Question & Answer

Latrell recently used his Delta Skymiles to purchase a free round-trip ticket to Milan, Italy (value $1,200).  The frequent flyer miles used to purchase the ticket were generated from Latrell’s business travel as a CPA.  Latrell’s employer paid for his business trips, and he was not taxed on the travel reimbursement.     a.  Use an available tax research service to determine how much income, if any, Latrell will have to recognize as a result of purchasing an airline ticket with Skymiles earned from business travel.   b.  Write a memo communicating the results of your research.

On June 3, Hunt Company sold to Ann Mount merchandise having a sales price of $8,000 with terms of 2/10, n/60, f.o.b. shipping point. An invoice totaling $120, terms n/30, was received by Mount on June 8 from the Olympic Transport Service for the freight cost. Upon receipt of the goods, June 5, Mount notified Hunt Company that merchandise costing $600 contained flaws that rendered it worthless. The same day, Hunt Company issued a credit memo covering the worthless merchandise and asked that it be returned at company expense. The freight on the returned merchandise was $24, paid by Hunt Company on June 7. On June 12, the company received a check for the balance due from Mount. Instructions (a) Prepare journal entries for Hunt Company to record all the events noted above under each of the following bases. (1) Sales and receivables are entered at gross selling price. (2) Sales and receivables are entered net of cash discounts. (b) Prepare the journal entry under basis (2), assuming that Ann Mount did not remit payment until August 5.

Jim purchased 100 shares of stock this year and elected to participate in a dividend reinvestment program. This program automatically uses dividends to purchase additional shares of stock. This year Jim’s shares paid $350 of dividends, and these funds were used to purchase additional shares of stock. These additional shares are worth $375 at year-end. What amount of dividends, if any, should Jim declare as income this year? Explain.

Many London councils now have residents’ street parking permits, with charges that vary according to the carbon emissions of the registered vehicle. Explain the thinking behind this policy.

Will Smith will receive $80,000 on December 31, 2019 (5 years from now), from a trust fund established by his father. Assuming the appropriate interest rate for discounting is 12% (compounded semiannually), what is the present value of this amount today?

Approximately what percentage of tax returns does the IRS audit?  What are the implications of this number for the IRS’s strategy in selecting returns for audit?

If increased investment (using current technology) does not lead to increased long-run economic growth, does it bring any benefits?

Since fixed-rate mortgages and bonds have similar payment flows, how is a financial institution with a large portfolio of fixed-rate mortgages affected by rising interest rates? Explain. LO(8-1)

Danny’s Lawn Equipment sells high-quality lawn mowers and offers a 3-year warranty on all new lawn mowers sold. In 2014, Danny sold $300,000 of new specialty mowers for golf greens for which Danny’s service department does not have the equipment to do the service. Danny has entered into an agreement with Mower Mavens to provide all warranty service on the special mowers sold in 2014. Danny wishes to measure the fair value of the agreement to determine the warranty liability for sales made in 2014. The controller for Danny’s Lawn Equipment estimates the following expected warranty cash outflows associated with the mowers sold in 2014. Cash Flow Probability Year Estimate Assessment 2015 $2,500 20% 4,000 60% 5,000 20% 2016 $3,000 30% 5,000 50% 6,000 20% 2017 $4,000 30% 6,000 40% 7,000 30% Instructions Using expected cash flow and present value techniques, determine the value of the warranty liability for the 2014 sales. Use an annual discount rate of 5%. Assume all cash flows occur at the end of the year.

What explanations can you give for the increase in both unemployment and inflation in the 1970s?

Presented below are comments made in the financial press. Instructions Prepare responses to the requirements in each item. (a) Rep. John Dingell, at one time the ranking Democrat on the House Commerce Committee, threw his support behind the FASB’s controversial derivatives accounting standard and encouraged the FASB to adopt the rule promptly. Indicate why a member of Congress might feel obligated to comment on this proposed FASB standard. (b) In a strongly worded letter to Senator Lauch Faircloth (R-NC) and House Banking Committee Chairman Jim Leach (R-IA), the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) cautioned against government intervention in the accounting standard-setting process, warning that it had the potential of jeopardizing U.S. capital markets. Explain how government intervention could possibly affect capital markets adversely.

This year Jorge received a refund of property taxes that he deducted on his tax return last year.  Jorge is not sure whether he should include the refund in his gross income.  What would you tell him?

If you were the owner of a clothes shop, how would you set about deciding what prices to charge for each garment at the end-of-season sale?

1. The income–consumption curve in Figure 4.12 is drawn as positively sloped at low levels of income. Why? 2. Show the effect of a rise in income on the demand for X and Y where this time Y is the inferior good and X is the normal good. Is the income–consumption curve positively or negatively sloped?

1. If a bank buys a £500 000 Treasury bill at the start of its 91-day life for £480 000, at roughly what price could it sell it to another financial institution after 45 days Why is it not possible to predict that precise price when the bill is first purchased? 2. Suppose there were a sudden surge in demand for cash from the general public. Would the existence of inter-bank market loans help to meet the demand in any way?

Compare and contrast the recovery periods used by MACRS and those used under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).

Addison Co. has one temporary difference at the beginning of 2014 of $500,000. The deferred tax liability established for this amount is $150,000, based on a tax rate of 30%. The temporary difference will provide the following taxable amounts: $100,000 in 2015, $200,000 in 2016, and $200,000 in 2017. If a new tax rate for 2017 of 20% is enacted into law at the end of 2014, what is the journal entry necessary in 2014 (if any) to adjust deferred taxes?

Reese, a calendar-year taxpayer, uses the cash method of accounting for her sole proprietorship. In late December, she received a $20,000 bill from her accountant for consulting services related to her small business. Reese can pay the $20,000 bill any time before January 30 of next year without penalty. Assume Reese’s marginal tax rate is 32 percent this year and will be 37 percent next year, and that she can earn an after-tax rate of return of 12 percent on her investments. When should she pay the $20,000 bill—this year or next?

What accounting assumption, principle, or constraint would Target Corporation use in each of the situations below? (a) Target was involved in litigation over the last year. This litigation is disclosed in the financial statements. (b) Target allocates the cost of its depreciable assets over the life it expects to receive revenue from these assets. (c) Target records the purchase of a new Dell PC at its cash equivalent price.

Using the facts in problem 38, if Jorge and Anita earn an additional $100,000 of taxable income, what is their marginal tax rate on this income?  What is their marginal rate if, instead, they reported an additional $100,000 in deductions?

William is a single writer (age 35) who recently decided that he needs to save more for retirement. His current year AGI before the IRA contribution deduction is $80,000 (all earned income). a. If he does not participate in an employer-sponsored plan, what is the maximum deductible IRA contribution William can make for the current year? b. If he does participate in an employer-sponsored plan, what is the maximum deductible IRA contribution William can make for the current year? c. Assume the same facts as in part (b), except William’s AGI before the IRA contribution deduction is $89,000. What is the maximum deductible IRA contribution William can make for the current year?

Explain the types of cash flow characteristics that would cause a firm to hedge interest rate risk by swapping floating-rate payments for fixed payments. Why would some firms avoid the use of interest rate swaps, even when they are highly exposed to interest rate risk? (LO1)

Ramon incorporated his sole proprietorship by transferring inventory, a building, and land to the corporation in return for 100 percent of the corporation’s stock. The property transferred to the corporation had the following fair market values and adjusted tax-adjusted bases.     FMV                    Adjusted Tax Basis Inventory$    10,000$         4,000 Building      50,000         30,000 Land    100,000         50,000 Total$  160,000$       84,000       The fair market value of the corporation’s stock received in the exchange equaled the fair market value of the assets transferred to the corporation by Ramon. a. What amount of gain or loss does Ramon realize on the transfer of the property to his corporation?

Make a list of six possible aims a manager of a high street department store might have. Identify some conflicts that might arise between these aims?

Youngman Corporation has temporary differences at December 31, 2014, that result in the following deferred taxes. Deferred tax asset $24,000 Deferred tax liability $69,000 Indicate how these balances would be presented in Youngman’s December 31, 2014, statement of financial position.