Of all the taxes and fees that business owners must pay (and there are many), the least understood is probably the tax on tangible personal property (TPP).  In fact, many small business owners don’t even know what constitutes TPP.  The confusion is intensified because the requirements vary from state to state.  For example, some states consider certain types of vehicles to be TPP, while others do not.  Some states will tax inventory, while others specifically exclude it.

All states do agree that tangible personal property is best described as everything that isn’t real property.  Real property is the ground and everything permanently affixed to it.  So, the building and the land are real property.  The “stuff” inside the building is generally TPP.  TPP for a typical business would include computers, furniture and fixtures, leasehold improvements, and supplies.

An important thing to remember when preparing your TPP return is that every asset that is physically located at the site carries some value for taxation purposes.  Depreciation for your county’s TPP return is not the same as depreciation for federal income tax purposes.  While an item can be fully depreciated on your federal return, it will never reach $0 value on your local return until it is disposed of and physically removed from the property.

The best rule of thumb for reporting your tangible personal property is to report everything with ample detail.  If you made a significant software purchase and you’re not sure if your state taxes software, report it but spell out clearly what it is.  Your county officials will exclude it if it isn’t, but you’re not risking the penalties associated with not reporting.  You can’t lose by giving too much detail on your TPP return.

It is coming up on the summer months, and there are two great stocks to help earn you some lemonade money for the upcoming heat.  There is a great one to watch and another great one to pounce on right now for almost instant returns.  I am talking about General Electric (NYSE: GE) and Harvest Energy Trust (NYSE: HTE).

The stock to watch is GE.  General Electric is currently much lower than their usual range in the $30′s sitting at $10.94.  Just looking at the technical, I expect them to drop in between $8-9 range in a month or two.  However, even buying them right now is a 60% off bargain deal.

General Electric is leading the way in alternative energy ideas.  They are the largest producer of the new Compact Flourescent Light (CFL) bulbs.  These bulbs soon will be taking over our normal bulbs because of their energy savings and long lasting durability.  GE will capitalize on this market.

GE is also a very solid company, famous for their excellent leadership throughout the years.  Everything they build is of great quality and affordable price.  From light bulbs to home appliances.  From medical equipment to aircraft engines.  They are everywhere and appear to have a vision for the new “green” market we are entering.

My top pick that you need to run out and buy now is Harvest Energy Trust.  This company is an energy company based out of Canada.  Their normal range prior to the recession was in the $20′s and now are a steal at 80% off of that.

Coming up on summer and the normal trend of skyrocketing gas prices at the pump, they are poised to make a decent profit.  This is an excellent time to buy a stock like this.  My only regret is that I don’t have more money to throw at them right now.

Oh, I almost forgot.  Dividends.  Harvest Energy Trust pays out monthly dividends.  Normally, they are about $0.30 per share.  Now they are a mere $0.05, but with one hundred shares (dividends reinvested) you get one free share a month.  That is 12 free shares a year just for having faith.