Chapter 08
Business Income, Deductions, and Accounting Methods
True / False Questions 1.
The Internal Revenue Code authorizes deductions for trade or business activities if the expenditure is "ordinary and necessary". True False 2.
Business activities are distinguished from personal activities in that business activities are motivated by the pursuit of profits. True False 3.
The phase "ordinary and necessary" has been defined to mean that an expense must be essential and indispensable to the conduct of a business. True False 4.
Reasonable in amount means that expenditures can be exorbitant as long as the activity is motivated by profit. True False 5.
The test for whether an expenditure is reasonable in
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minimized
D. appropriate and measurable
E. personal and justifiable
28.
Which of the following is NOT likely to be allowed as a current deduction for a landscaping and nursery business?
A. cost of fertilizer
B. accounting fees
C. cost of a greenhouse
D. cost of uniforms for employees
E. a cash settlement for trade name infringement
29.
The IRS would most likely apply the arm's length transaction test to determine which of the following?
A. whether an expenditure is related to a business activity
B. whether an expenditure will be likely to produce income
C. timeliness of an expenditure
D. reasonableness of an expenditure
E.
All of these
30.
Which of the following business expense deductions is most likely to be unreasonable in amount?
A.
Compensation paid to the taxpayer's spouse in excess of salary payments to other employees.
B.
Amounts paid to a subsidiary corporation for services where the amount is in excess of the cost of comparable services by competing corporations.
C.
Cost of entertaining a former client when there is no possibility of any future benefits from a relation with that client.
D.
All of these are likely to be unreasonable in amount.
31.
Which of the following is a true statement?
A.
Interest expense is not deductible if the loan is used to purchase municipal bonds.
B.
Insurance premiums are not deductible if paid for "key man" life insurance.
C.
One half of the cost of
As a general rule for policy, tax deductions make most sense for items that represent reductions in ability to pay tax, such as casualty losses. Credits are more appropriate for subsidies provided through the tax system.
This revenue procedure applies to a qualifying small business taxpayer as defined in section 5.01 with average gross receipts of $10,000,000 or less that is not
Conversely, educational costs aren't deductible if the education is required to get into the field (as opposed to staying in the field) or qualifies you for a new trade or business.
(a) Whether the cost is of a type generally recognized as ordinary and necessary for the operation of the non- Federal entity or the proper and efficient performance of the Federal
The federal government and many state governments offer various tax credits, incentives and larger Section 179 deductions for increasing energy efficiency, accommodating people with disabilities, removing architectural and transportation barriers to mobility-challenged people and encouraging entrepreneurs to revitalize certain enterprise zones in some urban cities and areas where natural disasters have occurred.
b. The firm is required to make a cash payment for the goods or services.
c) Nonrecurring items of initial franchise fees, area development fees and sales to new franchises.
Purchasing equipment is one of the biggest expenses that small businesses and start-ups face. The IRS allows you deduct most or all of these expenses. This in turn helps you recoup the cost associated with running your business. Moreover, by taking this deduction when you prepare your tax return, it lowers your overall tax bill. In some cases, especially for small businesses, the deductions could result in a refund.
If you own your own small business, you know about deducting your business expenses. To be deductible, the Internal Revenue Service says an expense needs to be both ordinary and necessary. An ordinary expense is one that is common and accepted in your trade or business. A necessary expense is one that is helpful or appropriate for your trade or business. An expense does not have to be indispensable to be considered necessary.
Itemized deductions are expenses allowed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to decrease a taxpayer’s taxable income (investopedia.com). Itemized deductions are significant in completing a tax return mainly because individuals can opt for itemized deductions if the sum of qualified expenses is more than the fixed amount provided under the standard deduction. Itemized deductions include the following:
IRC 162(a) requires the expense to be paid or incurred during the current taxable year. The taxpayer must also have the necessary documents to support this deduction. It is worth noting that the taxpayer has the burden of proof and is expected to show that he/she is entitled to the business deductions. IRC 7491 (a) provides that the burden of proof shifts to the IRS when the
This is Tom’s third year in the real estate business and he has prepared his own tax returns in previous years. His recordkeeping is shoddy and it seems that Tom wants to deduct as much as possible in business expenses, but his accountant wants to avoid being completely erroneous.
The laundry cost for this deduction is also allowable as deductions because it incurred in gaining and producing the assessable income. But most taxpayers claim all clothes they wore for work which is not deductible under legislation.
You can always deduct standard business expenses, but can you deduct hidden and unusual expenses to reduce your tax burden? Using your imagination and proactive planning provides a resounding answer to that question: "Yes, you can!"
The hobby loss rules under IRC § 183 limit the deductibility of certain items with respect to an activity that is not engaged in for profit. The history of IRC § 183 indicates that one of the primary motivating factors behind its passage was Congress’ desire to create an objective standard to determine whether a taxpayer was carrying on a business for the purpose of realizing a profit or was instead merely attempting to create and utilize losses to offset other income (Nickerson vs Comm, 1983). Congress recognized that “wealthy individuals have invested