Tax and Finance Management

Help in Developing Cash Flow Projections

During the COVID-19 challenge, OMA Connections Partner Clark Schaefer Hackett recommends businesses develop a rolling 13-week cash flow projection to get a picture of what cash flow looks like today and may look like in the coming weeks. If businesses identify a future cash crunch or shortfall, the firm suggests asking this list of questions to help implement a cash flow plan to maximize liquidity. 5/27/2020

Critical Considerations for Small Businesses Webinar

OMA Connections Partner Schneider Downs will host a free webinar Tuesday, June 2, at 1 p.m. (ET) to review “critical considerations for small businesses” during COVID-19. Topics will include recent guidelines for Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness; retirement plan contributions and benefits; important tax considerations; and navigating the Main Street Lending program. 5/28/2020

New Documents Available for Main Street Lending Program

The Federal Reserve has released the legal forms and agreements for eligible borrowers and lenders to participate in the Main Street Lending Program. The Fed has also published instructions for completing the required documents and an updated FAQ overview of the program. You can access the new documents and information here. 5/28/2020

A Look at PPP Loan Forgiveness

New guidance issued by the U.S. Small Business Administration addresses questions regarding Paycheck Protection Program’s loan forgiveness. Here’s a brief summary by OMA Connections Partner Plante Moran regarding the interim final rule’s main provisions. 5/28/2020

OMA Leads Coalition to Stop CAT Erosion in House Committee

This week OMA led a coalition of business organizations to again defend the Ohio Commercial Activity Tax (CAT). Since 2005, the OMA and like-minded organizations have continually reinforced to lawmakers the importance of keeping the CAT’s competitive attributes: broad-base and low rate.

On Tuesday, May 19, in the House Ways and Means Committee the OMA and others provided interested party testimony on Senate Bill 95 to communicate that “the CAT was created to fix an archaic business taxing system in Ohio that was riddled with exemptions and credits. The old system failed to promote sound tax policy by eroding the tax base and piling disproportionate payments on certain industries.”

The coalition is advocating for the committee remove the CAT credit provisions from Senate Bill 95 in order to protect the tax’s base and rate. Senate Bill 95 authorizes tax incentives for the operators and certain suppliers of a “mega-project” — such as a development project with at least $1 billion in investment or that creates at least $75 million in Ohio payroll. One of the tax incentives is a CAT exclusion for gross receipts of a mega-project supplier from sales to a mega-project operator. 5/21/2020

Treasury Issues PPP Loan Forgiveness Application

On May 15, the U.S. Treasury issued the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness application (see it here).

OMA Connections Partner Clark Schafer Hackett says this highly anticipated release provides some, but not all, answers to open questions that borrowers have had related to PPP loan forgiveness.

OMA Connections Partner CLA posted this analysis about what they do and don’t like about the issued guidance. 5/19/2020

Fed Commits to Launching the Main Street Lending Program by June 1

According to OMA Connections Partner Frantz Ward, in testimony before the Senate Banking Committee on May 19, Jerome Powell, the Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, promised to have the Main Street Lending Program ready by June 1. Once launched, the program will offer up to $600 billion in loans to small and medium sized businesses struggling to recover from the COVID-19 Pandemic and resulting economic crisis.

The program will launch with some significant changes from the initial proposal made in early April and has been expanded to include three separate lending facilities from the two initially proposed, with loan amounts from $500,000 to $200 million. Read the details here. 5/20/2020

How to Claim the Employee Retention Credit

From OMA Connections Partner GBQ: If you were not able to receive a Small Business Interruption Loan under the Paycheck Protection Program, or if you repaid that loan by May 18, 2020, you may be eligible for the Employee Retention Credit.

The Employee Retention Credit is a refundable tax credit against certain employment taxes equal to 50 percent of the qualified wages an eligible employer pays to employees after March 12, 2020, and before January 1, 2021. The maximum credit is $5,000 per employee. More from GBQ here. 5/21/2020

Good News for Some PPP Borrowers

The U.S. Treasury Department this week issued new guidance related to the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), clarifying that loans under $2 million will not be subject to further review. Also, the safe harbor deadline for returning PPP loans was extended again, this time to May 18, 2020. No action is necessary to obtain the extension.

For more information, review Question 46 in the SBA’s updated FAQ document, or read insight published by OMA Connections Partners Clark Schaefer Hackett, Thompson Hine, and CliftonLarsonAllen. 5/14/2020

As Expected, Sobering Data From Ohio’s Monthly Budget Report

Ohio’s monthly budget report, released this week, shows that income tax revenues in April fell 50% below estimates. Auto sales taxes were off by 57% and other sales tax revenues were nearly 18% below the forecasted level. Altogether, tax revenues were down $872.4 million at the end of April.

The budget report says Ohio manufacturing production decreased by 6.3%, and 3,900 manufacturing jobs were lost in March. Within durable goods, which saw production drop 9.1%, the motor vehicles and parts industry fell by 28%. 5/13/2020