As a high net worth individual, you likely are all too familiar with capital gains taxes. These taxes that you pay when you sell a highly appreciated asset such as a business, commercial property, investment, collectible or even your personal residence, can wipe out much of the profit you make. But what if there were a safe and legal way for you to defer your tax liability?
Tax Strategy
DST: An Advantageous Tax Deferral Strategy For Your Clients
As a CPA helping high-asset clients create and maintain their wealth, you hold an exceptionally prestigious, albeit challenging, position. You’re the expert to whom they look to help them maximize their profits, minimize their tax liability and shield them, to the greatest extent possible, from IRS audits. But how do you do this, especially in light of the major tax changes likely coming in the near future? The Deferred Sales Trust (DST) may be just the answer you and your clients are looking for.
Biden Administration Tax Proposals Make the DST an Even More Valuable Strategy
Savvy investors have been using the Deferred Sales Trust (DST) for over 25 years as a way to defer recognition of their long-term capital gains when they sell a real estate investment, business or other highly appreciated asset. President Biden’s proposed tax plan, however, make the DST even more valuable.
Bring DST Benefits to Your Clients
If you’re a professional who represents high net worth clients, you know that capital gains taxes constitute one of their main challenges when they sell a highly appreciated piece of investment real estate or a business. Today’s long-term capital gains rates are 15% for taxpayers filing jointly who make between $80,001 and $496,600 per year. For those making $496,601 or more, the rate increases to 20%. In some circumstances, they may owe an additional 3.8% on the lesser of their net investment income or the amount by which their modified adjusted gross income exceeds the statutory threshold based on their filing status.
Can You Have Too Much Tax Deferral?
Taking steps to defer your individual federal income tax bill is often a good idea. If you expect to be in the same tax bracket in future years, lowering this year’s taxable income will postpone your tax bill and give you extra cash to work with until the bill comes due. If your tax rates turn out to be lower in future years, deferring taxable income into those future years will cause the deferred amounts to be taxed at lower rates.