An Artistic Way to Pay Your Taxes

Many wealthy individuals enjoy collecting things, including artwork. While artwork can be a source of income for some, as well as solely a collectible for others, it can’t be used it to pay your taxes. Well, at least not in the United States, anyways. However, there are some countries in which artwork is a completely acceptable way to pay your taxes.
In the United Kingdom, for example, between the years 2009 and 2013 alone, taxpayers used £124.5 million worth of art to reduce their tax bill. UK citizens can even get the full fair market value off their art without having to sale it. Plus they don’t have to pay taxes on any gain. The program used to be mainly for estate taxes, but since 2013 residents of the UK can use it to settle their unpaid taxes.
Meantime, in Mexico, the art-for-taxes program is even sweeter, especially for artists, who can actually donate their works instead of paying taxes. The program allows artists to donate the same amount of artwork as the value of the pieces they sell each year. It not only encourages talented artists to continue creating, but it has also helped the country accumulate a large and valuable collection of some the country’s most recognized artists.
Although this program seems to work well in these countries there is no such program in the U.S. However, for professional artists in the U.S. there are many tax deductions available, which can help reduce their tax bill. So although artists and collectors might not be able to pay the IRS in paintings and sculptors, with the right tax planning help from GROCO they can still come out ahead.
Tax Planning Considerations
Tax Planning Considerations First Year Tax Issues Upon Becoming a US Resident If a married taxpayer wishes to file a joint return, both spouses must be residents at the end of the year and elect to be treated as U.S. residents for the entire year. If the taxpayer is taxed as a U.S. resident for…
Approaches to Valuing Cost Sharing Buy-Ins
Approaches to Valuing Cost Sharing Buy-Ins Buy-Ins: Introduction Buy-in payments are often associated with a cost sharing arrangement (CSA) transaction. See § 1.482-7 for regulations regarding cost sharing arrangements between related parties. Participants should receive arm’s length compensation (a “buy-in”) for “pre-existing” intangibles that are contributed to a CSA. The buy-in should be treated as…
IRS Says Its Auditors May Routinely Ask for Effective Tax Rate Reconciliation Workpapers
IRS Says Its Auditors May Routinely Ask for Effective Tax Rate Reconciliation Workpapers Chief Counsel Notice 2007-015 A Chief Counsel Notice concludes that effective tax rate reconciliation workpapers are neither tax accrual workpapers nor audit workpapers. As such, they aren’t included in the documents the IRS will not routinely request during an audit. Effective tax…
Millionaire Financial Calculator
Millionaire Financial Calculator What might it take to save one million dollars? This financial calculator helps you find out. Enter in your current savings plan and view graphically your financial results for each year until you retire! A complete report tells you when you could hit your Cool Million – and what you can do…