solution manual for McGraw-Hill’s Taxation of Individuals and Business Entities by Brian C. Spilker and Benjamin C. Ayers, covering chapters 1 through 14. It includes detailed, step-by-step solutions to key problems on individual and business

Solution Manual
McGraw-Hill's Taxation of Individuals Edition, 20th Edition by Spilker, Ayers, All
Chapters 1 - 14




TABLE OF CONTENTS
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,Part I: Introduction to Taxation
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Chapter 1: An Introduction to Tax
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Chapter 2: Tax Compliance, the IRS, and Tax Authorities
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Chapter 3: Tax Planning Strategies and Related Limitations
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Part II: Basic Individual Taxation
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Chapter 4: Individual Income Tax Overview, Dependents, and Filing Status
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Chapter 5: Gross Income and Exclusions
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Chapter 6: Individual Deductions
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Chapter 7: Investments
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Chapter 8: Individual Income Tax Computation and Tax Credits
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Part III: Business-Related Transactions
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Chapter 9: Business Income, Deductions, and Accounting Methods
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Chapter 10: Property Acquisition and Cost Recovery
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Chapter 11: Property Dispositions
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Part IV: Specialized Topics
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Chapter 12: Compensation
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Chapter 13: Retirement Savings and Deferred Compensation
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Chapter 14: Tax Consequences of Home Ownership
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,Chapter 1
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An Introduction to Tax
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Discussion Questions nf




(1) [LO 1] Jessica’s friend Zachary once stated that he couldn’t understand why
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someone would take a tax course. Why is this a rather naïve view?
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Taxes are a part of everyday life and have a financial effect on many of the major pers
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onal decisions that individuals face (e.g., investment decisions, evaluating alternative j
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ob offers, saving for education expenses, gift or estate planning, etc.).
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(2) [LO 1] What are some aspects of business that require knowledge of taxation? W
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hat are some aspects of personal finance that require knowledge of taxation?
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Taxes play an important role in fundamental business decisions such as the following
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:
• What organizational form should a business use? nf nf nf nf nf nf



• Where should the business locate? nf nf nf nf



• How should business acquisitions be structured? nf nf nf nf nf



• How should the business compensate employees? nf nf nf nf nf



• What is the appropriate mix of debt and equity for the business?
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• Should the business rent or own its equipment and property? nf nf nf nf nf nf nf nf nf



• How should the business distribute profits to its owners?
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One must consider all transaction costs (including taxes) to evaluate the merits of a tr
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ansaction.

Common personal financial decisions that taxes influence include: choosing investm
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ents, retirement planning, choosing to rent or buy a home, evaluating alternative job
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offers, saving for education expenses, and doing gift or estate planning.
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(3) [LO 1] Describe some ways in which taxes affect the political process in the Un
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ited States.nf




U.S. presidential candidates often distinguish themselves from their opponents
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, based upon their tax rhetoric. Likewise, the major political parties generally have very
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diverse views of the appropriate way to tax the public. Determining who is taxed, wh
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at is taxed, and how much is taxed are difficult questions. Voters must have a basic un
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derstanding of taxes to evaluate the merits of alternative tax proposals offered by op
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posing political candidates and their political parties.
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(4) [LO 2] Courtney recently received a speeding ticket on her way to the university. Her
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fine was $200. Is this considered a tax? Why or why not?
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The $200 speeding ticket is not considered a tax. Instead, it is considered a fine or
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penalty. Taxes differ from fines and penalties because taxes are not intended to pu
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nish or prevent illegal behavior.
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(5) [LO 2] Marlon and Latoya recently started building a house. They had to pay
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$300 to the county government for a building permit. Is the $300 payment a tax? Wh
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y or why not?
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The building permit is not considered a tax because $300 payment is directly linked to
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a benefit that they received (i.e., the ability to build a house).
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(6) [LO 2] To help pay for the city’s new stadium, the city of Birmingham recently ena
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cted a 1 percent surcharge on hotel rooms. Is this a tax? Why or why not?
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The 1 percent surcharge is a tax. The 1 percent surcharge is an earmarked tax –
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i.e., collected for a specific purpose. The surcharge is considered a tax because the t
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ax payments made by taxpayers do not directly relate to the specific benefit received
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by the taxpayers.
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(7) [LO 2] As noted in Example 1-
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2, tolls, parking meter fees, and annual licensing fees are not considered taxes. Can
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you identify other fees that are similar?
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There are several possible answers to this question. Some common examples includ
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e entrance fees to national parks, tag fees paid to local/state government for automo
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biles, boats, etc. nf nf




(8) [LO 2] If the general objective of our tax system is to raise revenue, why does the inc
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ome tax allow deductions for charitable contributions and retirement plan contributi
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ons?

In addition to the general objective of raising revenue, Congress uses the federal tax s
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ystem to encourage certain behavior and discourage other behavior. The charitable c
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ontribution deduction is intended to encourage taxpayers to support the initiatives o
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f charitable organizations, whereas deductions for retirement contributions are inten
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ded to encourage retirement savings. Another objective of the tax system is to redistr
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ibute wealth. nf