Taxes and Accounting

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Taxes

A tax is a compulsory financial charge or another type of levy imposed on a taxpayer, an individual or a legal entity, by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures. Tax compliance refers to policy actions and individual behaviour aimed at ensuring that taxpayers are paying the right amount of tax at the right time and securing the correct tax allowances and tax reliefs.[1] Non-compliance, along with evasion of or resistance to taxation, is punishable by law. Although concealing assets in tax havens is an illegal practice that is frowned upon, it still seems to be a common practice.

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In order to finance their operations, some countries can levy a flat percentage rate of taxation while other countries may impose a progressive tax depending on the amount of annual income. Taxes are charged on an individual´s income and on corporate income, and they consist of direct or indirect taxes. The most common types of taxes are value added tax (VAT), payroll tax, property tax, inheritance tax, capital gains tax or duties and tariffs imposed on import and export of goods.[2]

Individuals with tax liability, such as self-employed people or employees with income from outside their employment, need to file a tax return at the end of the financial period, listing the amount of money made over the financial year. In the Czech Republic, sole traders must pay advances for pension insurance and public health insurance. Some of the costs incurred throughout the year may be tax deductible. These may include deductions for children, a non-working spouse, or mortgage interest. If the individual´s income exceeds CZK1 million, they are obliged to register for VAT.[3]

The completed tax return is forwarded to the relevant tax authority where the individual is registered. The authority audits the information and sends the individual a tax assessment notice. If the taxpayer has paid too much in taxes, they receive a tax refund (tax rebate).

Accounting

Accounting is the process of measuring, processing, and sharing financial and other information about businesses and corporations while keeping the accounting books of the financial transactions of the company. The accountants summarize the transactions in the form of journal entries. These entries are used in bookkeeping. The books of accounts are prepared for the auditors and various regulating bodies. The accountants might follow the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) or the IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) principles.[4]

The accounts books give an overview of the company´s financial situation. This is particularly important for publicly listed companies, as it determines their value on the market.  

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There are several types of accounting. Financial accounting deals with preparing interim and annual financial statements. Managerial accounting uses the accounts books to prepare reports for management to make decisions on the company strategies, budgets and forecasts. Cost accounting calculates the cost of making a product.

Companies are obliged by law to publish financial statements showing how the company is being run and how the money is being used. There are three basic financial statements; balance sheet, profit and loss account, and cash-flow statement.

The balance sheet (the statement of financial position) gives the stakeholders an understanding of the company´s assets and its liabilities at the end of a particular period. While assets show items of property or value, liabilities are debts that will have to be paid.

Assets are divided into current assets and fixed assets. Current assets are those that can be relatively easily liquidated. These include cash, securities, stocks, raw materials or debtors (accounts receivable or receivables), fixed or tangible assets such as land or machinery, and intangible assets including intellectual property and goodwill of the company. As tangible assets wear out and become obsolete, they lose value, i.e. depreciate and therefore their value is gradually written down until it is written off.

Liabilities can be divided into current and long-term. Current liabilities, such as creditors (accounts payable, payables), overdrafts, interest payments or taxes need to be paid within a year while the maturity of bank loans or bonds is longer.

The profit and loss account (the income statement) records the money the company makes over the financial period. It shows the stakeholder whether the company made a profit or a loss over that time. It shows the revenue and expenses of the company. The top line of the statement shows the revenue (also sales or turnover) over the period. From that the company needs to deduct expenses for running the business, such as the cost of goods sold (COGS), selling and general expenses and depreciation. This shows the operating profit from which interest and other items should be deducted. After the company pays corporate taxes, they are left with profit after tax. Should the company decide to pay out dividends to shareholders, these would be paid from the profit after tax. What the company keeps is called retained earnings.

The cash-flow statement summarizes the movement of cash and cash equivalents (CCE) that come in and go out of a company. The CFS measures how well a company manages its cash position, meaning how well the company generates cash to pay its debt obligations and fund its operating expenses.[5]

Glossary

  • Seznam použitých symbolů a zkratek
    uvozuje slovo nebo frázi se stejným nebo podobným významem (synonymum)
    📖 uvozuje slovo nebo frázi s opačným významem (antonymum), případně podobně znějící výraz s odlišným významem
    [ ] obsahuje přepis výslovnosti
    ( ) obsahuje vysvětlení (například zkratky nebo zpřesnění významu), doplnění nebo část výrazu či slova, která může být v závislosti na kontextu vynechána
    i upozorňuje na nepravidelné (irregular) sloveso vyšší než mírně pokročilé úrovně a tím zároveň odkazuje na seznam těchto nepravidelných sloves na konci glosáře
    / zkracuje dvě (nebo i více) stejné syntaktické konstrukce do jediné (například „dosáhnout/docílit čeho“ místo „dosáhnout čeho, docílit čeho“)
    adj přídavné jméno (adjective)
    AmE výraz z americké angličtiny (American English)
    BrE výraz z britské angličtiny (British English)
    C počitatelné podstatné jméno (countable)
    n podstatné jméno (noun)
    pl množné číslo (plural)
    sb zájmeno někdo, uváděné po předložkách a/nebo slovesných vazbách (somebody)
    sg jednotné číslo (singular)
    sth zájmeno něco, uváděné po předložkách a/nebo slovesných vazbách (something)
    U nepočitatelné podstatné jméno (uncountable)
  • Glossary
    accountant ‹n› účetní
    accounting ‹n› účetnictví
    annual ‹adj› roční, každoroční, výroční
    assets ‹n; pl› aktiva, jmění (podniku)
    balance sheet BrE (účetní) rozvaha
    bond ‹n› dluhopis
    bookkeeping ‹n› účetnictví (denní vedení účetních záznamů)
    budget rozpočet
    to budget sth zahrnout co do rozpočtu, vyhradit co v rozpočtu
    capital gains tax daň z kapitálových zisků, daň z výnosů z kapitálu
    cash ‹n;U› hotovost
    cash equivalent peněžní ekvivalenty (snadno a pohotově směnitelné prostředky)
    cash-flow statement přehled pohybu hotovosti, výkaz cash flow
    compliance with sth
    [kəmˈplaɪ.əns]
    soulad s čím, dodržování čeho
    to comply with sth
    [kəmˈplaɪ]
    být v souladu s čím, vyhovovat čemu
    to conceal sth
    [kənˈsiːl]
    zatajit/skrýt/nepřiznat co
    corporate income příjem firmy, příjem společnosti
    cost accounting nákladové účetnictví, účtování nákladů
    cost of goods sold (COGS) přímé náklady vynaložené na prodané zboží
    creditor ‹n› věřitel
    creditor ‹BE› (↻ accounts payable, payables ‹AmE›) závazky (z obchodních vztahů)
    current assets (o)běžná/krátkodobá aktiva, oběžný majetek
    current liabilities krátkodobé závazky
    debtor ‹BE› (↻ accounts receivable, receivables (‹AmE›) pohledávka
    debtor ‹n› dlužník
    to deduct sth odečíst
    deduction ‹n› odpočet, srážka (např. z daně)
    to depreciate
    [dɪˈpriːʃieɪt]
    zde: odepisovat, amortizovat
    depreciation ‹n›
    [dɪˌpriːʃiˈeɪʃ(ə)n]
    zde: odpis, amortizace; snížení hodnoty
    dividend ‹n› dividenda, podíl na zisku
    duty ‹n› on sth clo na co
    to exceed sth
    [/ɪkˈsiːd]
    překonat/přesáhnout co
    expenses ‹pl› výdaje, výlohy
    to file sth
    [faɪl]
    podat (úředně žádost, žalobu ap.)
    financial accounting finanční účetnictví
    financial statement finanční výkaz
    to fire sb ‹infml› (↻ to sack) vyhodit/vyrazit koho (z práce)
    fixed assets stálá aktiva, hmotný investiční majetek
    flat percentage rate paušální procentní sazba, rovná daň
    to forecast sth předvídat, odhadovat
    to frown upon sth
    [fraʊn]
    nelibě nahlížet na co, neschvalovat co
    game-changer přelom, zvrat, hybatel (změn)
    general expenses obecné náklady
    goodwill ‹n› goodwill, (hodnota) renomé (firmy, hlavně ve finančním vyjádření)
    to impose sth on sb uložit/uvalit co na koho
    to impose a tax on sth uvalit daň na co, zdanit co
    income ‹n› příjem
    inequality ‹n›
    [ˌɪnɪˈkwɒləti]
    nerovnost, nestejnost (v postavení apod.)
    inheritance tax dědická daň
    injustice ‹n› nespravedlnost, křivda, bezpráví
    insurance ‹n› pojištění
    to insure sb/sth against sth pojistit koho/co proti čemu
    intangible assets nehmotná aktiva, nehmotný majetek
    intellectual property (IP) duševní vlastnictví
    interest ‹n;U› úrok
    interim ‹adj› prozatímní, dočasný
    leaker ‹n› vynašeč, zdroj (tajných informací)
    legal entity právnická osoba, právní subjekt
    legal fight soudní bitva
    legitimacy of sth zákonnost/legitimita čeho
    levy ‹n›
    [ˈlevi]
    odvod, poplatek, daň
    to levy a tax on sth                      uvalit daň na co, zdanit co
    liability ‹n›
    [ˌlaɪəˈbɪləti]
    (fin.) závazek, pasivum
    to liquidate (assets) rozprodat, zpeněžit (aktiva podniku)
    managerial accounting manažerské účetnictví
    maturity ‹n› splatnost, datum splatnosti
    mortgage ‹n›
    [ˈmɔː(r)ɡɪdʒ]
    hypotéka
    non-compliance with sth neuposlechnutí čeho, nevyhovění čemu
    obsolete ‹adj›
    [ˈɒbsəliːt]
    zastaralý, překonaný
    to offset sth vyrovnat, vykompenzovat
    offshore account účet v zahraničí (zejména kvůli nižším daním)
    operating profit provozní zisk
    overdraft ‹n› přečerpání účtu, kontokorent
    to overview sth prohlédnout co, dohlížet na co
    payroll tax daň ze mzdy
    pension ‹n› (fin.) důchod, penze
    profit after tax zisk po zdanění
    profit and loss account BrE(↻ income statement ‹AmE›) výkaz zisků a ztrát, výsledovka
    progressive tax progresivní systém zdanění, progresivní daň
    property ‹n› majetek, nemovitost, reality
    publicly listed company veřejně obchodovatelná společnost (registrovaná na burze)
    punishable ‹adj› trestný, trestně postihnutelný
    regulating (regulatory) body regulační úřad/orgán
    resistance ‹n› to sth odpor, vzdor vůči čemu
    retained earnings nerozdělený zisk
    revenue (↻ sales, turnover) (fin.) obrat, tržby
    security ‹n› záruka, zajištění
    self-employed ‹adj› samozaměstnavatel, samostatná výdělečně činná osoba (neoznačuje právní formu podnikání)
    selling expenses prodejní náklady, náklady na prodej
    share ‹n; BrE› (↻ stock(s)) akcie; podíl (ve firmě)
    shareholder ‹n› akcionář, podílník
    spouse ‹n› choť, manžel/manželka
    stakeholder ‹n› zúčastněná strana, zainteresovaná osoba
    tangible ‹adj›
    [ˈtændʒəb(ə)l]
    hmotný, hmatatelný
    tangible asset hmotná aktiva
    tariff ‹n› clo, celní tarif
    tax ‹n› daň
    tax allowance nezdanitelná částka
    tax assessment notice oznámení o vyměření daně
    ↻ tax bill oznámení o vyměření daně
            ↻ tax demand oznámení o vyměření daně
    tax authority daňový úřad
    tax avoidance snižování daňového základu (legálními prostředky)
    tax-deductible ‹adj› odpočitatelný z daňového základu
    tax evasion daňová zpronevěra, daňový únik (nelegální)
    tax filing
    [tæks ˈfaɪlɪŋ]
    podání daňového přiznání
    tax haven
    [tæks ˈheɪvn]
    daňový ráj
    tax liability daňová povinnost
    tax refund (↻ tax rebate) vrácení přeplatku daně
    tax relief daňová úleva, daňové zvýhodnění
    tax return (↻ tax declaration) daňové přiznání
    taxation ‹n› zdanění; daňový systém
    theft ‹n›
    [θeft]
    krádež
    value ‹n› hodnota, cena
    value added tax (VAT) daň z přidané hodnoty (DPH)
    to wear out opotřebovávat/ unavit se (zde: o materiálu a vybavení firmy)
    whistle-blower ‹n› oznamovatel (nekalých praktik), interní informátor (hl. zevnitř organizace)

Definitions

  • Taxes
    assetssomething valuable belonging to a person or organization that can be used for the payment of debts
    capital gains taxa tax on the profits made from selling property or investments
    compliancethe act of obeying an order, rule, or request
    concealto prevent something from being seen or known about
    corporate incomethe money left over after a corporation pays all of its expenses
    deductionan amount that is taken away from the money you are paid before you officially receive it
    dutya tax paid to the government, especially on things that you import into a country
    exceedto be greater than a number or amount, or to go past an allowed limit
    fileto officially record something for an authority or a court of law
    flat percentage ratea tax that is the same for everyone
    health insurancean agreement in which an insurance company agrees to pay for some or all of your medical expenses in exchange for a monthly premium payment
    imposeto officially force a rule, tax, punishment, etc. to be obeyed or received
    incomemoney that is earned from doing work or other investment
    incurto be made to lose money or have to pay a charge
    inheritance taxa tax paid on the value of the property, money, and other assets of someone who has died
    insurancean agreement in which you pay a company money and they pay your costs if you have an accident, injury
    interestmoney that is charged by a bank or other financial organization for borrowing money
    legal entitya company or organization that has legal rights and responsibilities, for example the right to make contracts and the responsibility to pay debts
    levyan amount of money, such as a tax, that you have to pay to a government or organization
    mortgagean agreement that allows you to borrow money from a bank or similar organization, especially in order to buy a house, or the amount of money itself
    non-compliancethe fact of not obeying a rule or law, especially one that controls a particular industry, or type of work or activity
    payroll taxa tax paid on the wages and salaries of employees to finance social insurance programs, healthcare, and unemployment insurance
    pensionan amount of money paid regularly by the government or a private company to a person who does not work anymore because they are too old or have become ill
    pension insurancean investment-led life insurance policy that helps policyholders to accumulate money over the investment years that provides for a comfortable retirement
    progressive taxa tax in which the rate of tax is higher on larger amounts of money
    punishablee.g. crime that can be punished
    resistancethe act of fighting against something that is attacking you, or refusing to accept something
    self-employeda person not working for an employer but finding work for themselves or having their own business
    tariffa tax or duty to be paid on a particular class of imports or exports
    taxmoney paid to the government that is based on your income or the cost of goods or services you have bought
    tax allowancethe amount of income on which you do not have to pay tax
    tax assessment noticeinformation about the value determined to pay in tax
    tax authorityan organization with official responsibility for collecting taxes
    tax deductibleif an amount of money that you spend is tax-deductible, it can be taken away from the total amount of income you must pay tax on.
    tax evasionways of illegally paying less tax than you should
    tax havena place where people pay less tax than they would pay if they lived in their own country
    tax liabilityan amount of tax that a person or business must pay
    tax rebatea payment made to a taxpayer for any excess amount paid in taxes to the federal or state government
    tax refunda payment made to a taxpayer for any excess amount paid in taxes to the federal or state government
    tax reliefthe system of allowing someone not to pay tax on a part of their income
    tax returna form that some people must fill in to give information about how much they have earned in a year
    taxationthe system of taxing people
    taxpayera person who pays a percentage of their income to the government as tax
    value added tax (VAT)a consumption tax on goods and services that is levied at each stage of the supply chain where value is added, from initial production to the point of sale
  • Accounting
    accountanta professional who keeps or examines the records of money received, paid, and owed by a company or person
    advancemoney paid before something happens
    annualhappening once every year
    balance sheeta statement that shows the value of a company's assets (= things of positive value) and its debts
    bondan official paper given by the government or a company to show that you have lent them money that they will pay back to you at a particular interest rate
    bookkeepingthe job or activity of keeping an exact record of the money that has been spent or received by a business or other organization
    budgeta plan to show how much money a person or organization will earn and how much they will need or be able to spend
    cashmoney rather than shares, bonds, etc.
    cash equivalentmoney in a company's bank accounts and other assets that can easily be changed into money
    cash-flow statementa document that shows the money coming into and going out of a company during a particular period
    cost accountingthe process in which all the costs of a business activity or production process or activity are examined in order to help managers decide how to make profits or save money
    cost of good sold (COGS)the amount of money that a company spends in order to make and sell products in a particular financial period, for example, on wages and raw materials
    creditor (accounts payable, payables)the amounts in a company's accounts that show money owed by the company
    current assetsan asset such as cash, raw materials, parts, or products that are still being made, which a company will use up or sell during the same year
    current liabilitya payment that a company must make within 12 months
    debtor (accounts receivable or receivables)money that is owed to a company and that is shown in its accounts as an asset
    deductto take away an amount or part from a total
    depreciateto lose value, especially over time
    depreciationthe process of losing value
    dividendpart of the profit of a company that is paid to shareholders
    expensesan amount of money that a person or business spends in order to do something
    financial accountinga type of accounting that deals with providing financial reports about a company's profits, debts, cash flow, etc. so that investors, banks, etc. can measure the company’s performance
    financial statementa report provided by a company for its shareholders and investors that shows details of its financial situation, and includes documents such as the profit and loss account and balance sheet
    fire sbto remove someone from their job, either because they have done something wrong or badly, or as a way of saving the cost of employing them
    fixed assetsland, buildings and equipment that are owned and used by a company
    forecastto say what you expect to happen in the future
    game-changeran event, idea, or procedure that effects a significant shift in the current way of doing or thinking about something
    general expensesmoney that a company spends on organizing and controlling its activities generally rather than on a particular product or service that it produces
    goodwillpart of a company's value that includes things that cannot be directly measured, for example, its good reputation or its customers' loyalty
    inequalitythe unfair situation in society when some people have more opportunities, money, etc. than other people
    injusticea situation in which there is no fairness and justice
    intangible assetsomething valuable that a company has that is not material, such as a good reputation
    interima part of a company's business year, rather than the whole year
    leakersomeone who allows secret information to become generally known
    liabilitythe amount of money that a person or organization owes
    managerial accountingthe activity of preparing and using financial information about a company in order to support management decisions
    maturitythe time when an insurance agreement or investment becomes ready to be paid
    obsoleteno longer used or needed, usually because something newer and better has replaced it
    offshore accountsaccounts of companies and banks based in a different country with different tax rules that cost less money
    operating profita company's profit from its normal business activities, not including any earned from investments or sales of assets, calculated by taking operating expenses away from gross income
    overdraftan amount of money that a customer with a bank account is temporarily allowed to owe to the bank, or the agreement which allows this
    overviewa short description of something that provides general information about it, but no details
    profit after taxthe earnings of a business after all income taxes have been deducted
    profit and loss accounta document that shows a company's profit or loss in a particular period
    propertya building or area of land, or both together
    publicly listed companya company whose shares can be bought and sold by the public
    regulating (regulatory) bodyan organization whose job is to control an activity or process or regulations themselves
    retained earningsthe part of a company’s profit in a particular period that it decides to keep, rather than paying it to shareholders as a dividend
    revenue (sales, turnover)money that a company receives, especially from selling goods or services
    securitya financial investment such as a bond or share that is traded on a financial market
    selling expensesthe costs of marketing and selling a product or service
    shareholdera person or organization that owns shares in a company
    stakeholdera person such as an employee, customer, or citizen who is involved with an organization, society, etc. and therefore has responsibilities towards it and an interest in its success
    stocka supply of something for use or sale
    tangible asseta physical asset whose value can be easily measured, such as cash, property, goods, or machinery
    theftthe act of dishonestly taking something that belongs to someone else and keeping it
    valuehow much something is worth in money or other goods for which it can be exchanged
    wear outto use something so much or for so long that it is no longer usable
    whistle-blowera person who tells someone in authority about something illegal that is happening, especially in a government department or a company