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| Executive Summary |
| For the longest time people who earned an hourly wage or salary had to pay Medicare taxes on their earnings but people who got their money from trading stocks, collecting rents or dividend payments did not contribute to Medicare. Congress recently decided this type of income should not be exempt from Medicare taxes and one of the most popular capital gains that used to be exempt were those gains obtained through the buying and selling of real-estate. In the Health-care reform bill congress declared that in terms of Medicare taxes profits from home sales should be treated just like wages earned at a "real" job. |
I was watching Fox News this morning and on one of the shows one of the talking heads declared the sales tax on real-estate hidden within Obama care will be the explosive issue of the election season. The impression given was that this new tax was found this week and it would apply to all the entire sales price of the house. Wow, I thought to myself this could be explosive and I went over and did an internet search. The first few sites I looked at mistakenly proclaimed the tax was a 3.8% sales tax and gave an example of a $400,000 sale that would trigger a $15,200 tax bill. None of these sites even attempted to reference the law or a reliable source so I kept looking.
It took a little bit but I found this website that looked like it was written by someone actually trying to find the answers.
http://www.rerockstar.com/2010/sellers/real-estate-sales-tax-health-care/
On this site they give some formula's and they are plausible but if the formula's are correct then it would be possible for someone to make an unlimited amount of profit when selling their house and still avoid the tax. So I'm guessing the formulas the site presents is off. So I searched some more and found the actual text of the law. It is found below and you can hop to it here if you want to read it. The first thing I see is that this section of the Health Care law changes a section of the Income Tax law titled "Unearned Income Medicare Contribution". What is important here is that this section in the tax law deals with a number of different types of Unearned Income. That is a person will have to not only include the income received by selling a house but also stocks (that aren't protected by 401K or IRA exceptions). So how much will this application of the Medicare tax cost the home seller?
This is what I'm seeing for individual tax payers:
This is where I would like a professional to explain the meaning of "Net Investment Income" and "Modified Adjusted Gross Income". I have a layman's view but not a tax man's view. In that layman's view; suppose a couple filing jointly makes $150,000 in "normal" income. If 5 years ago they bought a house for $125,000 and this year sold it for $225,000 then they would have $100,000 in Unearned income. The $150,000 in normal income plus the $100,000 in Unearned Income means their total Modified Adjusted Gross income would be $250,000. Since this is their threshold amount the extra tax due to the Healthcare Reform Law this couple would pay is $0. This despite the fact they made $100,000 profit on the sale of their house.
Now there are some little guys that might have to pay a large amount. For instance a retired couple in their 50's that earns $100,000 from other investments might have a big tax if they decide to sell a house they bought for $15,000 thirty years ago. Suppose that house sells now for $565,000. Then $400,000 would be subject to the Medicare Tax. Because Sales price minus purchase price is $550,000 plus the $100,000 in other investment income gives a modified gross income of $650,000 subtract the threshold of $250,000 and that leave $400,000 of income subject to Medicare Taxes.Read my article: "Have you considered voting Libertarian?"
Your congressional candidates are listed in the table found in my article "
Now is the time to think about the election"SEC. 1402. UNEARNED INCOME MEDICARE CONTRIBUTION.
(a) I
NVESTMENT INCOME.—(1) I
N GENERAL.—Subtitle A of the Internal Revenue Codeof 1986 is amended by inserting after chapter 2 the following
new chapter:
H. R. 4872—33
‘‘CHAPTER 2A—UNEARNED INCOME MEDICARE
CONTRIBUTION
‘‘Sec. 1411. Imposition of tax.
‘‘SEC. 1411. IMPOSITION OF TAX.
‘‘(a) I
N GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection (e)—‘‘(1) A
PPLICATION TO INDIVIDUALS.—In the case of an individual,there is hereby imposed (in addition to any other tax
imposed by this subtitle) for each taxable year a tax equal
to 3.8 percent of the lesser of—
‘‘(A) net investment income for such taxable year, or
‘‘(B) the excess (if any) of—
‘‘(i) the modified adjusted gross income for such
taxable year, over
‘‘(ii) the threshold amount.
‘‘(2) A
PPLICATION TO ESTATES AND TRUSTS.—In the caseof an estate or trust, there is hereby imposed (in addition
to any other tax imposed by this subtitle) for each taxable
year a tax of 3.8 percent of the lesser of—
‘‘(A) the undistributed net investment income for such
taxable year, or
‘‘(B) the excess (if any) of—
‘‘(i) the adjusted gross income (as defined in section
67(e)) for such taxable year, over
‘‘(ii) the dollar amount at which the highest tax
bracket in section 1(e) begins for such taxable year.
‘‘(b) T
HRESHOLD AMOUNT.—For purposes of this chapter, theterm ‘threshold amount’ means—
‘‘(1) in the case of a taxpayer making a joint return under
section 6013 or a surviving spouse (as defined in section 2(a)),
$250,000,
‘‘(2) in the case of a married taxpayer (as defined in section
7703) filing a separate return,
1⁄2 of the dollar amount determinedunder paragraph (1), and
‘‘(3) in any other case, $200,000.
‘‘(c) N
ET INVESTMENT INCOME.—For purposes of this chapter—‘‘(1) I
N GENERAL.—The term ‘net investment income’ meansthe excess (if any) of—
‘‘(A) the sum of—
‘‘(i) gross income from interest, dividends, annuities,
royalties, and rents, other than such income
which is derived in the ordinary course of a trade
or business not described in paragraph (2),
‘‘(ii) other gross income derived from a trade or
business described in paragraph (2), and
‘‘(iii) net gain (to the extent taken into account
in computing taxable income) attributable to the disposition
of property other than property held in a trade
or business not described in paragraph (2), over
‘‘(B) the deductions allowed by this subtitle which are
properly allocable to such gross income or net gain.
‘‘(2) T
RADES AND BUSINESSES TO WHICH TAX APPLIES.—Atrade or business is described in this paragraph if such trade
or business is—
‘‘(A) a passive activity (within the meaning of section
469) with respect to the taxpayer, or
H. R. 4872—34
‘‘(B) a trade or business of trading in financial
instruments or commodities (as defined in section
475(e)(2)).
‘‘(3) I
NCOME ON INVESTMENT OF WORKING CAPITAL SUBJECTTO TAX
.—A rule similar to the rule of section 469(e)(1)(B) shallapply for purposes of this subsection.
‘‘(4) E
XCEPTION FOR CERTAIN ACTIVE INTERESTS IN PARTNERSHIPSAND S CORPORATIONS
.—In the case of a disposition ofan interest in a partnership or S corporation—
‘‘(A) gain from such disposition shall be taken into
account under clause (iii) of paragraph (1)(A) only to the
extent of the net gain which would be so taken into account
by the transferor if all property of the partnership or S
corporation were sold for fair market value immediately
before the disposition of such interest, and
‘‘(B) a rule similar to the rule of subparagraph (A)
shall apply to a loss from such disposition.
‘‘(5) E
XCEPTION FOR DISTRIBUTIONS FROM QUALIFIEDPLANS
.—The term ‘net investment income’ shall not includeany distribution from a plan or arrangement described in section
401(a), 403(a), 403(b), 408, 408A, or 457(b).
‘‘(6) S
PECIAL RULE.—Net investment income shall notinclude any item taken into account in determining self-employment
income for such taxable year on which a tax is imposed
by section 1401(b).
‘‘(d) M
ODIFIED ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME.—For purposes of thischapter, the term ‘modified adjusted gross income’ means adjusted
gross income increased by the excess of—
‘‘(1) the amount excluded from gross income under section
911(a)(1), over
‘‘(2) the amount of any deductions (taken into account
in computing adjusted gross income) or exclusions disallowed
under section 911(d)(6) with respect to the amounts described
in paragraph (1).
‘‘(e) N
ONAPPLICATION OF SECTION.—This section shall not applyto—
‘‘(1) a nonresident alien, or
‘‘(2) a trust all of the unexpired interests in which are
devoted to one or more of the purposes described in section
170(c)(2)(B).’’.
(2) E
STIMATED TAXES.—Section 6654 of the Internal RevenueCode of 1986 is amended—
(A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘and the tax under
chapter 2’’ and inserting ‘‘the tax under chapter 2, and
the tax under chapter 2A’’; and
(B) in subsection (f)—
(i) by striking ‘‘minus’’ at the end of paragraph
(2) and inserting ‘‘plus’’; and
(ii) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph
(4) and inserting after paragraph (2) the following new
paragraph:
‘‘(3) the taxes imposed by chapter 2A, minus’’.
(3) C
LERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of chapters for subtitleA of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
is amended by inserting after the item relating to chapter
2 the following new item:
H. R. 4872—35
‘‘CHAPTER 2A—UNEARNED INCOME MEDICARE CONTRIBUTION’’.
(4) E
FFECTIVE DATES.—The amendments made by this subsectionshall apply to taxable years beginning after December
31, 2012.
(b) E
ARNED INCOME.—(1) T
HRESHOLD.—(A) FICA.—Paragraph (2) of section 3101(b) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as added by section 9015
of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and
amended by section 10906 of such Act, is amended by
striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subparagraph (A), by redesignating
subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (C), and by
inserting after subparagraph (A) the following new
subparagraph:
‘‘(B) in the case of a married taxpayer (as defined
in section 7703) filing a separate return,
1⁄2 of the dollaramount determined under subparagraph (A), and’’.
(B) SECA.—Section 1401(b)(2) of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, as added by section 9015 of the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act and amended by section
10906 of such Act, is amended—
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the
end of clause (i), by redesignating clause (ii) as clause
(iii), and by inserting after clause (i) the following
new clause:
‘‘(ii) in the case of a married taxpayer (as defined
in section 7703) filing a separate return,
1⁄2 of thedollar amount determined under clause (i), and’’; and
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘under clauses
(i) and (ii)’’ and inserting ‘‘under clause (i), (ii), or
(iii) (whichever is applicable)’’.
(2) E
STIMATED TAXES.—Section 6654 of the Internal RevenueCode of 1986 is amended by redesignating subsection
(m) as subsection (n) and by inserting after subsection (l) the
following new subsection:
‘‘(m) S
PECIAL RULE FOR MEDICARE TAX.—For purposes of thissection, the tax imposed under section 3101(b)(2) (to the extent
not withheld) shall be treated as a tax imposed under chapter
2.’’.
(3) E
FFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by this subsectionshall apply with respect to remuneration received, and
taxable years beginning after, December 31, 2012.
SEC. 1403. DELAY OF LIMITATION ON HEALTH FLEXIBLE SPENDING
ARRANGEMENTS UNDER CAFETERIA PLANS.
(a) I
N GENERAL.—Section 10902(b) of the Patient Protectionand Affordable Care Act is amended by striking ‘‘December 31,
2010’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2012’’.
(b) I
NFLATION ADJUSTMENT.—Paragraph (2) of section 125(i)of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as added by section 9005
of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and amended
by section 10902 of such Act, is amended—
(1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking
‘‘December 31, 2011’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2013’’; and
(2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘2010’’ and inserting
‘‘2012’’.
Background:
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