The Whitlock Company, CPAs and Consultants, Springfield Missouri

As the economic downturn took a toll on businesses, small and large, Congress reacted with legislation aimed at stimulating business investment. The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 all provide tax incentives for businesses, including additional 50 percent bonus depreciation, higher limits for first-year expensing, and shorter recovery periods for asset depreciation.

I found a great analysis of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 published by the AICPA this week. The analysis is titled “ARRA Part 1: How Business Can Leverage the Tax Benefits of ARRA 2009″ and it covers some key planning opportunities available for businesses. Please read the analysis and let me know your thoughts.

Many businesses are foregoing salary increases this year because of the economic downturn. How does a business find and retain employees, as well as keep up morale, in the face of this reality? The combined use of fringe benefits and the tax law can help. Some attractive fringe benefits may be provided tax-free to employees and at little cost to employers

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 (ARRTA) provides more than $75 billion worth of tax benefits for business for 2009 and 2010, in addition to numerous individual tax breaks. This article highlights some of the valuable tax breaks for businesses in the new law.