Corporate Tax Lawyers in Tempe
In Tempe, Arizona, a "corporation" is defined as a legal entity that's separate from its owners. So, from a legal standpoint, the owner of a corporation and the corporation itself are not the same "person."
This doctrine is known as "corporate personhood." While the concept is somewhat abstract, the law of Arizona treats corporations as individual persons, for most purposes. This means that, legally, corporations have many of the same rights, privileges, and obligations as living, breathing human beings.
An apparent example of this concept is a corporation's obligation to pay income taxes similar to how an actual person would.
Corporate Tax Rate in Tempe, Arizona
Every corporation in the U.S. which has taxable income must pay its share of the federal corporate income tax. The majority of states also have a corporate income tax, which Tempe, Arizona corporations are required to pay.
At the federal level, and in some states, corporations are taxed at different rates from individuals. Federally, the top corporate tax rate is 35% - a rate applying to corporations earning more than $18.3 million per year. Corporations earning less than $50,000 a year pay a 15% corporate tax rate, and there are a few tax brackets in between. For comparison, the federal income tax for individuals maxes out at 33%.
Likewise, chances are good that the corporate tax rate in Arizona are different from individual income taxes. However, many states feel that their economies would be best served by attracting as many businesses as possible. For that reasons, in a large number of states, the corporate income tax rate is significantly lower than the individual rate.
Whatever a company's legal tax rate is, all corporations in Tempe, Arizona must pay the taxes assessed against them. If they don't, they can be made to pay very large fines - usually much larger than their original tax bill.
How Can a Tempe, Arizona Corporate Tax Lawyer Help?
The majority of big corporations have accountants, tax lawyers, and other legal/financial specialists on staff to ensure that they comply with state and national corporate tax laws.
But if you are the owner of a small corporation in Tempe, chances are you don't have a full-service legal department on your payroll. So, if you need help with your corporate taxes, it's crucial that you speak with a lawyer in Tempe, Arizona who practices tax law.