Peter Nero
LIT1 –Task 1
A1a: The Sole Proprietorship is the most common business form in the U.S. It offers the advantages of no-cost, easy startup, and full owner/operator autonomy with regard to business decisions.
· Liability: The owner/operator of a Sole Proprietorship is subject to full and unlimited financial liability for the business. The owner and the company are legally the same entity. The company’s assets are legally the same as the owner’s personal assets.
· Income Taxes: The owner of a Sole Proprietorship pays taxes in the earnings of the company as personal income.
· Longevity/Continuity: Because the owner of a Sole Proprietorship and the business, are legally one and the same, when the owner of the business
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· Location: Limited partnerships have to be formed in compliance with individual state laws. As long as the partnership is legal in a given state, the partnership may do business.
· Convenience/Burden: Limited Partnerships have extra requirements placed upon them to comply with state regulatory requirements. They must maintain a registered agent to represent them in the state in which they were formed. They are also required to file an informational report with the IRS of the profits passed to the general partners.
A1d: A C-Corporation is a business form in which the ownership and the company are seen as legally separate entities.
· Liability: Ownership of a C-Corporation is vested in its stockholders, whose liability is limited to the amount of their investment. The Corporation is liable for all of its debts, and for the actions of employees acting as agents of the organization. Creditors may lay claim against corporate assets, but cannot reach stockholders’ personal assets. Additionally, stockholders have no claim against corporate assets.
· Income Taxes: The Corporation pays both state and federal taxes on its earnings. Excess earnings may be shared with stockholders in the form of dividends, on which the stockholder then pays taxes.
· Longevity/Continuity: C-Corporations can have a perpetual existence. The deaths of stockholders and employees will not cause it to cease operation. However, a stockholder vote can be called to close the
| It is impossible to add additional owners and to pass on business, business dies with owner. A single owner
INCOME TAXES- S-corp differs from C-corp taxation; taxes are passed through to the shareholders only. The company itself does not pay taxes.
* Limited partnerships have the convenience of allowing multiple investors as limited partners to assist with cash available to run the business and support improvements or other investments into the company. The burden of running the business falls on the general partner.
3 • Control – A major disadvantage of the limited partnership becomes obvious when discussing the actual management of the general partnership. Limited partners have no control of the day-to-day operations of the general partnership. Profit Retention – The limited partner receives an agreed portion of the profits that typically reflects the percentage of the amount that has been invested into the general partnership. Location – If the general partners expand or move into another state, the burden of regulatory requirements is solely on the general partners and not the limited partners. If the partners plan to move or expand into another state, they simply need to file a new DBA in that state. Convenience / Burden – A
Limited Liability Company (LLC) combines the tax advantages of a partnership with the limited liability aspects of a corporation. LLC’s are governed by the Uniform Limited Liability Company Act (ULLCA). All members of the LLC enjoy limited liability unless there is serious misconduct is committed by said member(s), or a member fails to follow through on an obligation. All this should be outlined in your preformation contract. You will have more flexibility with taxation and options on how to manage the company. It would be advisable to also have an Operating Agreement. This will dictate how management will be hired and fired, division of profits, how to transfer interest in the event a member chooses to opt out or dies. What steps to take in the event of dissociation of a partner, and if it causes the dissolution of the LLC. Most importantly how the members vote in the LLC. The weight of the members vote is in accordance with the member’s capital
Location- Similar to the General Partnership, the Limited Partnership may be moved to another state easily. A new DBA filing must be made in the
In a C- Corporation the profits are divided among the stockholders. The amount of profits depend on the percentage stocked owned. For example if you owned 15 percent of the corporation’s stock, you may receive 15 percent of the profits. The more stock you own the greater the return.
Also be obliged to pay taxes and dealt with civil and little acts of criminal penalties perform through agents. “The corporation is governed primarily by the statutory guidelines of the state statute that provides for its creation. The requirements for the creation and management of a corporation vary somewhat between the states, but as is usually the case, there are common threads that can be found in the corporate statutes of all states.” (Rogers,
When you form a C corporation, you protect your personal assets. Anyone who sues your company can't go after you personally. You also can buy and sell stock. A corporation survives you, which means you can pass it on to your heirs. To form a C corporation, you must follow specific guidelines. If you file the correct papers, both the Internal Revenue Service and your state will recognize your company as a C corporation.
Due to the fact that corporations are separate legal entities from their owners, C-corporations are taxed separately requiring the filing of IRS Form 1120 each year to report its income and take advantage of any credits or deductions for which the corporation may be eligible (Internal revenue Service (IRS), 2012b). Income tax rates for corporation are tailored to corporations and as such are different from those
• CONTROL – Limited partners are not allowed to make any decisions concerning the operation of the business in which they have invested in.
Longevity: Similar to a sole proprietorship, in case of death or incapacity of a partner the
All assets of the business are owned by the owner and all profits and all losses accrue to him. He is personally responsible for all debts of the business and must pay them from his personal resources. This means that the owner has unlimited personal liability for the business. Also, owner is less burdened by government restrictions and control, and he has less to do in terms of reporting and taxes.
In an S Corporation, profits and losses can pass through to your personal tax return. The business itself is not taxed. Only shareholders are taxed. However, any shareholder employees must pay themselves reasonable compensation. The shareholder has to get fair market value, or the IRS could reclassify additional corporate earnings as wages.
After the creation of a business plan, the next step to operating a business is the selection of an appropriate business structure. Different legal forms of business ownerships affect different managerial and financial factors from the business names to the tax obligations (Gregory, n.d.). The most common forms are sole proprietorship, partnership, cooperatives, and corporations. There are different types of corporations in the business world, but the two most general corporation types are S Corporation and Limited Liability Company (LLC) (Ferrell et al., 2013). The sole proprietorship is the easiest and most basic form of business ownership. It is owned and run by one individual, which is the proprietor. The individual is entitled to all profits and is responsible for all the business’s