When preparing your taxes, what can possibly help reduce the amount of taxes that you owe?

When preparing your taxes, what can possibly help reduce the amount of taxes that you owe?

A. Stock and savings interest

B. Sharing what you earned on a W-2 or 1099 form

C. Having stock dividends

D. Credits and deductions

Answer: D. Credits and deductions

Common strategies that do help – credits and deductions are very crucial strategies that help to reduce the level of taxes one is likely to be charged at the time of filing his or her tax returns. They are set features of the tax system with the declared purpose of providing fiscal latitude and incentive to undertake or to accomplish/sustain certain activities or conditions, thereby reducing total taxation.

Tax credits go down to the revelation of reducing a party’s legal obligation down to a certain dollar point as the credit given. For example, if you are to deposit one thousand dollars for taxes and get an allowance of five hundred dollars, then you will only deposit five hundred dollars. General credit covers Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit and Education Credits including, American Opportunity Tax Credit. For example, Child Tax Credit applies to families which have a child below the age of seventeen or less; besides, the credit amount for each child is $2000; so, a family that has 2 children is allowed to claim for $4000 for the credit. Subtractions, in turn, reduce the base of calculation before it is taken through the process of arriving at the value of tax. Some examples include; mortgage interest, charitable organizations and state and local income taxes. For example, if you are in a 22% standard tax band and you claim $1,000 then you will be saving $220 on tax. Certain taxpayers are required to claim individual expenses in the course of filing their returns if the totals of these expenses are above the general allowance levels of a given year. For example, homeowners, who have huge mortgage interest and property tax payments will benefit this way because by coding the amount, they will be granted more than the standard deduction amount as set by the Internal Revenue Service. Credits and deductions are very subtle but are as vital as bread in lobbying you for the amount of tax you are to pay or the outstanding refund you are to receive.