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As President Barack Obama pushes Congress to pass a healthcare reform package in the next two weeks, South Florida employers have two main messages to the nation’s top policymakers: Reduce costs and don’t mess up small businesses.

Some Congressional leaders say Obama’s timetable won’t be met, but much of the nation is watching carefully. Doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies all have huge stakes in the outcome, as do the estimated 50 million uninsured.

But so does a group that has been fairly quiet until now — the nation’s employers.

“There’s change that’s needed, but there are moving parts that need to be examined,” said Publix spokeswoman Maria Brous. “We want to make sure we are doing things that are well thought-out.”
Publix and many other companies say that whatever is done to extend coverage to the uninsured, the government needs to cut healthcare costs.

“Get the costs down!” pleads Marlene Bernard, co-owner of Apricot Office Supplies in Miami Gardens. She recently paid $300 out of pocket for lab tests. “Who can keep affording this?”
Larger employers are generally able to continue to provide quality health plans even in a recession, and the bills aren’t likely to affect them, but for small employers, it’s another story. Many can’t afford to pay for insurance now, and they fear the consequences of some proposals, such as the one that would add an 8 percent payroll tax to companies with payrolls of more than $250,000 a year that don’t provide insurance.

“Oh my Lord! We couldn’t survive,” said Miriam Vilariño when she heard that proposal. Her family owns 14 restaurants, most called Las Vegas Cuban, in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. “The only thing we could do is hike our prices and our customers are already suffering to the max. We are a very budget-priced family enterprise.”

A study this month by the U.S. Public Interest Research Groups found that 76 percent of small businesses surveyed said their interests are not being recognized in the healthcare debate.
The study reported: “Small businesses who do not currently offer coverage would overwhelmingly like to, but are stymied by high costs, complications and red tape.”

Some proposals would provide tax credits to employers of fewer than 25 full-time workers (House of Representatives) or 50 (Senate) to help them buy insurance, but that wouldn’t help Las Vegas Cuban, which has more than 250 low-paid employees.

Steven Ullmann, who directs health policy programs at the University of Miami, said the details about how to reward or punish small businesses are still being hammered out in the halls of Congress.
A critical issue is what happens to those businesses on the edge of any new healthcare law, said Ullmann. If a firm’s payroll or number of employees meant it might required to provide insurance or be taxed, the easy solution would be to lay off people to get below the threshold. “The consequences of these things can get complicated,” said Ullmann.

One example: The payroll tax proposal was intended to encourage companies to provide insurance, but the co-owners of Apricot Office Supplies found themselves wondering if the tax wouldn’t be cheaper than offering employees insurance — the opposite of what policymakers had planned.
For a small-business owner like Vincent T. Brown of Grace Funeral Home in Miami, the view can be simpler.

Brown offers health insurance to his four employees, paying 70 percent of the premium, because “it’s the right thing to do.”

But he knows that there are many self-employed or small-firm workers who have no insurance, and a major illness could be catastrophic for them. “It’s critical this country find a way to protect them.”
What follows are snapshots of a survey of South Florida employers’ healthcare situation and their views about what Washington should be doing to improve the situation.

Climate-change measures start hitting New Zealand consumers

Wellington – Climate change became a reality for New Zealand consumers Thursday as petrol prices rose because of the government’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), designed to reduce greenhouse gases….

Will Gordon Browns green tax kill NZ tourism ?

Question: Can the cash for clunkers car incentive program be combined with the hybrid tax credit?

Answer: Yes you can, but only if the new car you are buying qualifies for the tax credit.

Currently, the only cars that qualify for the Federal Tax Credit on hybrid cars are the Nissan Altima Hybrid and the GM hybrids. Ford hybrids qualify for only half their original amount, and will be phased out this September.

Toyota, Lexus and Honda hybrid cars no longer qualify for any Federal Tax Credits.

The Cash for Clunkers program is processed through your dealer. They credit you with the amount you qualify for when you turn in your clunker to the dealer (keep in mind that not all clunkers qualify– There are some pretty strict rules about what qualifies), and the dealer is reimbursed by the U.S. government later on once the clunker has been junked. The credit for the old clunker can be as high as $4500, if it qualifies.

To claim your Federal Tax Credit for the new car, you file a Form 8910 with your 2009 Federal 1040 Income Tax form next April, if you bought a car that qualifies for the credit this year.

Right now I think the Nissan Altima Hybrid is the best deal. It qualifies for a $2300 Federal Tax Credit.

Hope this helps.

Okla. To Get $2.6B In Stimulus Funds

Oklahoma is expected to receive more than $2.6 billion from the federal stimulus package, along with additional grant funds in areas like education, technology and energy efficiency.

Tax Credit Incentives

Question: First time home buyers. If my dad co-signs our loan are we still qulified for the tax break?

my dad has been a home owner for 20+ years but this is mine and my husbands first time. will that dis qualify us for the first time homeowners tax credit. ??

also we are putting in an offer and asked for window coverings and .. their couch and love seat how odd or common is that?

Answer: As long as the bank allows him to co-sign but not be listed on the deed as one of the owners you will be OK. If he is on the deed you will not qualify for the credit. Everyone on the deed has to be a first timer, not just some.

Swing into savings in the New Year

Phew. Another tough financial year for many Americans is behind us, but there’s only a brief reprieve — a week, maybe? — before the credit card bills fill your mailbox and friendly reminders from your accountant about looming tax deadlines overwhelm your inbox.

NFRC Ratings and Window Tax Credit

Question: New Tax $8000 credit for buying a home?

My husband and I want to buy my grandmothers house who passed away this year. The mortgage people say we can’t get the credit because it’s an estate. We did research and it only says you have to be a new home owner which we are. Can anyone help us find the truth please.

Answer: Reread the IRS statement. It also states you can not purchase from a relative.

More families face debt blowout

The number of Kiwis vulnerable to high debt doubled in four years, the Treasury says, with one in five families spending almost a third of their income on debt repayments.

Sean La Rue I Mortgage 101: $8,000 Federal Tax Credit First Time Home Buyers

The Reverse Mortgage is one of the safest Senior Products ever created.  It allows for seniors to take equity safely from their homes with a decent interest rate and never make a payment.  Here are 10 reasons why the Reverse Mortgage is a fantastic product for seniors and remains one of the safest products on the market.

1) Reverse Mortgages have no payments!  The Reverse Mortgage is an equity loan that allows a senior to take up to sixty percent of the home’s value.  However, the borrower is never required to make a payment.  Ever.  This means that you will never default on the loan, and your home can never be foreclosed on.

2) The Reverse Mortgage is 100% federally regulated.  The department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, and the Federal Housing Administration, or FHA, has designed and regulated all HECM Reverse Mortgages.  These are the most popular Reverse Mortgages.  They have set closing costs, ownership rights, and interest rates to protect customers.  These apply to every lender.

3) The Reverse Mortgage is a loan designed to be non-Recourse.  This means that the loan is against the value of the home and not against any other assets of the estate.  A Reverse Mortgage can never be called and should something happen to lower the value of the home, the federal government protects the borrower with guarantee that they will not have to be responsible for the difference.

4) The Reverse Mortgage has no time limit.  The loan will last as long as the home remains the primary residence.   If the borrower decides to take a monthly payment with their funds, these funds will continue to be paid every month until the borrower turns 150!

5) The Reverse Mortgage requires that every applicant receive Reverse Mortgage Counseling.  This is a free service.  It requires that every person who has a Reverse Mortgage, to first meet with a third party representative validated by the HUD and have their questions answered and made sure that they understand the process.  It is a wonderful service and is mandatory for all applicants.

6) The Reverse Mortgage has a low interest rate.  The most popular product is the HECM.  It is an adjustable rate Reverse Mortgage.  The rate is indexed to the U.S. Treasury bond, NOT the stock market.  It has slow adjustment and the rate is protected by the Federal Reserve.

7) The Reverse Mortgage protects all Homeowner’s Rights.  The bank puts the first position mortgage which protects the home from all other loans and creditors.  It also allows for you to sell the home at any time, maintain your homestead exemption, and the loan remains classified as Home Equity.  It also allows you to remain in the home for the rest of your life.

The Reverse Mortgage has no income, credit, or health requirements.  You will not need to have a certain credit score to get a Reverse Mortgage, nor will you need have any level of income.  You will not have to have a physical or have any type of health requirements.  The loan is only based on the home.

9) The Reverse Mortgage is extremely flexible for payments.  You can receive a lump sum, a line of credit, or a monthly payment.  You can also receive a combination of any of these methods.  You can use the funds for any purpose and the funds are 100% tax free!

10) The Reverse Mortgage can be a solution for expensive retirement and long term care.  Most seniors did not plan for a recession, inflation, and low home values jeopardizing their retirement.  The Reverse Mortgage is an extremely safe way to ensure that tightening costs and dangers of a longer retirement do not lower the value of living and enjoyment that seniors have earned.

Novogradac & Company LLP Names New Principals

National Certified Public Accounting and Consulting Firm Promotes Five, in Cleveland and Dover, Ohio, Austin, Atlanta and San Francisco Offices

8000 Tax Credit as Down Payment, Maybe…Maybe Not, Wilmington, NC