The end of the year is approaching, and Maxine has begun to focus on ways of minimizing her income tax liability. Several years ago, she purchased an investment in Teal Limited Partnership, which is subject to the at-risk and the passive activity loss rules. (Last year, Maxine sold a different investment that was subject to these rules and that produced passive income.) She believes that her investment in Teal has good long-term economic prospects. However, it has been generating tax losses for several years in a row. In fact, when she was discussing last year’s income tax return with her tax accountant, he said that unless “things change” with respect to her investments, she would not be able to deduct losses this year. a. What was the accountant referring to in his comment? b. You learn that Maxine’s current at-risk basis in her investment is $1,000 and that her share of the current loss is expected to be $13,000. Based on these facts, how will her loss be treated? c. After reviewing her situation, Maxine’s financial adviser suggests that she invest at least an additional $12,000 in Teal to ensure a full loss deduction in the cur- rent year. How do you react to his suggestion? d. What would you suggest Maxine consider as she attempts to maximize her current-year deductible loss?
> Vito is the sole shareholder of Vito, Inc. The corporation also employs him. On June 30, 2015, Vito borrowed $8,000 from Vito, Inc., and on July 1, 2016, he borrowed an additional $10,000. Both loans were due on demand. No interest was charged on the loa
> Indicate whether the imputed interest rules apply in the following situations. a. Mike loaned his sister $90,000 to buy a new home. Mike did not charge interest on the loan. The Federal rate was 5%. Mike’s sister had $900 of investment income for the ye
> Ridge is a generous individual. During the year, he made interest-free loans to various family members when the Federal interest rate was 3%. What are the Federal tax consequences of the following loans by Ridge? a. On June 30, Ridge loaned $12,000 to
> Brad is the president of the Yellow Corporation. He and other members of his family control the corporation. Brad has a temporary need for $50,000, and the corporation has excess cash. He could borrow the money from a bank at 9%, and Yellow is earning 6%
> Roy decides to buy a personal residence, and he goes to the bank for a $150,000 loan. The bank tells Roy that he can borrow the funds at 4% if his father will guarantee the debt. Roy’s father, Hal, owns a $150,000 CD currently yielding 3.5%. The Federal
> Alva received dividends on her stocks as follows. Amur Corporation (a French corporation whose stock is traded on an established U.S. securities market) $60,000 Blaze, Inc., a Delaware corporation 40,000 Grape, Inc., a Virginia corporation 22,000 a. Al
> Your client is a new partnership, ARP Associates, which is an engineering consulting firm. Generally, ARP bills clients for services at the end of each month. Client billings are about $50,000 each month. On average, it takes 45 days to collect the recei
> Dr. Randolph, a cash basis taxpayer, knows that he will be in a lower marginal tax bracket next year. To take advantage of the expected decrease in his tax rate, Dr. Randolph instructs his office manager to delay filing the medical insurance claims for s
> In each of the following independent situations, determine the dividends received deduction. Assume that none of the corporate shareholders owns 20% or more of the stock in the corporations paying the dividends Almond Blond Cherry Corporation Corpo
> Drake Appliance Company, an accrual basis taxpayer, sells home appliances and service contracts. Determine the effects of each of the following transactions on the company’s 2015 gross income assuming that the company uses any available options to defer
> Accounting students understand that the accrual method of accounting is superior to the cash method for measuring the income and expenses from an ongoing business for financial reporting purposes. Thus, CPAs advise their clients to use the accrual method
> Each Saturday morning, Ted makes the rounds of the local yard sales. He has developed a keen eye for bargains, but he cannot use all of the items he thinks are “real bargains.” Ted has found a way to share the benefits of his talent with others. If Ted s
> Trip Garage, Inc. (459 Ellis Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17111), is an accrual basis taxpayer that repairs automobiles. In late December 2015, the company repaired Samuel Mosley’s car and charged him $1,000. Samuel did not think the problem had been fixed, s
> Al is a medical doctor who conducts his practice as a sole proprietor. During 2015, he received cash of $280,000 for medical services. Of the amount collected, $40,000 was for services provided in 2014. At the end of 2015, Al held accounts receivable of
> Determine the taxpayer’s gross income for tax purposes in each of the following situations. a. Deb, a cash basis taxpayer, traded a corporate bond with accrued interest of $300 for corporate stock with a fair market value of $12,000 at the time of the
> Julie is considering three alternative investments of $10,000. Julie is in the 28% marginal tax bracket for ordinary income and 15% for qualifying capital gains in all tax years. The selected investment will be liquidated at the end of five years. The al
> The Bluejay Apartments, a new development, is in the process of structuring its lease agreements. The company would like to set the damage deposits high enough that tenants will keep the apartments in good condition. The company actually is more concerne
> Determine Amos’s gross income in each of the following cases. a. In the current year, Amos purchased an automobile for $25,000. As part of the transaction, Amos received a $1,500 rebate from the manufacturer. b. Amos sold his business. In addition to t
> Dolly is a college student who works as a part-time server in a restaurant. Her usual tip is 20% of the price of the meal. A customer ordered a piece of pie and said that he would appreciate prompt service. Dolly fulfilled the customer’s request. The cus
> Emily Patrick (36 Paradise Road, Northampton, MA 01060) formed Teal Corporation a number of years ago with an investment of $200,000 of cash, for which she received $20,000 in stock and $180,000 in bonds bearing interest of 8% and maturing in nine years.
> The roof of your corporation’s office building recently suffered some damage as the result of a storm. You, the president of the corporation, are negotiating with a carpenter who has quoted two prices for the repair work: $600 if you pay in cash (“foldin
> Determine the taxpayer’s current-year (1) economic income and (2) gross income for tax purposes from the following events. a. Sam’s employment contract as chief executive of a large corporation was terminated, and he was paid $500,000 not to work for
> Howard buys wrecked cars and stores them on his property. Recently, he purchased a 1990 Ford Taurus for $400. If he can sell all of the usable parts, his total proceeds from the Taurus will be over $2,500. As of the end of the year, he has sold only the
> Liz and Doug were divorced on July 1 of the current year after 10 years of marriage. Their current year’s income received before the divorce included: Doug’s salary ………………………………………………………………………. $41,000 Liz’s salary ……………………………………………………………………………. 55,00
> George and Aimee are married. George has wage income of $190,000 and Aimee has a sole proprietorship that generated net income of $85,000. They also have interest and dividend income of $21,000. Compute any NIIT and Additional Medicare Tax they owe for t
> Compute the 2015 tax liability and the marginal and average tax rates for the following taxpayers (use the 2015 tax rate schedules in Appendix A for this purpose). a. Chandler, who files as a single taxpayer, has taxable income of $91,000. b. Laza
> Paul and Sonja, who are married, had itemized deductions of $8,200 and $400, respectively, during 2015. Paul suggests that they file separately—he will itemize his deductions from AGI, and she will claim the standard deduction. a. Evaluate Paul’s sugges
> In 2015, Dominique and Felix are married and file a joint tax return. Their AGI is $312,650 and they claim three exemptions. Determine their total exemption amount for 2015.
> Compute the 2015 standard deduction for the following taxpayers. a. Margie is 15 and claimed as a dependent by her parents. She has $800 in dividend income and $1,400 in wages from a part-time job. b. Ruby and Woody are married and file a joint tax ret
> In 2015, Simon, age 12, has interest income of $800 and dividend income of $4,000. He has no investment expenses. His parents have taxable income of $80,200 and file a joint tax return. Assume that no parental election is made. Deter- mine Simon’s net un
> Red Corporation wants to set up a manufacturing facility in a midwestern state. After considerable negotiations with a small town in Ohio, Red accepts the following offer: land (fair market value of $3 million) and cash of $1 million. a. How much gain or
> Peyton sells an office building and the associated land on May 1, 2015. Under the terms of the sales contract, Peyton is to receive $1,600,000 in cash. The purchaser is to assume Peyton’s mortgage of $950,000 on the property. To enable the purchaser to o
> Arianna’s personal residence has an adjusted basis of $230,000 and a fair market value of $210,000. Arianna converts the personal residence to rental property. What is Arianna’s gain basis? What is her loss basis?
> Lisa sells business property with an adjusted basis of $130,000 to her son, Alfred, for its fair market value of $100,000. a. What is Lisa’s realized and recognized gain or loss? b. What is Alfred’s recognized gain or loss if he subsequently sells the pr
> Luciana, a nonshareholder, purchases a condominium from her employer for $85,000. The fair market value of the condominium is $120,000. What is Luciana’s basis in the condominium and the amount of any income as a result of this purchase?
> Logan and Johnathan exchange land, and the exchange qualifies as like kind under § 1031. Because Logan’s land (adjusted basis of $85,000) is worth $100,000 and Johnathan’s land has a fair market value of $80,000, Johnathan also gives Logan cash of $20,00
> Lefty completes the following capital asset transactions. Compute Lefty’s recognized capital gain or loss from these transactions. Long-term gain………. $10,000 Short-term gain………. 4,000 Short-term loss………. 25,000
> Leilei operates a sole proprietorship, using the accrual basis of tax accounting. Last year, she claimed a $10,000 bad debt deduction for a receivable from Jackie. But this year, Jackie sent her a check for $7,000, which Leilei accepted in full satisfact
> Lisbeth makes the following interest-free loans during the year. The relevant Federal interest rate is 5 percent, and none of the loans are motivated by tax avoidance. All of the loans were outstanding for the last six months of the tax year. Identify th
> Champ received a $10,000 distribution from NeatCo, a U.S. C corporation. NeatCo’s earnings and profits for the year totaled $6,000. How much dividend income does Champ recognize? What Federal income tax rate applies to the dividend if Champ’s ordinary in
> Ida, who has AGI of $80,000 before considering rental activities, is active in three separate real estate rental activities. I da has a marginal tax rate of 28%. She has $12,000 of losses from Activity A, $18,000 of losses from Activity B, and income of
> In January 2015, Wanda transferred machinery worth $200,000 (adjusted basis of $30,000) to a controlled corporation, Oriole, Inc. The transfer qualified under § 351. Wanda had deducted $165,000 of depreciation on the machinery while it was used in her pr
> During the current year, Gene, a CPA, performs services as follows: 1,800 hours in his tax practice and 50 hours in an apartment leasing operation in which he has a 15% interest. Because of his oversight duties, Gene is considered to be an active partic
> Bonnie and Jake (ages 35 and 36, respectively) are married with no dependents and live in Montana (not a community property state). Because Jake has large medical expenses, they seek your advice about filing separately to save taxes. Their income and exp
> You have just met with Scott Myers (603 Pittsfield Drive, Champaign, IL 61821), a successful full-time real estate developer and investor. During your meeting, you discussed his tax situation because you are starting to prepare his current Federal income
> Five years ago, Gerald invested $150,000 in a passive activity, his sole investment venture. On January 1, 2014, his amount at risk in the activity was $30,000. His shares of the income and losses were as follows: Year
> Jonathan, a physician, earns $200,000 from his practice. He also receives $18,000 in dividends and interest from various portfolio investments. During the year, he pays $45,000 to acquire a 20% interest in a partnership that produces a $300,000 loss. Com
> Grace acquired an activity four years ago. The loss from the activity is $50,000 in the current year (at-risk basis of $40,000 as of the beginning of the year). Without considering the loss from the activity, she has gross income of $140,000. If the acti
> A number of years ago, Lee acquired a 20% interest in the BlueSky Partner- ship for $60,000. The partnership was profitable through 2014, and Lee’s amount at risk in the partnership interest was $120,000 at the beginning of 2015. BlueSky incurred a loss
> Kristin Graf (123 Baskerville Mill Road, Jamison, PA 18929) is trying to decide how to invest a $10,000 inheritance. One option is to make an additional investment in Rocky Road Excursions in which she has an at-risk basis of $0, suspended losses under t
> Rene retired from public accounting after a long and successful career of 45 years. As part of her retirement package, she continues to share in the profits and losses of the firm, albeit at a lower rate than when she was working full- time. Because Rene
> Alice and Jane form Osprey Corporation. Alice transfers property, basis of $25,000 and fair market value of $200,000, for 50 shares in Osprey Corporation. Jane transfers property, basis of $50,000 and fair market value of $165,000, and agrees to serve as
> John, an engineer, operates a separate business that he acquired eight years ago. If he participates 85 hours in the business and it incurs a loss of $34,000, under what circumstances can John claim an active loss?
> In the current year, White, Inc., earns $400,000 from operations and receives $36,000 in dividends and interest from various portfolio investments. White also pays $150,000 to acquire a 20% interest in a passive activity that produces a $200,000 loss. a
> Leon sells his interest in a passive activity for $100,000. Determine the tax effect of the sale based on each of the following independent facts: a. Adjusted basis in this investment is $35,000. Losses from prior years that were not deductible due to t
> Sarah has investments in four passive activity partnerships purchased several years ago. Last year, the income and losses were as follows: Activity Income (Loss) A ……………………………………………………. $ 30,000 B …
> Jorge owns two passive investments, Activity A and Activity B. He plans to dispose of Activity A in the current year or next year. Juanita has offered to buy Activity A this year for an amount that would produce a taxable passive gain to Jorge of $115,0
> A number of years ago, Kay acquired an interest in a partnership in which she is not a material participant. Kay’s basis in her partnership interest at the beginning of 2014 is $40,000. Kay’s share of the partnership loss is $35,000 in 2014, while her sh
> In the current year, Bill Parker (54 Oak Drive, St. Paul, MN 55164) is considering making an investment of $60,000 in Best Choice Partnership. The prospectus provided by Bill’s broker indicates that the partnership investment is not a passive activity an
> In 2014, Fred invested $50,000 in a general partnership. Fred’s interest is not considered to be a passive activity. If his share of the partnership losses is $35,000 in 2014 and $25,000 in 2015, how much can he deduct in each year?
> Mary, a single taxpayer with two dependent children, has the following items of income and expense during 2015: Gross receipts from business…………………………. $144,000 Business expenses…………………………………………. 180,000 Alimony received …………………………………………. 22,000 Interes
> In 2012, John opened an investment account with Randy Hansen, who held himself out to the public as an investment adviser and securities broker. John contributed $200,000 to the account in 2012. John provided Randy with a power of attorney to use the $20
> Early in the year, Charles, Lane, and Tami form the Harrier Corporation for the express purpose of developing a shopping center. All parties are experienced contractors, and they transfer various business assets (e.g., building materials, land) to Harrie
> Olaf lives in the state of Minnesota. A tornado hit the area and damaged his home and automobile. Applicable information is as follows: Because of the extensive damage caused by the tornado, the President designated the area a disaster area. Olaf and h
> Mary, a single taxpayer, purchased 10,000 shares of § 1244 stock several years ago at a cost of $20 per share. In November of the current year, Mary receives an offer to sell the stock for $12 per share. She has the option of either selling all of the st
> Jake and Mary Snow are residents of the state of New York. They are cash basis taxpayers and file a joint return for the calendar year. Jake is a licensed master plumber. Two years ago, Jake entered into a contract with New York City to perform plumbing
> Monty loaned his friend Ned $20,000 three years ago. Ned signed a note and made payments on the loan. Last year, when the remaining balance was $11,000, Ned filed for bankruptcy and notified Monty that he would be unable to pay the balance on the loan.
> Several years ago, Loon Finance Company, which is in the lending business, loaned Sara $30,000 to purchase an automobile to be used for personal purposes. In August of the current year, Sara filed for bankruptcy, and Loon was notified that it could not e
> In the current year, Abe gives an interest in a passive activity to his daughter, Andrea. The value of the interest at the date of the gift is $25,000, and its adjusted basis to Abe is $13,000. During the time that Abe owned the investment, losses of $3,
> Andrew sends Godiva chocolates to 10 of his key clients at Christmas. The chocolates cost $50 a box not including $4 for gift wrapping and shipping. How much can Andrew deduct?
> After accepting his first job upon graduating from college, Christian has the following moving expenses: Rental of moving van ………………………. $450 Meals ……………………………………………….200 Lodging……………………………………………. 250 Presuming no reimbursement, what is Christian’s movi
> Fred travels from Denver to Miami primarily on business. He spends five days conducting business and two days sightseeing. His expenses are $400 (air- fare), $150 per day (meals), and $300 per night (lodging). What are Fred’s deductible expenses? Answ
> Michael holds a full-time job with Brown Company and a part-time job with Tan Corporation. During a workday, he drives 20 miles to Brown, returns home, has a meal, and then drives 15 miles to Tan. Tan is located 12 miles from Brown. What is Michael’s ded
> Nancy and her daughter, Kathleen, have been working together in a cattery called “The Perfect Cat.” Nancy formed the business in 2000 as a sole proprietorship, and it has been very successful. Assets have a fair market value of $450,000 and a basis of $1
> Constanza, who is single, sells her current personal residence (adjusted basis of $165,000) for $450,000. She has owned and lived in the house for 30 years. Her selling expenses are $22,500. What is Constanza’s realized and recognized gain?
> Camilo’s property, with an adjusted basis of $155,000, is condemned by the state. Camilo receives property with a fair market value of $180,000 as compensation for the property taken. a. What is Camilo’s realized and recognized gain? b. What is the
> Sebastian purchases two pieces of equipment for $100,000. Appraisals of the equipment indicate that the fair market value of the first piece of equipment is $72,000 and that of the second piece of equipment is $108,000. What is Sebastian’s basis in these
> Selma operates a contractor’s supply store. She maintains her books using the cash method. At the end of the year, her accountant computes her accrual basis income that is used on her tax return. For 2015, Selma reported cash receipts of $1.4 million, wh
> One of your clients, Texas, Inc., is considering electing S status. Both of Texas’s equal shareholders paid $30,000 for their stock. As of the beginning of 2013, Texas’s Subchapter C NOL carryforward is $110,000. Its taxable income projections for the ne
> Cougar, Inc., is a calendar year S corporation. Cougar’s Form 1120S shows non separately stated ordinary income of $80,000 for the year. Johnny owns 40% of the Cougar stock throughout the year. The following information is obtained from Cougar’s corporat
> Valence Corporation’s Form 1120S shows ordinary income of $88,000 for the year. Daniel owns 40% of the Valence stock throughout the year. The following information is obtained from the corporate records. Salary paid to Daniel ………………………………………………………… ($40
> Sweetie, a calendar year S corporation, reports an ordinary loss of $80,000 and a capital loss of $20,000. Mei Freiberg owns 30% of the corporate stock and holds a $24,000 basis in the stock. Determine the amounts of the ordinary loss and capital loss, i
> Spence, Inc., a calendar year S corporation, generates an ordinary loss of $110,000 and makes a distribution of $140,000 to its sole shareholder, Storm Nelson. Nelson’s stock basis and AAA at the beginning of the year both total $200,000. Write a memo to
> McLin, Inc., a calendar year S corporation, holds $90,000 of AEP. Tobias, the sole McLin shareholder, has an $80,000 basis in his stock with a zero balance in the AAA. a. Determine the tax aspects if a $90,000 salary is paid to Tobias. b. Same as (a),
> Kesha, a sole proprietor, is engaged in a cash basis service business. In the current year, she incorporates the business to form Kiwi Corporation. She transfers assets with a basis of $500,000 (fair market value of $1.2 million), a bank loan of $450,000
> Zebra, Inc., a calendar year S corporation, incurred the following items this year. Sammy is a 40% Zebra shareholder throughout the year. Operating income …………………………………………………$100,000 Cost of goods sold …………………………………………………. (40,000) Depreciation expense
> Maul, Inc., a calendar year S corporation, incurred the following items. Tax-exempt interest income ……………………………………. $ 7,000 Sales ……………………………………………………………………. 140,000 Depreciation recapture income …………………………………. 12,000 Long-term capital gain ………………………………
> The profit and loss statement of Kitsch Ltd., an S corporation, shows $100,000 book income. Kitsch is owned equally by four shareholders. From supplemental data, you obtain the following information about items that are included in book income. Selling e
> Mary is a shareholder in CarrollCo, a calendar year S corporation. At the be- ginning of the year, her stock basis is $10,000, her share of the AAA is $2,000, and her share of corporate AEP is $6,000. At the end of the year, Mary receives a $6,000 cash d
> Junie’s share of her S corporation’s net operating loss is $50,000, but her stock basis is only $30,000. Point out the Federal income tax consequences that Junie must face.
> Scott Tyrney owns 21% of an S corporation. He is confused with respect to the amounts of the corporate AAA and his stock basis. Write a memo to the tax research file, identifying the key differences between AAA and an S shareholder’s stock basis.
> On March 2, the two 50% shareholders of a calendar year corporation decide to elect S status. One of the shareholders, Terry, purchased her stock from a previous shareholder (a nonresident alien) on January 18 of the same year. Identify any potential pro
> C&C Properties is an S corporation that owns two rental real estate under- takings: Carrot Plaza and Cantaloupe Place. Both properties produce an annual $10,000 operating loss. C&C’s Schedule K aggregates the results of the two locations into one number.
> In 2015, Susan’s sole proprietorship earns $300,000 of self-employment net income (after the deduction for one-half of self-employment tax). a. Calculate the maximum amount Susan can deduct for contributions to a defined contribution Keogh plan. b. Sup
> Rafael transfers the following assets to Crane Corporation in exchange for all of its stock. (Assume that neither Rafael nor Crane plans to make any special tax elections at the time of incorporation.) a. What is Rafael’s recognized gain or loss? b. What
> Carri and Dane, ages 34 and 32, respectively, have been married for 11 years, and both are active participants in employer qualified retirement plans. Their total AGI in 2015 is $186,000, and they earn salaries of $87,000 and $95,000, respectively. What
> Janet, age 29, is unmarried and is an active participant in a qualified retirement plan. Her modified AGI is $63,000 in 2015. a. Calculate the amount Janet can contribute to a traditional IRA and the amount she can deduct. b. Assume instead that Janet
> Charles has AGI of $94,000 during the year and the following expenses related to his employment: Lodging while in travel status……………………………………………. $5,000 Meals during travel…………………………………………………………… 4,000 Business transportation ………………………………………………………6,000
> During the year, Brenda has the following expenses related to her employment: Airfare ……………………………………………………………………………………. $8,500 Meals………………………………………………………………………………………. 4,000 Lodging ……………………………………………………………………………………. 4,900 Transportation while in travel s
> In each of the following independent situations, determine how much, if any, qualifies as a deduction for AGI under § 222 (qualified tuition and related expenses). a. Lily is single and is employed as an architect. During 2015, she spent $4,100 in tuit
