Taxation Legal Terms and Definitions

Meal Expense Deduction Generally, you can deduct only 50% of your business-re-lated meal expenses while traveling away from your tax home for business purposes. Also, you can generally de­duct only 50% of certain reimbursements you make to your employees for meal expenses they incur while traveling away from home on business. Limited Liability Company An LLC may be classified for Federal income tax purposes either as a partnership, a corporation, or an entity disregarded as an entity separate from its owner by applying the rules in Regulations section 301.7701-3. See Form 8832, Entity Classification Election, for more details. Excise tax A tax on the sale or use of specific products or transactions. Installment Agreements To be eligible for an installment agreement, all returns that are due must first be filed. Installment agreements generally require equal monthly payments. The amount of an installment payment will be based on the amount owed and on the taxpayer’s ability to pay that amount within the time legally available for the IRS to collect. Gross income Money, goods, services, and property a person receives that must be reported on a tax return. Includes unemployment compensation and certain scholarships. It does not include welfare benefits and nontaxable Social Security benefits. Electric and Clean-Fuel Vehicles For vehicles placed in service in 2004, the maximum clean-fuel vehicle deduction and qualified electric vehicle credit are scheduled to be reduced by 25%, as compared to 2003. Earned Income Credit A tax credit for certain people who work, meet certain requirements, and have earned income under a specified limit. Employee Works for an employer. Employers can control when, where, and how the employee performs the work. Self-Employment Tax The self-employment tax rate on net earnings remains the same for 2003. This rate, 15.3%, is a total of 12.4% for social security (old-age, survivors, and disability insur­ance) and 2.9% for Medicare (hospital insurance). Standard Mileage Rate For 2004, the standard mileage rate for the cost of operating your car, van, pickup, or panel truck is increased to 37.5 cents a mile for all business miles.

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	Corporate Reorganizations; Transfers of Assets or Stock Following a Reorganization These proposed regulations address the effect of transfers of the assets or the stock of parties to a reorganization pursuant to transactions intended to qualify as reorganizations within the meaning of section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. REG-130863-04. Published August 17, 2004.