Tax obligations for the sale of precious metals do not expire at the time the sale takes place. Instead, sales of physical gold or silver must be reported on Schedule D of Form 1040 of your tax return. The IRS doesn't treat gold as a special asset class. This means that no specific rules apply to gold when it comes to capital gains taxes.

However, if you are looking for the best IRA gold fund, you should research and compare different options to find the one that best suits your needs. If you want to minimize your tax bill, the best way to do so is through intelligent general tax planning. This is the case not only for gold coins and ingots, but also for most ETFs (exchange-traded funds), which are subject to taxes of 28%. Many investors, including financial advisors, have trouble owning these investments. They assume, incorrectly, that since the gold ETF is traded like a stock, it will also be taxed as a stock, which is subject to a long-term capital gains rate of 15 or 20%.

Investors often perceive the high costs of owning gold as profit margins and storage fees for physical gold, or management fees and trading costs of gold funds. In reality, taxes can represent a significant cost of owning gold and other precious metals. Fortunately, there is a relatively easy way to minimize the tax implications of owning gold and other precious metals. For individual investors, Sprott Physical Bullion Trusts may offer more favorable tax treatment than comparable ETFs.

Because trusts are based in Canada and are classified as passive foreign investment companies (PFIC), U.S. non-corporate investors are entitled to standard long-term capital gains rates for the sale or reimbursement of their units. Again, these rates are 15% or 20%, depending on revenue, for units held for more than one year at the time of sale. While no investor likes to fill out additional tax forms, the tax savings of holding gold through one of the Sprott Physical Bullion Trusts and participating in the annual elections can be worthwhile.

To learn more about Sprott Physical Bullion Trusts, ask your financial advisor or Sprott representative for more information. Royal Bank Plaza, South Tower 200 Bay Street Suite 2600 Toronto, Ontario M5J 2J1 Canada. And since gold is an investment asset, when you sell your gold and make a profit, it's taxed as capital gains.