6-2 Short Paper. Tax Planning Advice
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
University of Nairobi *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
MANAGERIAL
Subject
Accounting
Date
Nov 24, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
7
Uploaded by mercydavid1999
1
6-2 Short Paper: Tax Planning Advice
Valerie Smith
SNHU
TAX-670-X1459 Tax Research Methodology 23TW1
Joseph R Palombo
October 27, 2023
2
6-2 Short Paper: Tax Planning Advice
Memorandum
TO:
Client, John
FROM:
Valerie Smith
DATE:
October 27, 2023
RE:
The Best Tax Plan for John’s Circumstances
Facts:
John is concerned about tax planning and saving for his children's education. He is
married, has a $500,000 mortgage, and a $135,000 joint adjusted gross income.
Issue(s):
1. Should John trade his short-term and long-term investments to cater for college
expenses his children?
2. Should John acquire a home equity loan or a second mortgage on the house for funding
his children's educational costs?
3. Should John consider conversion to Roth IRA or should he contribute to an IRA?
4. What are available educational tax credits that John could acquire to cater his
children’s educational expenses?
Authorities:
IRC §1222(1) – evaluates the holding period for available capital assets.
IRC §1222(3) – explores short-term capital gains.
IRC § 163(a) – Allows deduction of interest paid on loans such as business and mortgage
interest.
3
IRC §163(h)(3)(F)(i)(II) – establishes restrictions concerning interest deductions
associated with home equity loans.
IRC §408 – develops individual retirement accounts.
IRC §408A – discusses contributions and rules concerning Roth IRA.
Publication 970 - explores educational tax benefits.
IRC §25A – explores educational tax credits.
Conclusion:
The best option that John should take entails selling his long-term investments because it
results in higher returns than the other options. Although conversion from IRA to Roth is
effective, it is more appealing and beneficial to sell the long-term investment to increase the 529
account for catering qualified educational expenses. Remarkably, converting to a Roth IRA
should not be considered because its contributions are not deductible and will place John into a
higher tax bracket resulting in increased tax consequences. John will be able to steadily sort his
children’s educational costs if he considers this approach. A lower tax rate will be applied to the
capital gains after selling the long-term investment. The acquired money will then be used for the
children’s college tuition and other qualified costs. A home equity loan and a second mortgage
should not be taken because the loan’s interest will not be deductible making it unbeneficial to
John. John can utilize the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC), but it has restrictions such
as applying for four taxable years per child, student must be enrolled in an education program,
and have no drug offense felony.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
4
Analysis and Summary:
Selling Investments
John has the choice of selling his short-term and long-term investments to cater his
children's educational expenses. Remarkably, tax consequences vary depending on the
classification of the investment sales. IRC §1222(1) indicates that short-term capital gains entail
profits gained after exchanging or selling capital possessions held beyond a year with the
inclusion of the acquired gains into the relevant gross income computation. IRC §1222(3) states
that long-term capital gains involve profits acquired after the exchange or selling of capital assets
held for a duration of more than a year, with the relevant gains being added in the gross income
calculation. John should not sell short-term investments because their capital gains are taxed
using the ordinary income rate and have losses that will affect his long-term capital gain. With
the $135,000 joint adjusted gross income, a tax rate of 22% will be applied if he sells his short-
term investments. This rate will increase if the taxable income is higher than $135,000. Instead,
John should opt for his long-term investments sale because a lower tax rate of 15% will be
applied on them when filled jointly. He will achieve about 7% tax savings on the acquired capital
gains after the long-term investment sale. However, the investment sales will likely increase
John’s taxable income and raise his tax bracket. Therefore, it is not the best option for him to
acquire funds for his children’s educational expenses.
Interest Deduction
According to IRC § 163(a), it is acceptable to deduct indebtedness interest accumulated
or paid during a certain tax year. Notably, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act does not allow interest
deductions for home equity loans from 2018 to 2026 (Rader, 2020). However, IRC §163(h)(3)(F)
(i)(II) permits interest deductions if home equity loans are used to buy, construct, and improve
5
the primary residence of the taxpayer. John should not acquire the home equity loans or consider
the second mortgage to fund his kids’ qualified educational costs because the interest will not be
deducted.
IRA or Roth IRA
IRC §408(a) indicates that individual retirement accounts are trusts developed in America
to benefit people and their beneficiaries. Contributions associated with IRA and Roth IRA are
limited to $6,500 ($7.500 for 50 years old or older people) in 2023 (IRS.gov, 2023). John should
not consider an IRA because the tax-deductible phase-out starts at $116,000 of adjusted gross
income for married people jointly. According to IRC §408(A), conversions to Roth IRA are not
subject to contribution limits because they are categorized as a distribution that is added to the
year's taxable gross income. Conversion to the Roth IRA is recommended and will make John’s
$135,000 joint modified gross income being subjected to tax deduction because it is within the
eligible threshold of less than $218,000. Any adjusted gross income above this limit will not be
tax deductible. IRC § 408A(c)(1) applies tax on contributions linked with Roth IRA because they
are not deductible. The income limitation associated with contributing to a Roth IRA makes this
option not the best for John.
Educational Tax Credits
Publication 970 explores educational tax benefits that John can consider such as the
Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC) and the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC). Segal
(2022) notes that LLC and AOTC are claimed to lower a person’s owed income tax. IRC §25A
indicates $2,000 as the highest LLC credit allowed per year without a degree program
enrollment. For married jointly filling individuals whose adjusted gross income (AGI) exceeds
$132,000, they cannot acquire an LLC. John does not qualify to claim for LLC because his joint
6
AGI is $135,000. On the other hand, AOTC associated with married jointly filling people is
limited to $180,000 (Li et al., 2018). Therefore, John can claim AOTC because his joint AGI
($135,000) is below the eligibility threshold limit ($180,000). He will acquire the AOTC and sort
qualified educational expenses such as tuition and books. AOTC is not the best option for him
because the student must have degree program enrollment and apply for only 4 taxable years for
each student.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
7
References
IRC § 163(a) – Deduction of interest paid on loans such as business and mortgage interest.
IRC § 25A - American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning credits.
IRC §1222(1) – Holding period for available capital assets.
IRC §1222(3) – Short-term capital gains.
IRC §163(h)(3)(F)(i)(II) – Restrictions on interest deductions associated with home equity loan.
IRC §408 – Individual retirement accounts.
IRC §408A – Roth IRAs.
IRS.gov. (2023).
Retirement Topics - IRA contribution limits.
https://www.irs.gov/retirement-
plans/plan-participant-employee/retirement-topics-ira-contribution-limits
Li, Z., Chen, C., & Jones, K. T. (2018). Nontraditional college students: Strategies for
minimizing tax liabilities and avoiding pitfalls.
The CPA Journal
,
88
(9), 42-46.
https://www.cpajournal.com/2018/09/13/nontraditional-college-students/
Publication 970 - Tax benefits for education.
Rader, M. (2020). The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017: Implications for the US real estate
market.
Corporate Real Estate Journal
,
9
(3), 234-255.
https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/hsp/crej/2020/00000009/00000003/art00005
Segal, T. (2022).
IRS Publication 970: Tax benefits for education overview.
Investopedia.
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/irs-pub-970.asp
Related Documents
Related Questions
Section 12.2 Assessment
QUICK CHECK
Calculate Given the informa-
tion above, use Form 1040EZ in
Figure 12.4 on pages 394 and 395 and the
corresponding tax table in Figure 12.5 on
page 397 to determine whether Shirley will
owe the government money or will obtain
a refund. How much money will she owe,
1. Who must file a federal income tax return?
2. What are the three basic tax forms discussed
in this section?
3. What documents do you need to begin to
prepare your tax return?
THINK CRITICALLY
or how much will her refund be?
4. Briefly describe situations in which it
would be advantageous to use Form 1040A
instead of Form 1040EZ. When would you
use Form 1040EZ?
SOLVE MONEY PROBLEMS
6. Planning for Tax Time Poor Fred.
Tax time is drawing near, and he does not
know how to begin to prepare his income
tax return. He has piles of forms and other
paperwork, but he just cannot figure out
what to do with them. Fred needs help,
USE MATH SKILLS
5. A Taxing Question Last year, Shirley,
a single…
arrow_forward
Question content area top
Part 1
Determine how much the following individual will save in taxes with the specified tax credits or deductions.
Rosa is in the
28%
tax bracket and
claims the standard deduction.
How much will her tax bill be reduced if she makes a
$500
contribution to charity?
arrow_forward
TABLE 3.6 Personal tax rates, 2022. Taxable Income ($)
Single Taxpayers Married Taxpayers Filing Joint Returns
Tax Rate
(%) 0-9,950 0-19, 900 10 % 9,950-40, 525 19,900-81,
and above 628, 300 and above 37% \\\ You have set up
your tax preparation firm as an incorporated business.
You took $80,000 from the firm as your salary. The
firm's taxable income for the year (net of your salary)
was $30,000. Assume you pay personal taxes as an
unmarried taxpayer. Use the tax rates presented in
Table 3.6. How much tax must be paid to the federal
government, including both your personal taxes and
the firm's taxes? By how much will you reduce the total
tax bill if you cut your salary to $50,000, thereby leaving
the firm with taxable income of $60,000? What
allocation will minimize the total tax bill? Hint: Think
about marginal tax rates and the ability to shift income
from a higher marginal bracket to a lower one. Note: Do
not round your intermediate calculations. Round your
final answers to nearest…
arrow_forward
QUESTION 2
Calculate Total Assessable Income, Taxable Income, Tax Liability, Medicare Levy and Medicare Levy Surcharge, if applicable, for the tax payer (Jenny) with information below:
Jenny is a resident single mom with one dependent child (7 years old) tax payer of Australia for the tax year 2019-2020
Her Taxable Salary earned is $120,000 (Including tax withheld) having no private health insurance.
Jenny has a student loan outstanding for his previous studies at Queensland University of $32,000.
Jenny’s employer pays superannuation guarantee charge of 9.5% on top of her salary to her nominated fund.
Jenny earned a passive income of $5,000 from the investments in shares in the same tax year.
Find,
1. Total Assessable Income2. Total Taxable Income3. HELP repayment amount 4. Medicare Levy 5. Medicare Levy Surcharge 6. Total Tax Liability7. Net Tax Liability (Total Tax Liability less any applicable tax offset if any)
arrow_forward
For a 24-year-old taxpayer with two dependents who is qualified to use the filing status of "head of
household," what is the California AGI that will cause him to be required to file a tax return for 2022?
a. $41,988
• b. $46,171
c. $58,724
• d. $40,000
Answer: a. $41,988
arrow_forward
Please verify my answer if not correct please correct it
arrow_forward
Sh4
Please help me.
Solution
Thankyou
arrow_forward
Use the Tax Rate Tables, Exhibit 18-3, to calculate the tax liability (in $) for the taxpayer.
Name
Filing Status
Taxable Income
Tax Liability
Rua
head of household
$195,200
arrow_forward
Activity 5Answer the following questions below using the graduated tax table. Write your answer on the space provided after every questions.a. How much is the tax due on a taxable income of P150,000?Answer:b. How much is the tax due on a taxable income of P290,000?Answer:c. Ms. Carol earns compensation income of P3,230,000 during a taxable year. How much is the tax due of Ms. Carol? Answer:d. Mrs. Emily married earns compensation income of P460,000 during 2019. How much 1s the tax due of Mrs. Emily? Answer: Week 5 ACTIVITIES 5 29 Fundamentals of Accountancy, Business and Management 2e. The payslip of Mr. Budoy shows the following information:Basic salary P348,000SSS contribution 6,976PhilHealth contribution 4,500Pag-IBIG contribution 1,210How much is the tax due to Mr. Budoy?Answer:
arrow_forward
What Form is required?Explaining why this is the correct form?
arrow_forward
85. Which of the following tax
return preparers must file federal
income tax returns electronically?
(Search Chapter 8)
O a. Bob, who provides tax
assistance under the Volunteer
Income Tax Assistance program
O b. Ellen, who prepares a return of
the employer by whom she is
employed
O c. Peter, a tax return preparer
who expects to file 20 individual
income tax returns
Od. Lynn, who prepares 20 tax
returns as a fiduciary
arrow_forward
Q. 5
i need help with a-d
arrow_forward
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
Recommended textbooks for you

Pfin (with Mindtap, 1 Term Printed Access Card) (...
Finance
ISBN:9780357033609
Author:Randall Billingsley, Lawrence J. Gitman, Michael D. Joehnk
Publisher:Cengage Learning

Individual Income Taxes
Accounting
ISBN:9780357109731
Author:Hoffman
Publisher:CENGAGE LEARNING - CONSIGNMENT
Related Questions
- Section 12.2 Assessment QUICK CHECK Calculate Given the informa- tion above, use Form 1040EZ in Figure 12.4 on pages 394 and 395 and the corresponding tax table in Figure 12.5 on page 397 to determine whether Shirley will owe the government money or will obtain a refund. How much money will she owe, 1. Who must file a federal income tax return? 2. What are the three basic tax forms discussed in this section? 3. What documents do you need to begin to prepare your tax return? THINK CRITICALLY or how much will her refund be? 4. Briefly describe situations in which it would be advantageous to use Form 1040A instead of Form 1040EZ. When would you use Form 1040EZ? SOLVE MONEY PROBLEMS 6. Planning for Tax Time Poor Fred. Tax time is drawing near, and he does not know how to begin to prepare his income tax return. He has piles of forms and other paperwork, but he just cannot figure out what to do with them. Fred needs help, USE MATH SKILLS 5. A Taxing Question Last year, Shirley, a single…arrow_forwardQuestion content area top Part 1 Determine how much the following individual will save in taxes with the specified tax credits or deductions. Rosa is in the 28% tax bracket and claims the standard deduction. How much will her tax bill be reduced if she makes a $500 contribution to charity?arrow_forwardTABLE 3.6 Personal tax rates, 2022. Taxable Income ($) Single Taxpayers Married Taxpayers Filing Joint Returns Tax Rate (%) 0-9,950 0-19, 900 10 % 9,950-40, 525 19,900-81, and above 628, 300 and above 37% \\\ You have set up your tax preparation firm as an incorporated business. You took $80,000 from the firm as your salary. The firm's taxable income for the year (net of your salary) was $30,000. Assume you pay personal taxes as an unmarried taxpayer. Use the tax rates presented in Table 3.6. How much tax must be paid to the federal government, including both your personal taxes and the firm's taxes? By how much will you reduce the total tax bill if you cut your salary to $50,000, thereby leaving the firm with taxable income of $60,000? What allocation will minimize the total tax bill? Hint: Think about marginal tax rates and the ability to shift income from a higher marginal bracket to a lower one. Note: Do not round your intermediate calculations. Round your final answers to nearest…arrow_forward
- QUESTION 2 Calculate Total Assessable Income, Taxable Income, Tax Liability, Medicare Levy and Medicare Levy Surcharge, if applicable, for the tax payer (Jenny) with information below: Jenny is a resident single mom with one dependent child (7 years old) tax payer of Australia for the tax year 2019-2020 Her Taxable Salary earned is $120,000 (Including tax withheld) having no private health insurance. Jenny has a student loan outstanding for his previous studies at Queensland University of $32,000. Jenny’s employer pays superannuation guarantee charge of 9.5% on top of her salary to her nominated fund. Jenny earned a passive income of $5,000 from the investments in shares in the same tax year. Find, 1. Total Assessable Income2. Total Taxable Income3. HELP repayment amount 4. Medicare Levy 5. Medicare Levy Surcharge 6. Total Tax Liability7. Net Tax Liability (Total Tax Liability less any applicable tax offset if any)arrow_forwardFor a 24-year-old taxpayer with two dependents who is qualified to use the filing status of "head of household," what is the California AGI that will cause him to be required to file a tax return for 2022? a. $41,988 • b. $46,171 c. $58,724 • d. $40,000 Answer: a. $41,988arrow_forwardPlease verify my answer if not correct please correct itarrow_forward
- Sh4 Please help me. Solution Thankyouarrow_forwardUse the Tax Rate Tables, Exhibit 18-3, to calculate the tax liability (in $) for the taxpayer. Name Filing Status Taxable Income Tax Liability Rua head of household $195,200arrow_forwardActivity 5Answer the following questions below using the graduated tax table. Write your answer on the space provided after every questions.a. How much is the tax due on a taxable income of P150,000?Answer:b. How much is the tax due on a taxable income of P290,000?Answer:c. Ms. Carol earns compensation income of P3,230,000 during a taxable year. How much is the tax due of Ms. Carol? Answer:d. Mrs. Emily married earns compensation income of P460,000 during 2019. How much 1s the tax due of Mrs. Emily? Answer: Week 5 ACTIVITIES 5 29 Fundamentals of Accountancy, Business and Management 2e. The payslip of Mr. Budoy shows the following information:Basic salary P348,000SSS contribution 6,976PhilHealth contribution 4,500Pag-IBIG contribution 1,210How much is the tax due to Mr. Budoy?Answer:arrow_forward
- What Form is required?Explaining why this is the correct form?arrow_forward85. Which of the following tax return preparers must file federal income tax returns electronically? (Search Chapter 8) O a. Bob, who provides tax assistance under the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program O b. Ellen, who prepares a return of the employer by whom she is employed O c. Peter, a tax return preparer who expects to file 20 individual income tax returns Od. Lynn, who prepares 20 tax returns as a fiduciaryarrow_forwardQ. 5 i need help with a-darrow_forward
arrow_back_ios
arrow_forward_ios
Recommended textbooks for you
- Pfin (with Mindtap, 1 Term Printed Access Card) (...FinanceISBN:9780357033609Author:Randall Billingsley, Lawrence J. Gitman, Michael D. JoehnkPublisher:Cengage Learning
- Individual Income TaxesAccountingISBN:9780357109731Author:HoffmanPublisher:CENGAGE LEARNING - CONSIGNMENT

Pfin (with Mindtap, 1 Term Printed Access Card) (...
Finance
ISBN:9780357033609
Author:Randall Billingsley, Lawrence J. Gitman, Michael D. Joehnk
Publisher:Cengage Learning

Individual Income Taxes
Accounting
ISBN:9780357109731
Author:Hoffman
Publisher:CENGAGE LEARNING - CONSIGNMENT