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Business Taxes
The understanding of the liability you have with regard to your
taxes can be very confusing and hard. You can be fined in the event
that you have neglected your taxes, or if they were improperly filed.
Consult a specialist in order to better understand tax procedures
with regard to U.S. tax liability in conjunction with German tax
liability.
The Employer Identification Number the Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Tax ID
The EIN identification for your company is used to charge you for state and federal taxes. Furthermore, with regard to most financial institutions, you are not allowed to open an account without an EIN.
Sole Proprietorships
without employees are not required to possess an EIN. If a Sole
Proprietorship does not have any co-workers, then the Social Security
Number of the business owner is used.
If you have an American company that is registered as
a Corporation, Partnership, Limited Liability Company, or as a Sole
Proprietorship that has employees; you must have an EIN. In the event that you render services, then the owner is also an employee of the Corporation and must pay income taxes.
In the event that you are a new owner of an
already existing business, it is important to know that you can use the
EIN that was used by the former business owner.
Furthermore, an established company who
wishes to expand operations can still use the same EIN for the new
operations. A new EIN number is only needed if a business owner wants
to establish a new line of business, one in which the purpose of the
company changes.
Do not forget that it is important to declare a broad
purpose of your business in the Articles of Incorporation or the
Articles of Organization, correctly, so that they can be used for
future business expansion.
You can download the form to obtain an EIN Number by clicking here .
You should fully understand whether you want to be taxed
in Germany, whether you want to be taxed as a Shareholder or Member and
how you would like to be taxed with regard to your American company.
You should do this in order to achieve the maximum tax benefits in
Germany, as well as in the USA.
Employer Taxes
An employer, that has one or more employees, is liable for
withholding federal taxes, state taxes and other applicable taxes, such
as income taxes and fees.
Employers are furthermore, responsible for withholding
Social Security and Medicare taxes, as well as for fees from their
employees income. State and federal unemployment insurance payments
must be paid by the employer alone. You cannot take such taxes out of
the income of the employees.
Personal Income Tax
As a Sole Proprietor or as a General Partner
taxes are paid on the company’s profit, through your personal tax
return. This also applies to state and federal taxes. With regard to
your personal tax return you must create a schedule in which you supply
your company’s earnings and expenditures.
Partners along with your personal tax return you
must also supply a partnership tax return that requires you to record
the company’s profits and losses.
Corporations, however, pay taxes on the company’s
income on the basis of the Corporate Tax Rate. Shareholders and
employees, must pay individual taxes as well on received company
earnings, and dividends.
Furthermore, most companies must supply reliable prospective quarterly reports.
Sales, Use, and Withholding Taxes and Single Business Tax
The regulations with regard to sales and use taxes vary by
state. It is typically the case that a company or Sole Proprietor, who
sells goods, must include a sales tax.
The Single Business Tax is a modified Value Added
Tax, which also varies by state. The name of the Single Business tax
sometimes varies by state and may also include, for example the
Corporate Net Income Tax, the Franchise Tax, the Personal Property Tax.
Self Employment Tax
Company owner’s which work for their own company are
taxed on their income as employees and they must report their income to
the proper authorities. You are self-employed if you are a Sole
Proprietor or a Partner.
Local Taxes
Local taxes are also regulated differently by state. The
taxes vary locally and it is important to understand that they may vary
by city, township and county as well.
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