In my commitment to educate my clients nationwide and in the greater Atlanta area, please read about the payroll tax cut extension below:

Congress passed an extension of the 2% payroll tax cut that had been scheduled to expire at the end of February. The extension means 160 million working Americans will continue to pay social security tax on their wages at a 4.2% rate for the rest of 2012, rather than at a 6.2% rate.

Because Republicans and Democrats were unable to agree on how to pay for the extended tax cut, the law included no spending cuts to offset the estimated $93 billion cost of this provision.

The law also provides for long-term federal unemployment benefits, setting the maximum at 73 weeks in states with the worst unemployment and 63 weeks for other states.

Another provision in the law includes the so-called “doc fix” that prevents a scheduled 27% reduction in Medicare payments to doctors.

The unemployment benefits and doctor payments will be paid for by government sales of broadband spectrum, requiring federal workers hired after this year to contribute more to their pensions, and cuts in certain health programs.

It’s never too early to get together with your Atlanta tax attorney for some smart planning to save on next year’s taxes. If you are self-employed or in a position to claim business expenses, here is a short checklist to review and help you identify new business deductions for your tax return.

If you’re incorporated:
1. You may want to operate as an S corporation to save self-employment taxes.
2. If you have a Schedule C, hire your children (deductions for you, nontaxable or low-tax income for the children. Also, wages paid by parents to children are exempt from payroll taxes).
3. Operating as a C corporation may offer medical deductions.

If you travel or entertain for business:
1. Combine business and personal trips to obtain business deductions under the travel rules (for example, traveling by cruise ship to a convention).
2. Properly classify entertainment that qualifies for the 100% deductions rather than the 50% deduction.
3. Identify the vehicle deduction method that gives you the largest deductions (choosing between the IRS mileage method and the actual expense method).
4. Properly identify your maximum business miles so you deduct the largest percentage of your vehicles.
5. Know the entertainment facility rules so that your vacation home can become a tax deduction.

Other office tax items:
1. Properly classify business expansion or repair expenses as deductions rather than nondeductible capital costs.
2. Properly identify deductible start-up expenses (a common oversight).
3. Use a 1031 exchange to defer taxes (sometimes until death when the assets are marked up to fair market value and the income taxes are forgiven).
4. Qualify your office in your home as an administrative office, and use allocation methods that make your home-office deductions larger.
5. Install a section 105 medical plan to move your deductions to Schedule C for maximum benefits.

If the IRS is making your life miserable with threats and harassment, a reputable Atlanta tax attorney is your best shot at tax relief. An expert in tax resolution, he or she will walk you through the best options to try to fix your IRS tax problems, find tax relief, and settle tax debt, tackle IRS tax disputes, settle back taxes and resolve tax debt, tax audits, tax appeals, and tax liens and levies with effective legal counsel.

While most people quake at the thought of taking on the IRS, Atlanta tax lawyers are the specialists you need to successfully handle your tax audit or appeal and settle your tax debt for the lowest amount in full compliance with the tax laws.

Your professional Atlanta tax attorney should have years and years of experience dealing with the IRS, and coming out a winner. He or she will know the ins and outs of the tax code and use it to get you tax relief.

Whether you have a problem with Georgia state tax resolution, settling back taxes and IRS debt, tax appeals, tax liens or levies, your Atlanta tax lawyer will bring you top-notch legal and tax counsel. They will walk you through the best legal course of action, examining the details of your unique situation and bring palatable options to resolve your tax problems including an IRS appeal, Offer in Compromise, setting up an IRS payment plan, or bankruptcy tax review.

The best Atlanta tax attorneys assist clients with innocent spouse relief, bankruptcy discharge of tax review, and payroll tax problems. They will provide keen guidance in preparing federal income taxes and Georgia state tax returns, minimizing taxes, and tax planning aimed at the best outcome for individual or corporate taxes. They might even offer to perform an IRS Audit Exposure Review to determine your chances of surviving an IRS audit, and then thoroughly lay a course of action for preparation.

If you have problems with the IRS, call an Atlanta tax lawyer now. You have too much to lose. Contact Jeffrey S. Gartzman at Gartzman Law Firm at 770-939-7710 and get an experienced Atlanta tax attorney on your side.