All Chapters Solutions Included
Tax Returns (TRP) Solutions
Included
Latest Edition 2026
, Solutions Manual—Taxation of Individuals 2026 by Spilker et al.
Chapter 1
An Introduction to Tax
SOLUTIONS MANUAL
Discussion Questions
(1) [LO 1] Jessica’s friend Zachary once said he couldn’t understand why someone
would take a tax course. Why is this a rather naïve view?
Taxes are a part of everyday life and have a financial effect on many of
individuals’ major personal decisions (e.g., investment decisions, evaluating
alternative job offers, saving for education expenses, gift or estate planning,
etc.).
(2) [LO 1] What aspects of business require knowledge of taxation? What are some
aspects of personal finance that require knowledge of taxation?
Taxes play an essential role in fundamental business decisions such as the
following:
• What organizational form should a business use?
• Where should the business be located?
• How should business acquisitions be structured?
• How should the business compensate employees?
• What is the appropriate mix of debt and equity for the business?
• Should the business rent or own its equipment and property?
• How should the business distribute profits to its owners?
One must consider all transaction costs (including taxes) to evaluate the
merits of a transaction.
Common personal financial decisions that taxes influence include: choosing
investments, retirement planning, choosing to rent or buy a home, evaluating
alternative job offers, saving for education expenses, and doing gift or estate
planning.
(3) [LO 1] Describe how taxes affect the political process in the United States.
U.S. presidential candidates often distinguish themselves from their
opponents based on their tax rhetoric. Likewise, the major political parties
generally have diverse views of the appropriate way to tax the public.
Determining who is taxed, what is taxed, and how much is taxed are
complicated. Voters must have a basic understanding of taxes to evaluate the
merits of alternative tax proposals offered by opposing political candidates
and their political parties.
1
, Solutions Manual—Taxation of Individuals, by Spilker et al.
(4) [LO 2] Courtney recently received a speeding ticket on her way to the university.
Her fine was $200. Is this considered a tax? Why or why not?
The $200 speeding ticket is not considered a tax. Instead, it is viewed as a fine
or penalty. Taxes differ from fines and penalties because taxes are not
intended to punish or prevent illegal behavior.
(5) [LO 2] Marlon and Latoya recently started building a house. They had to pay
$300 to the county government for a building permit. Is the $300 payment a tax?
Why or why not?
The building permit is not considered a tax because the $300 payment is
directly linked to a benefit they received (e.g., the ability to build a house).
(6) [LO 2] To help pay for the city’s new stadium, the city of Birmingham recently
enacted a 1 percent surcharge on hotel rooms. Is this a tax? Why or why not?
The 1 percent surcharge is a tax. It is an earmarked tax—i.e., collected for a
specific purpose. The surcharge is considered a tax because the tax payments
made by taxpayers do not directly relate to the specific benefit received by
the taxpayers.
(7) [LO 2] As noted in Example 1-2, tolls, parking meter fees, and annual licensing
fees are not considered taxes. Can you identify other similar fees?
There are several possible answers to this question. Some common examples
include entrance fees to national parks and tag fees paid to the local/state
government for automobiles and boats.
(8) [LO 2] If the general objective of our tax system is to raise revenue, why does the
income tax allow deductions for charitable contributions and retirement plan
contributions?
In addition to the general objective of raising revenue, Congress uses the
federal tax system to encourage certain behaviors and discourage other
behaviors. The charitable contribution deduction is intended to encourage
taxpayers to support the initiatives of charitable organizations, whereas
deductions for retirement contributions are designed to encourage
retirement savings. Another objective of the tax system is to redistribute
wealth.
(9) [LO 2] One common argument for imposing so-called sin taxes is the social goal
of reducing demand for such products. Using cigarettes as an example, is there a
segment of the population that might be sensitive to price and for whom high
taxes might discourage purchases?
2
, Solutions Manual—Taxation of Individuals, by Spilker et al.
The most obvious segment sensitive to price may be teenagers and younger
adults, who typically have less disposable income, although price sensitivity
or elasticity will vary by taxpayer.
(10) [LO 3] Dontae stated that he didn’t want to earn any more money because it
would “put him in a higher tax bracket.” What is wrong with Dontae’s reasoning?
Although earning additional taxable income may increase Dontae’s marginal
tax rate (i.e., put him in a higher tax bracket), the extra income earned does
not affect the taxes that Dontae will pay on his existing income. Moving to a
higher tax bracket means that Dontae will pay a higher tax rate on the
additional income earned (not income he already has).
(11) [LO 3] Describe the three tax rates discussed in the chapter and how taxpayers
might use them.
The marginal tax rate is the tax rate that applies to the taxpayer’s additional
taxable income or deductions the taxpayer is evaluating in a decision.
Specifically,
!!"# (𝑵𝒆𝒘𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍𝑻𝒂𝒙+𝑶𝒍𝒅𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍𝑻𝒂𝒙)
Marginal Tax Rate = = (𝑵𝒆𝒘𝑻𝒂𝒙𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆+𝑶𝒍𝒅𝑻𝒂𝒙𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆)
!!"#"$%&'()*+&
The marginal tax rate is particularly useful in tax planning because it
represents the rate of taxation or savings that would apply to additional
taxable income or tax deductions.
The average tax rate represents the taxpayer’s average level of taxation on
each dollar of taxable income. Specifically,
𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝑻𝒂𝒙
Average Tax Rate = 𝑻𝒂𝒙𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆
The average tax rate is often used in budgeting tax expense as a portion of
income (i.e., what percent of taxable income earned is paid in tax).
The effective tax rate represents the taxpayer’s average rate of taxation on
each dollar of total income (i.e., taxable and nontaxable income). Specifically,
𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍𝑻𝒂𝒙
Effective Tax Rate = 𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆
The effective tax rate depicts a taxpayer’s tax burden by expressing the total
tax paid as a ratio of the sum of both taxable and nontaxable income earned.
(12) [LO 3] Which tax rate is a more appropriate for comparing taxpayers’ tax burdens
– the average or the effective tax rate? Why?
3
Tax Returns (TRP) Solutions
Included
Latest Edition 2026
, Solutions Manual—Taxation of Individuals 2026 by Spilker et al.
Chapter 1
An Introduction to Tax
SOLUTIONS MANUAL
Discussion Questions
(1) [LO 1] Jessica’s friend Zachary once said he couldn’t understand why someone
would take a tax course. Why is this a rather naïve view?
Taxes are a part of everyday life and have a financial effect on many of
individuals’ major personal decisions (e.g., investment decisions, evaluating
alternative job offers, saving for education expenses, gift or estate planning,
etc.).
(2) [LO 1] What aspects of business require knowledge of taxation? What are some
aspects of personal finance that require knowledge of taxation?
Taxes play an essential role in fundamental business decisions such as the
following:
• What organizational form should a business use?
• Where should the business be located?
• How should business acquisitions be structured?
• How should the business compensate employees?
• What is the appropriate mix of debt and equity for the business?
• Should the business rent or own its equipment and property?
• How should the business distribute profits to its owners?
One must consider all transaction costs (including taxes) to evaluate the
merits of a transaction.
Common personal financial decisions that taxes influence include: choosing
investments, retirement planning, choosing to rent or buy a home, evaluating
alternative job offers, saving for education expenses, and doing gift or estate
planning.
(3) [LO 1] Describe how taxes affect the political process in the United States.
U.S. presidential candidates often distinguish themselves from their
opponents based on their tax rhetoric. Likewise, the major political parties
generally have diverse views of the appropriate way to tax the public.
Determining who is taxed, what is taxed, and how much is taxed are
complicated. Voters must have a basic understanding of taxes to evaluate the
merits of alternative tax proposals offered by opposing political candidates
and their political parties.
1
, Solutions Manual—Taxation of Individuals, by Spilker et al.
(4) [LO 2] Courtney recently received a speeding ticket on her way to the university.
Her fine was $200. Is this considered a tax? Why or why not?
The $200 speeding ticket is not considered a tax. Instead, it is viewed as a fine
or penalty. Taxes differ from fines and penalties because taxes are not
intended to punish or prevent illegal behavior.
(5) [LO 2] Marlon and Latoya recently started building a house. They had to pay
$300 to the county government for a building permit. Is the $300 payment a tax?
Why or why not?
The building permit is not considered a tax because the $300 payment is
directly linked to a benefit they received (e.g., the ability to build a house).
(6) [LO 2] To help pay for the city’s new stadium, the city of Birmingham recently
enacted a 1 percent surcharge on hotel rooms. Is this a tax? Why or why not?
The 1 percent surcharge is a tax. It is an earmarked tax—i.e., collected for a
specific purpose. The surcharge is considered a tax because the tax payments
made by taxpayers do not directly relate to the specific benefit received by
the taxpayers.
(7) [LO 2] As noted in Example 1-2, tolls, parking meter fees, and annual licensing
fees are not considered taxes. Can you identify other similar fees?
There are several possible answers to this question. Some common examples
include entrance fees to national parks and tag fees paid to the local/state
government for automobiles and boats.
(8) [LO 2] If the general objective of our tax system is to raise revenue, why does the
income tax allow deductions for charitable contributions and retirement plan
contributions?
In addition to the general objective of raising revenue, Congress uses the
federal tax system to encourage certain behaviors and discourage other
behaviors. The charitable contribution deduction is intended to encourage
taxpayers to support the initiatives of charitable organizations, whereas
deductions for retirement contributions are designed to encourage
retirement savings. Another objective of the tax system is to redistribute
wealth.
(9) [LO 2] One common argument for imposing so-called sin taxes is the social goal
of reducing demand for such products. Using cigarettes as an example, is there a
segment of the population that might be sensitive to price and for whom high
taxes might discourage purchases?
2
, Solutions Manual—Taxation of Individuals, by Spilker et al.
The most obvious segment sensitive to price may be teenagers and younger
adults, who typically have less disposable income, although price sensitivity
or elasticity will vary by taxpayer.
(10) [LO 3] Dontae stated that he didn’t want to earn any more money because it
would “put him in a higher tax bracket.” What is wrong with Dontae’s reasoning?
Although earning additional taxable income may increase Dontae’s marginal
tax rate (i.e., put him in a higher tax bracket), the extra income earned does
not affect the taxes that Dontae will pay on his existing income. Moving to a
higher tax bracket means that Dontae will pay a higher tax rate on the
additional income earned (not income he already has).
(11) [LO 3] Describe the three tax rates discussed in the chapter and how taxpayers
might use them.
The marginal tax rate is the tax rate that applies to the taxpayer’s additional
taxable income or deductions the taxpayer is evaluating in a decision.
Specifically,
!!"# (𝑵𝒆𝒘𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍𝑻𝒂𝒙+𝑶𝒍𝒅𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍𝑻𝒂𝒙)
Marginal Tax Rate = = (𝑵𝒆𝒘𝑻𝒂𝒙𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆+𝑶𝒍𝒅𝑻𝒂𝒙𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆)
!!"#"$%&'()*+&
The marginal tax rate is particularly useful in tax planning because it
represents the rate of taxation or savings that would apply to additional
taxable income or tax deductions.
The average tax rate represents the taxpayer’s average level of taxation on
each dollar of taxable income. Specifically,
𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝑻𝒂𝒙
Average Tax Rate = 𝑻𝒂𝒙𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆
The average tax rate is often used in budgeting tax expense as a portion of
income (i.e., what percent of taxable income earned is paid in tax).
The effective tax rate represents the taxpayer’s average rate of taxation on
each dollar of total income (i.e., taxable and nontaxable income). Specifically,
𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍𝑻𝒂𝒙
Effective Tax Rate = 𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆
The effective tax rate depicts a taxpayer’s tax burden by expressing the total
tax paid as a ratio of the sum of both taxable and nontaxable income earned.
(12) [LO 3] Which tax rate is a more appropriate for comparing taxpayers’ tax burdens
– the average or the effective tax rate? Why?
3
