CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit™ Tax Guide 2000 Now Available

Bundled with Free Online Income Tax Filing, Entrepreneurs Now Have Access to Knowledge, Reliable Tools for Year-Round Tax Needs

(Riverwoods, ILL., January 5, 2000) – CCH INCORPORATED (CCH), a leading provider of tax law information and software, today announced the availability of CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit™ Tax Guide 2000, created specifically to help small, single-owner businesses manage their taxes and prepare their 1999 tax returns. The second edition of the popular reference includes free income tax preparation and filing with CompleteTaxä , a new, easy-to-use tax return service available exclusively through the Internet. The book is now available in bookstores nationwide.

Published by CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit (toolkit.cch.com), a small business portal that helps entrepreneurs start, run and grow a successful small business, Tax Guide 2000 combines CCH’s 87 years of authoritative tax law expertise with the value of its long standing leadership in tax preparation and online guidance. Purchasers of the book will receive free preparation and filing of a federal and state tax return through CompleteTax.

"Most small business owners have very straightforward objectives when it comes to income taxes: how to get their taxes filed correctly and on time so that they can get any refunds they’re due or don’t get hit with penalties and interest if they’re selected for an audit," said Susan Jacksack, a tax attorney and author of CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit Tax Guide 2000. "However, given the complexity and sheer volume of tax laws and regulations, trying to carry out this objective is extremely daunting for many entrepreneurs."

CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit Tax Guide 2000 provides entrepreneurs with the authoritative information they need to accurately complete their filings, thereby lessening the possibility of an audit. In addition, it’s filled with tips and guidelines on how to minimize taxes by taking advantage of all the existing laws and regulations available to the small business owner.

Clear and Straightforward Help for the Entrepreneur

CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit Tax Guide 2000 is an easy-to-understand source designed to save small business owners time and money in preparing their federal income tax returns. New this year is a comprehensive discussion of the relaxed home office deductions that became effective for the 1999 tax year.

Other key topics covered in the book include:

Getting organized and preparing taxes for the 2000 tax season;
How not to step over the line between personal and business expenses, while still making certain you claim all available business deductions;
Maximizing deductions for auto, entertainment, health care and depreciation expenses – often overlooked tax-saving areas for sole proprietors;
Handling contributions to employee benefit plans and retirement plans for the self-employed on tax returns;
What tax credits are available for different small businesses and how to claim these credits;
What the IRS looks for in an audit of business activities and the best approach in dealing with them; and
Determining the best form of business organization and tax implications for those entities, from sole proprietorships, partnerships and limited liability companies to corporations or S corporations.

Insights into Personal Tax Issues

While the primary focus of the book is on helping entrepreneurs address business-related tax issues, CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit Tax Guide 2000 also includes a complete analysis of individual and family income tax issues. A welcome relief to many small business owners is the Guide’s extensive glossary providing plain-language definitions of tax terms and straightforward descriptions often needed to decipher IRS instructions. Also included are ready-to-use tax forms and a handy tax calendar so that a sole proprietor has fingertip access to everything needed to complete basic tax returns and the timelines for remembering important tax-related events.

Combining Print with Online

Purchasers of the CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit Tax Guide 2000 will be able to prepare one federal and one resident state income tax return at no charge via CompleteTax. Electronic filing of the federal return as well as a state return in one of 26 states is also available for no charge. Additional returns can be completed and filed electronically via CompleteTax for just $7.50 each.

"Using the Guide in conjunction with CompleteTax provides the small business owner with both the knowledge and tools needed to carry them through the entire tax process," said Jacksack. "The book provides in-depth understanding of key issues entrepreneurs need to be aware of and how to ensure they take advantage of all the deductions to which they’re entitled. Armed with this and CompleteTax, they can review and understand their tax situation, electronically organize their tax materials, have their return completed and have the return electronically filed with the IRS and many state revenue agencies.

Also, book readers can rely on the experts at toolkit.cch.com to ensure they have timely access to tax law changes throughout the year, as well as helpful guidance from Ask Alice.

Pricing and Availability

CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit Tax Guide 2000 (ISBN 0-8080-0378-X) is available in major bookstores (Barnes and Noble, Borders, amazon.com) nationwide; via the CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit book store (www.toolkit.cch.com), AOL keyword: CCH, CompuServe (Go CCH); or by calling

1 800 248 3248. The 424-page softcover book sells for $17.95, plus applicable shipping, handling or tax.

About CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit

CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit Tax Guide 2000 is based on CCH’s CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit Tax Guide 1999 and is one in a series of several CCH Business Owner's Toolkit books dedicated to helping small business owners start, run and grow their businesses. The same team of tax, financial planning and small business experts who have produced this book series are also responsible for developing the acclaimed online service for small businesses, CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit.

About CCH INCORPORATED

CCH INCORPORATED, headquartered in Riverwoods, Ill., was founded in 1913 and has served four generations of business professionals and their clients. The company annually produces more than 700 electronic and print products for the tax, legal, securities, financial services, human resources, health care and small business markets. CCH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wolters Kluwer U.S. The CCH web site can be accessed at www.cch.com.

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EDITORS NOTE: For members of the press, a complimentary editorial review copy of Business Owner’s Toolkit Tax Guide 2000, contact Mary Dale Walters at 847-267-2038 or mediahelp@cch.com.

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