The rich are rich because they know how to manage their money. You can learn a lot from their efforts and these loopholes should be taken note of if you wish to avoid paying taxes legally.
Remember that in old age the personal allowance still continues.
Instead of one individual holding most of their income during retirement, at a 40 per cent rate perhaps, it makes more sense to ensure that their finances are arranged in such a way that this income is shared as much as possible.
That can be accomplished through building up your partner’s state pension, and/or making pension payments in order to build a retirement account up Those contributions are taxed at the payer’s marginal rate, and the fund may not be accessed before age 55.
Also, payments may be made every year of up to £3,600 irrespective of earnings level. So you might as well pension all children who are assisting with the business as well.
Shell Companies
This is a kind of company that exists on paper only, which allows the individual who is using it to funnel money through it to avoid paying taxes. This kind of corporation typically does have a legal existence but offers few if any actual services or products.
One of the classic ways that these companies are used is to buy and sell through them. That means the owner is not required to report the international operations that the shell company conducts and can avoid paying taxes on its profits. Various other forms of shady business are conducted through using a shell company, including selling brand goods from supermarkets without the value of its main brand being impacted.
Mitt Romney, the former Republican presidential candidate, recently got into trouble over claims that he had been evading claims by the government on his finances, with one of these accusations being that his income had been channeled into a shell company located in Bermuda, which is a tax haven. His party’s belief that the government should remain out of the affairs of private citizens definitely seems to be shared by him.
Equity Swaps
This is another shady method that is used for tax evasion purposes. It is basically an official agreement that enables two parties, for example, two rich companies or people who have an interest in lowering their taxes) to exchange the loss and gain of a group of assets without ownership actually being transferred.
Generally, one of the swaps is pegged to the LIBOR or another fixed rate, meaning that a fixed return can be expected by the participants either at several predetermined points or in one payment.
The exchange of value allows the participants to avoid having transactions costs, in local taxes that are tied to certain locations in some cases. That is a sneaky way to earn bonuses for people wanting to avoid having to pay high taxes in specific places while still reaping the benefits associated with owning assets in a different area.
Watch your money – can you hold onto it tax-free?
If you happen to be a higher rate taxpayer, then the pitifully low-interest rate offered by the bank will be eroded even more. Use any surplus funds, gifts, and cash Isas in your partner’s name if she or he is a lower taxpayer, after using their tax free ISA first.
Not everybody will want to do this, particularly if funds may be needed for their business since you would be relying on your partner to agree to gift back the funds to you.
Do not exceed an of more than £100,000
For each £2 of income that is over £100,000, £1 of personal allowance will be lost. By £118,880 you will lose £9,440 in tax-free income.
Then this will be taxed at 20 percent, with the £18,880 that is over the £100,000 being taxed at a 40 per cent rate, which means that your marginal tax rate on this part of your income is 60%.
Along with the ideas provided above, you also can top up your pension. Although currently, the maximum annual allowance is £50,000, unused annual allowances can be used going back a total of three tax years in order to increase that amount. Your personal allowance can also be preserved by gift aid payments being made.
Claim your expenses
The cost of operating your business can be offset against income in order to lower your taxable profit.
You cannot deduct personal or non-business costs so if a room in your house is used as an office for over 25 hours per month, then the simplified flat tax scheme might be easier than to have to show which of your costs are actually business expenses as opposed to personal expenses.
Insure yourself
Not having an income is one way of avoiding having to pay tax. A majority of people view that as a very drastic solution to paying taxes and seek to avoid that becoming a reality for them.
However, the self-employed are quite vulnerable to times of unemployment and are not paid if they become sick and are not able to work.
Insuring yourself is the solution to this, in addition to any other key individuals you employ who help to ensure your business’s sustainability, against that risk. There is no tax relief for the premiums, but any payments that are made are tax-free. Another essential product to obtain is life cover.
Maximise all of your tax allowances
The capital gains tax is often the forgotten tax allowance. Each individual has a capital gains tax allowance every year that may be reached before any gain is taxed. That amount was
£10,900 for the 2013/14 financial year.
Therefore, theoretically, if you manage all of your financial matters properly, you can plan on a future where both you and your partner are able to receive £20,340 (in today’;s terms) every year tax-free (£10,900 from CGT and £9,440 from your income tax personal allowance).
