Question

Sometimes when businesses are critically delinquent on their tax liabilities, the tax authority comes in and literally seizes the business by chasing all of the employees out of the building and changing the locks. What does this tell you about the importance of taxes relative to our discussion of cash flow? Why might a business owner want to avoid such an occurrence?

Answer 1

Taxes must be paid in cash, and in this case, they are one of the most important components of cash flow. The reputation of a business can undergo irreparable harm if word gets out thatthe tax authorities have confiscated the business, even if only for a couple of hours until the business owner can come up with the money to clear up the tax problem. The bottom line is if the owner can't come up with the cash, the tax authority has effectively put them out of business