CPA David Kelly argued that the cost of his exercise equipment was a business expense because he needed it in order to maintain stamina for his work. Basic-ally, he argued that the equipment passed the “but for” test – i.e., that but for his ability to exercise (with the equipment), he wouldn’t have been able to earn all of that lovely income that the IRS so enjoyed taxing him on. Based on the textbook discussion and the Tax Court’s analysis, state and briefly explain why you, as a CPA yourself, would or wouldn’t have been comfortable representing David against the IRS and arguing that he should be allowed either a full or at least partial deduction for the cost of his equipment.

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ABC Corporation’s CEO owns a condominium in Bahamas where top executives and their spouses stay, from time to time, for personal leisure only. The CEO pays all upkeep and other incidental expenses of the condo. Do you think the benefit provided to the top executives would be taxable or not? It is important to note that the CEO does not use any of the corporate funds to maintain the condominium. The purpose of the benefit is to reward the employees.

Sarah Keene, CPA, is the newly hired controller for Plexicon, Inc., which is a publicly traded corporation. Ms. Keene's first job with Plexicon was the review of the company's accounting practices on deferred income taxes. In doing her review, she noted differences between tax and book depreciation methods that permitted Plexicon to realize a sizable deferred tax liability on its balance sheet. As a result, Plexicon paid very little in income taxes at that time.\\n\\n Keene also discovered that Plexicon has an explicit policy of selling off plant assets before they reversed in the deferred tax liability account. This policy, coupled with the rapid expansion of its plant asset base, allowed Plexicon to "defer" all income taxes payable for several years, even though it always has reported positive earnings and an increasing EPS. Keene checked with the legal department and found the policy to be legal, but she's uncomfortable with the ethics of it.\\n\\nRequired:\\n\\nWhy would Plexicon…

! Required information [The following information applies to the questions displayed below.] What amounts are included in gross income for the following taxpayers? Note: Leave no answers blank. Enter zero if applicable. c. Ajax published a story about Pete, and as a result Pete sued Ajax for damage to his reputation. Ajax lost in court and paid Pete an award of $20,000. Amount included in Gross Income

You and your friend Amy, while discussing your tax class, were surprised to learn that a substantial amount of income goes unreported each year by taxpayers. When taxpayers do not report all their income, the missing income must be replaced by imposing higher taxes on current taxpayers. Consider a time when you were trying to decide whether something should be put on your income tax return or not. Explain the differences between tax avoidance and tax evasion, and discuss the rewards of tax avoidance and the penalties of tax evasion.

Quin owns a house in Connecticut and an apartment in New Orleans. Quin spends most of her time in Connecticut, so she sometimes rents out the apartment in New Orleans when she is not there. This year, Quin rented out the apartment for thirty days and personally used the apartment for forty days. How will Quin’s rental activity be classified for tax purposes and why?   A.Nontaxable activity because Quin used the apartment personally more than she rented it out. B.Mixed-use activity because Quin both rented out the apartment and used it personally. C.Mixed-use activity because Quin rented out the apartment for more than 14 days and personally used the apartment for the greater of 14 days or 10% of the rental days. D.Rental activity because Quin rented out the apartment for more than 14 days.

Sonya wants to become a Certified Public Accountant. Therefore, she decides to go to college and obtain a degree in accounting. What is the tax treatment of Sonya’s educational expenses? Group of answer choices Sonya may not deduct the educational expenses as a business deduction. Educational Expenses are never allowed a tax deduction. Sonya may deduct the educational expenses because they are required for her to become an accountant. Educational expenses are always allowed a business deduction.

Irwin Schiff is a self-styled “tax rebel” who has made a career, and substantial profit, out of his tax protest activities. On February 7, Schiff appeared live on CBS News Nightwatch, a late-night program with a viewer participation format. During the broadcast, Schiff repeated his assertion that nothing in the Internal Revenue Code stated that an individual was legally required to pay federal income tax. Schiff then challenged, “If anybody calls this show—I have the Code—and cites any section of this Code that says an individual is required to file a tax return, I will pay them $100,000.” Call-in telephone numbers were periodically flashed on the screen. John Newman, an attorney, did not see Schiff’s live appearance on Nightwatch. Newman did, however, see a twominute videotaped segment, including Schiff’s challenge, which was rebroadcast several hours later on the CBS Morning News. Newman researched the matter that same day and on the following day, February 9, placed a call using…