Have you had the pleasure of playing the real estate investment boardgame Monopoly? For anyone who’s shuffled the game's distinctive pieces across the board, “bought” and “sold” teeny houses and hotels, lost a pseudo fortune to a well-invested opponent, or scored some of that characteristically colorful money with a fortuitous Community Chest card, you know it’s a game of strategy. Your friends who scrutinized their investments and calculated every move usually won the game.
As a CPA, you want to provide your clients with the best service possible. Part of superior service includes saving them the most money, wherever and whenever you can. And a cost segregation study can answer that call to help discover more hidden cash. Read on to find out how.
You are a savvy business owner. Part of your business acumen includes knowledge of potential tax credits that can benefit your bottom line. However, the words “potential for audit” linger in the back of your mind.
Book Reports. Back in school, many of us agonized over the time-consuming, rule-laden amalgamation of facts and theories. Sometimes you were permitted to pick the topic, sometimes the teacher did. But the teacher always laid down the requirements: double-spaced; 800 to 1,000 words; typed (or printed if you go back that far); include a cover page with your name, date, etc.
I’m a little bit of a do-it-yourselfer (DIYer). As with many other “I got this” zealots, I’m always game for saving a few bucks and invigorating the ego with bragging rights for completing a task or home-improvement venture that most others would call upon a professional to tackle.
On the heels of the record-setting incentive package of more than $1.5 billion in grants and tax breaks from New York state that Amazon stands to get for bringing at least 25,000 workers to a new campus in Queens, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was quoted as saying, “All things being equal, if we do nothing, they’re going to Texas.”
There is no shortage of famous movie quotes in the lexicon of pop culture, and the phrase “You complete me” uttered by Tom Cruise in the film Jerry Maguire certainly belongs somewhere at the top of the list. While expressed with complete sincerity in the film to his love interest, the phrase has enjoyed longevity having been oft quoted, sometimes as a comedic device, such as in the film Austin Powers and the TV show The Office, and in the deranged rantings of the villainous Joker in the Batman film The Dark Knight.
Is your company aware that certain tax incentives expired within The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act, known as the PATH Act? However, have no fear, there are still many components that are still active.
Even though parts of the PATH Act expired, on the whole, green building tax incentives remain an important tax savings strategy for businesses. In direct proportion to the growing efforts to reduce energy consumption, companies that own commercial or industrial property will continue to need insight and guidance on green building incentives.
The section 179D deduction provides benefits for businesses, architects, engineers and contractors when they build or renovate a building that is energy efficient. In addition to the 179D deduction, the 45L tax credit also is not applicable in 2017. The 45L tax credit was applicable when building units provided a level of heating and cooling energy consumption that is lower than national energy standards. However, the good news is any project placed in service prior to 1/1/2017 is still eligible to have a 179D or 45L study conducted.
Cost segregationis a key project for identifying your opportunities to capture green building tax incentives. A cost segregation study breaks down costs and documents the information you need to claim green building benefits.
Typically, green building tax incentives are complementary projects to cost segregation, where the analysis is primarily focused on accelerated depreciation for fixed asset tax deductions.
When doing a green building tax benefit project, however, the energy incentives are at the forefront. Even still, it’s highly recommended to conduct a cost segregation study. The study is the best way to get detailed information on the costs and construction/engineering specifics of your building. Additionally, the study also naturally lends you the tax benefit of accelerated depreciation.
Green Building Tax Incentives: Pursue These Programs
Developers and property owners who practice green building techniques actually create demand and encourage innovation within the world of green building technologies. That’s why the U.S. government is more than willing to offer tax benefits that motivate all energy efficiency efforts in a collective mission to lower energy costs and preserve the planet.
The recently passed PATH Act includes a two-year extension of the Energy-Efficient Commercial Building Deduction, also known as section 179D of the tax code. This is largely due to growing awareness that the 179D deduction is a vital benefit for businesses.
“By extending 179D tax deduction, Congress has done architects, engineers and contractors a major favor as we have seen firsthand how this incentive has helped companies expand both their workforce and the scope of their services,” said Dean Zerbe, alliantgroup national managing director and former senior counsel to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, in a recent article published by Proud Green Building.
On the whole, green building incentives are becoming an increasingly important tax savings strategy for businesses. In direct proportion to the growing efforts to reduce energy consumption, clients of your CPA firm that own commercial or industrial property are going to ask for more insight and guidance on green building incentives.
