November 22, 2004 02:40 PM
Know Your Optimal Year-End Tax Strategies
Excerpt: There is a rash of new tax laws that millions of Americans will need to consider when mapping out their year-end tax-saving strategies. Here is a road map to some new rules of the road, plus an overview of a few traditional year-end maneuvers.
There is a rash of new tax laws that millions of Americans will need to consider when mapping out their year-end tax-saving strategies.
Among them, Congress approved tough new rules for car donations to charity, effective next year. Thus, if you itemize your deductions and are thinking of giving your car to charity, you should consider doing it this year, says Roy M. Quick Jr. of Quick Tax & Accounting Service in St. Louis.
Lawmakers also took steps to reduce the rapid growth of the alternative minimum tax, at least through next year. Even so, record numbers of people are likely to be hit by the AMT this year -- and that can mean radical changes in traditional year-end maneuvers.
Don't make the mistake of assuming the AMT is a headache only for the rich. Originally, it was designed to make sure that wealthy people couldn't escape paying all federal income taxes. But it wasn't indexed for inflation, and now it's hitting rapidly growing numbers of unsuspecting taxpayers.
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