CHAPTER 4 GROSS INCOME: CONCEPTS AND INCLUSIONS

1. Determine the proper tax year for gross income inclusion in each of the following cases.

a. An automobile dealer has several new cars in inventory, but often does not have the right combination of body style, color, and accessories. In some cases the dealer makes an offer to sell a car at a certain price, accepts a deposit, and then orders the car from the manufacturer. When the car is received from the manufacturer, the sale is closed, and the dealer receives the balance of the sales price. At the end of the current year, the dealer has deposits totaling $8,200 for cars that have not been received from the manufacturer. When is the $8,200 subject to tax?

b. Purple Corporation, an exterminating company, is a calendar year taxpayer. It contracts to provide service to homeowners once a month under a one-, two-, or three-year contract. On April 1 of the current year, the company sold a customer a one-year contract for $120. How much of the $120 is taxable in the current year if the company is an accrual basis taxpayer. If the $120 is payment on a two-year contract, how much is taxed in the year the contract is sold and in the following year? If the $120 is payment on a three-year contract, how much is taxed in the year the contract is sold and in the following year?

c. Pink, Inc., an accrual basis taxpayer, owns an amusement park whose fiscal year ends September 30. To increase business during the fall and winter months, Pink sold passes that would allow the holder to ride “free” during the months of October through March. During the month of September, $6,000 was collected from the sale of passes for the upcoming fall and winter. When will the $6,000 be taxable to Pink?

d. The taxpayer is in the office equipment rental business and uses the accrual basis of accounting. In December he collected $5,000 in rents for the following January. When is the $5,000 taxable?

2. José, a cash method taxpayer, is a partner in J&T Accounting Services, a calendar year partnership. Under the partnership agreement, José is to receive 20% of the partnership’s profits or losses. Each partner is allowed to withdraw $10,000 each month for his or her living expenses. José withdrew $120,000 during the year as his monthly draw in 2013. However, in December the partnership was short on cash and José was required to invest an additional $10,000 in the partnership. In March 2013, José received $40,000 as his share of distributed 2012 profits. The partnership earnings before partners’ withdrawals for 2013 totaled $1 million. Compute José’s gross income from the partnership for 2013.

3. On January 1, 2014, Faye gave Todd, her son, a 36-month certificate of deposit she purchased December 31, 2012, for $8,638. Faye gave Todd 1,000 shares of ABC, Inc., on December 2, 2014. The certificate had a maturity value of $10,000 and the yield to maturity was 5%. On November 30, 2014, ABC, Inc., had declared a dividend of $1.00 payable to stockholders of record on December 5th. How much interest and dividends should Todd include in his gross income for 2014?

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4. Ted and Alice were in the process of negotiating a divorce agreement. They own bonds with a basis of $800,000 and a fair market value of $800,000. They also own common stock with a basis of $600,000 and a fair market value of $800,000. Alice is trying to decide whether to bargain to receive the bonds or the stock. She has no plans for selling the bonds or stock, whichever she receives.

a. Which would you advise Alice to receive?

b. From Ted’s perspective, are the assets of equal value?

5. Margaret made a $90,000 interest-free loan to her son, Adam, who used the money to retire a mortgage on his personal residence and to buy a certificate of deposit. Adam’s only income for the year is his salary of $35,000 and $1,400 interest income on the certificate of deposit. The relevant Federal interest rate is 8% compounded semiannually. The loan is outstanding for the entire year.

a. Based on the above information, what is the effect of the loan on Margaret’s gross income for the year?

b. The facts are the same as above, except you discovered that Margaret had made an additional loan of $15,000 to Adam in the previous year. Adam used the funds to pay his child’s private school tuition. What are the effects of the loans on Margaret’s gross income?

6. Arnold was employed during the first six months of the year and earned a $90,000 salary. During the next 6 months, he collected $7,200 of unemployment compensation, borrowed $6,000 (using his personal residence as collateral), and withdrew $1,000 from his savings account (including $60 interest). When he left his former employer, he withdrew his retirement benefits (a qualified annuity) in a lump-sum of $50,000. He made no contributions to the plan. Arnold’s parents loaned him $10,000 (interest­free) on July 1 of the current year, when the Federal rate was 3%. Arnold did not repay the loan during the year and used the money for living expenses. Calculate Arnold’s adjusted gross income for the year.

7. How does the taxation of Social Security benefits differ from the taxation of an annuity purchased by the taxpayer?

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8. Sarah, a widow, is retired and receives $20,000 interest income and dividends and $10,000 in Social Security benefits. Sarah is considering selling a stock at an $8,000 gain. What will be the increase in Sarah’s gross income as a result of the sale of the stock?

9. Roy is considering purchasing land for $10,000. He expects the land to appreciate in value 8% each year (compounded) and he will sell it at the end of 10 years. He also is considering purchasing a bond for $10,000. The bond does not pay any annual interest, but will pay $21,589 at maturity in 10 years. The before-tax rate of return on the bond is 8%. Roy is in the 40% (combined Federal and State) marginal tax bracket. Roy has other investments that earn a 8% before-tax rate of return. Given that the compound interest factor at 8% is 2.1589, and at 4.8% the factor is 1.5981, which alternative should Roy choose?

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10. In January 2014, Tammy purchased a bond due in 24 months. The cost of the bond is $857 and its maturity value is $1,000. No interest is paid each year, but the compound interest rate on the bond is 8%. Tammy also purchased a Series EE United States Government bond for $558, with a maturity value in 10 years of $1,000. This is the only Series EE bond she has ever owned. The Series EE bond is sold to yield 6% interest. Tammy is 13 years old and has no other source of income. She is claimed as a dependent by her parents. Compute Tammy’s gross income from the bond and Series EE bond for 2014.

11. In some foreign countries, the tax law specifically designates the types of income items that are includible in gross income. How does this approach compare with the U.S. Internal Revenue Code (§ 61)? What is a major advantage to the approach used in the U.S. tax law?

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12. Melissa is a compulsive coupon clipper. She often brags about the time she purchased a cart full of groceries for $5.00, when the cost without coupons would have been $50. Discuss whether Melissa realizes gross income from her coupon clipping.

13. Katherine is 60 years old and is bargaining with her employer over deferred compensation. In exchange for reducing her current year’s salary by $50,000, she can receive a lump­sum amount in 5 years, when she will retire. If she receives the $50,000 in the current year, she will invest in certificates of deposit that yield 5%. Katherine is in the 28% marginal tax bracket in all relevant years. What is the minimum amount Katherine should accept as a deferred pay option? [Hint: the compound interest factor is 1.1934.]

14. Dick and Jane are divorced in 2013. At the time of the divorce, Dick had a lawsuit pending. He had filed suit against a former employer for overtime pay. As part of a divorce agreement, Dick agreed to pay Jane one-half of the proceeds from the lawsuit. In 2014, Dick collected $250,000 from the former employer and paid Jane $125,000. What are the tax consequences for Dick receiving the $250,000 and then paying Jane the $125,000?

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15. Rachel owns rental properties. When Rachel rents to a new tenant, she usually requires the tenant to pay an amount in addition to the first month’s rent. The additional amount serves as security for damages to the property and the tenant’s failure to pay future rents. How should the payments be characterized (e.g., on lease documents) to minimize Rachel’s current tax liability?

16. Rachel, who is in the 35% marginal tax bracket, is considering purchasing an annuity that will pay her $10,000 per year for the remainder of her life. Her life expectancy is 15 years. The cost of the annuity is $97,120, and the cost is calculated to yield her an expected 6% return on her investment. As an alternative, Rachel could place the $97,120 in a savings account yielding 6% and she could withdraw $10,000 each year for 15 years (reducing the value of the account to zero at the end of 15 years). How might the tax laws applicable to annuities affect Rachel’s decision?

17. In the case of a zero interest below-market loan by a corporation to a shareholder-employee, what difference does it make to the corporation and the shareholder whether the loan is characterized as a corporation’s loan to its shareholder or a corporation’s loan to its employee?

18. Under the formula for taxing Social Security benefits, low income taxpayers are not required to include any of the Social Security benefits in gross income. But as income increases, 50% of the Social Security benefits may be included in gross income. Further increases in income will cause as much as 85% of the Social Security benefits being subject to tax. Does this mean that the taxation of Social Security benefits is more or less progressive than the taxation of other types of income?

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