones which tend to have the greatest impact on us relate to net operating losses and depreciation related deductions. The new law allows any small business the opportunity to carry a net operating loss back for five years as opposed to the prior law of two years. Farming operations were already allowed a five year carryback--this is just a reminder to not forget this provision when you are considering your alternatives.

The tax planning opportunity here is that depending on your particicular situation any of the following could be to your benefit:

to take bonus depreciation in order to create a net operating loss which could be carried back;
to take a current year Section 179 and bonus depreciation deductions which could be carried forward to a year when you anticipate sufficient income;
any combination of the above which maximizes your tax benefits.

When you consider the limitations on this year's deductions you can easily see the impact they could have on your potential tax liability. The bonus depreciation is only available on NEW assets with a life of 20 years or less. It can be used this year to offset current year revenue; can be carried back five years to offset prior income or can be carried forward to future years. There is no limit on the amount of property which can qualify for this deduction. Section 179 is available on new or used property, is limited to $250,000; is reduced dollar for dollar if your eligible purchases exceed $800,000; can be used currently or can be carried forward--but is NOT eligible for carry back.

So start now to plan for your 2009 taxes. Consider the impact of buying new or used equipment or alpacas while the deductions are still available. Section 179 is scheduled to continue but next year it will be reduced to an amount probably in the range of $135,000 to $140,000 as it will be based on $125,000 adjusted for inflation from 2007. It is scheduled to be reduced to $25,000 in 2011. Currently there is no provision for the bonus depreciation deduction to continue beyond 2009. So you can see where these provisions alone make 2009 a great tax planning year.