Year-End Strategies to Reduce AGI
Like every summer in Maine, it went by much too fast. But now that fall is here and the end of the year is in sight, it’s a great time to think about crossing off a few of your financial to-do’s. One important project you can tackle is reducing your current-year...
New Bankruptcy Relief Coming Soon
Even as companies continue to grow in size in the Portland area, small businesses continue to be a major part of the economy in the region and throughout Maine. Anyone who runs a small business knows that it’s not easy, and sometimes it can be hard to make ends meet....
In Gatekeeper Role, Court Trains Attention on Expert Methodology, Not Conclusions
Acosta v. Wilmington Trust In this ESOP litigation, both parties tried to exclude the opposing side’s valuation expert testimony under Rule 702 and Daubert. The court noted that, at this stage in the proceedings, its focus was on whether the experts applied reliable...
FAQs About Self-Employment Tax
It’s not uncommon for folks here in Portland and all across Maine to be self-employed. Those who are probably pay the self-employment (SE) tax. But people who do the occasional odd job or only collect income for one-off circumstances may not have to pay the SE tax. If...
How to Reduce the Tax Hit on Soon-to-Be-Developed Land
Here in the greater Portland area, real estate prices are increasing and development is booming — which is good news for owners of underdeveloped or underutilized land. But if you’re among those who are looking to sell, develop or subdivide a highly appreciated...
What Employers Should Know about HSAs
With unemployment at record lows — both here in Maine and across the nation — retaining and attracting employees is a high priority for many business owners. So as the year winds down and you look ahead to 2020, one way you can address this issue is by improving your...
FAQs about Home Office Deductions
There are many perks of working from home, including the tax deduction available to many taxpayers who have a home office. However, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) has effectively eliminated the long-standing home office deduction through 2025. But if you are...
Tax Court’s Amazon Valuation Ruling Stands Up to 9th Circuit Scrutiny
Amazon.com, Inc. v. Commissioner The 9th Circuit recently affirmed the U.S. Tax Court’s 2017 decision in favor of Amazon in this key transfer pricing case, finding the governing regulations limited the definition of “intangible” to independently transferable assets....
NAV Alone Fails to Capture Distributional Interest’s Fair Value
Schewe v. Schewe Farms In a family dispute featuring a farm business that owned real estate, the parties’ experts disagreed on an issue that was pivotal to how they would value the sellers’ distributional interest. The trial court resolved the valuation dispute by...
ESOP Court Denies Discovery of DOL Expert’s Prior Work for Government
Acosta v. Wilmington Trust In an ongoing ESOP litigation, the defendant trustee’s effort to obtain information on the DOL expert’s prior valuation work for the government was thwarted. In denying the trustee’s motion to compel, the court found the information was...