If i own my own business what can i write off.?

i want to open a resturant, a skate shop, or a bar. and i was wondering what a write off is and what i can write off.

First of all, if you don't exactly know what business you are starting, figure that out. That can definitely determine what types of things you can write off.
A write off can be considered anything that your business looses because of daily operating costs, or even things that will balance out or "wash" in the end anyway. So, if you are running arond looking for locations to set up shop and you stop and have lunch, you can write the lunch off because it was an expense for your business and not a personal claim on your business expenses. But keep all receipts for everything that you'd like to write off. If you don't, it could cost you. All books should be kept for 7 years just to be safe. Lately, people say 3 years is fine but it's called CYA- cover your ***.

Good luck!

gas food and evensupplies the list is endless if u use it for things that are to do with your business like business dinners and gas to go to places for business and hotels!

You will add up all the legitimate expenses of running your business and deduct them from your business income, then pay taxes on the balance. Many businesses pay next to no taxes because they are barely staying afloat in reality.

Details of legitimate deductions are available at http://www.irs.gov

A skate shop might be a good idea in an area with a demand and no existing skate shop. Restaurants & bars that actually make a profit are few & far between!

a; you cannot be in biz with the intent to just have a write off--that disappeared decades ago
but
b; if you have a biz plan and work
ernestly, and have full accounting of
costs and research, you can write
off what is considered to be the
R and D of your biz.

c; visit a SCORE office and
have a biz plan made.

if you fail to earn a net after 3 yrs,
the IRS USUALLY considers it a hobby and no more loss writeoffs.

If you're english - which i'm not sure which country you're wanting to operate in - a write off in accounting terminology is where you devalue an asset to zero in your financial books. I don't know why you'd want to 'write off' anything in the beginning of a business, so i'm assuming this is a tax question? If it is, i suggest that you sit down with your bank or a business advisor and go through your business ideas and what you're trying to acheive. If you're thinking about saving tax money already, then it suggests you're wanting to make money quick. I don't think the food industry is a good one to do this in, most restaurants go bust within the first 3 years and the food market is pretty harsh right now - i should know, i'm a specialist food importer.
Business is very hard work, and requires alot of time and money. From one business woman to a potential business man - think about what you love best in life, what you're good at and how you can sell that to people at a price good for them and you, and if you've got the passion to be seriously poor and stressed for a few years! If you want do it, go for it, but do it properly. Get your accounts and funding in order foremost and do some very good market research.

Good luck!