Federal Income Taxation

Course Information

Registration Information

Meeting Times

Day Time Location
MON, TUE, WED, THU 1:15 - 2:05 pm JON 5.208

Evaluation Method

Type Date Time Location
Final December 12, 2016 1:30 pm A-Z in 3.114

Description

Federal Income Tax (FIT) presents an overview of the federal income tax, mostly as it applies to individuals. The aim of the course is to present the fundamental principles underlying the federal income tax and to convey the style and flavor of tax thinking. As a survey, FIT will touch on all the major issues, such as what is gross income, what expenditures are deductible, what is the appropriate taxable unit, what is the function of "basis," and what is the appropriate timing of income and deductions. Specific topics that will be covered in reasonable depth include: employee fringe benefits, business deductions (e.g., travel, entertainment, and education), hobby losses, personal deductions (e.g., medical expenses and charitable contributions), the exclusions for gifts, bequests, life insurance proceeds, and recoveries for personal injuries, income attribution, the taxation of the family (including divorce taxation), the tax treatment of loans, capital expenditures, methods of capital recovery (e.g., installment and carve-out sales and depreciation methods), capital gains and losses, tax-free exchanges and rollovers, the tax treatment of inventories, tax accounting (e.g., the cash and accrual methods), employee benefits, leasing and licensing transactions, tax shelters, the at- risk rules, the "tax benefit" rule, the passive loss rules, original issue discount and imputed interest, and the alternative minimum tax. Given the rapid evolution of tax law, many issues can be approached only with a policy framework. Some emphasis will be given to using the Internal Revenue Code and Regulations. Prior background in accounting, economics, math, or finance is not needed or expected. Professor Johnson's approach differs from other teachers because he believes that the core concept is the effect of tax on an investment's return. Professor Johnson will teach the "internal rate of return" yardstick by which we measure investments and how to use Excel to find internal return easily. Clients usually evaluate what projects to invest in by after-tax intrenal rate of return. The internal rate of return concept provides insights, sometimes that even judges can not see, and is useful for investment decisions beyond tax.

Textbooks ( * denotes required )

Federal Income tax *
Dodge, Fleming & Geier
LexisNexis , edition: 4th
ISBN: 0820560006
Federal Income Tax *
Chirelstein & Zelenak
Foundation , edition: 13th
ISBN: 9781566419374
Select Federal Income Code and Reguations *
CCH or Foundation , edition: 2016

Instructors

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Important Class Changes

Date Updated
11/28/2016 Exam information updated
Room(s) changed