Learn How To Reduce Your Taxes

Everybody is seems to be grumbling when that time of year comes – filing for taxes. But this is not a time to be grumbling. After all, all responsible citizens need to pay taxes in order for the country to continue functioning. So there is little use for grumbling. What you can do, however, is to arm yourself with the right type of knowledge – knowledge to reduce taxes. Here are some suggestions on how you can reduce your taxes.rnrnStep 1: Planning for next year\’s taxes.rnrnThis is the very first step that everyone should take. Having a plan is helpful because you may then keep track of all your outgoing expenses. Some of these expenses are tax deductible. That means the more you spend in those areas, the more you save in taxes. Keep all the transactions that are tax deductible in a separate folder. When the time comes for filing taxes, it\’s easier to compute the total amount that you will be saving in taxes.rnrnStep 2: Getting to know your deductibles.rnrnThis is the step that will get you into the lower income bracket and thus help you save on taxes. Here are some items that are likely to qualify as deductibles:rnrnDependents – Dependents can be your parents or your children. How many children do you have? Do you support a disabled person? The amount you qualify for depends on the number of dependents that you have.rnrnEducation – Some educational or training courses are tax deductible as well. For example, the amount you spent on a training course can qualify as a deductible. This may be the government\’s policy to encourage self-training or re-training. Whatever the agenda, be sure to take advantage of it!rnrnStarting a business – A hobby or a business may give you some tax breaks. However, a hobby type of business is very different from a full-fledged legitimate business. If yours is the latter, always seek tax advice from professional tax consultants.rnrnBuy a house – When you own houses, you are required to pay monthly mortgage payments. Part of that payment is interest that is paid to the lender. Such interest can sometimes be considered as deductibles. Again, you need to keep track of all mortgage payments.rnrnBuy a new car – Some environmentally friendly cars qualify for tax reductions. These are mostly alternative fuel cars that help protect the environment. Always check with the car dealer before making a purchase.rnrnDonations – Giving to charity is a great way to reduce taxes. You can choose any charitable organization to donate to. The organization that you choose depends on the cause that you would like to help. Of course, these charity organizations have to be recognized by the country as an official charitable organization.rnrnBesides the list above, there are other items that may be tax deductible. The important thing to remember here is to keep proper records of all transactions. You never know when you can use them as proof to reduce your taxes.