ACTG 325:
Introduction to Taxation
Winter 2009
Syllabus
Professor: Dr. Jared A. Moore E-mail:
jared.moore@bus.oregonstate.edu
Office: BEXL
224E Phone: 737-2517
Office Hours: MTWTh 3:00 4:00pm
(or by appointment)
Class Times: TTh
10:00 11:50am (CRN 36733) Classroom: BEXL 328 (Moss
TTh 12:00 1:50pm (CRN 36734)
Credit Hrs: 4
Welcome to ACTG 325, Introduction to
Taxation.
ACTG 325 is the first of two tax courses offered
through the
Class will be conducted in a
lecture-discussion format. Topics will
be introduced and examples will be given in class and students are encouraged
to ask questions and participate in class discussion. There will also be in-class exercises from
time to time that will require participation from students. Students are expected to bring to class the
textbook, a calculator, and a printout of the class notes for the chapter(s) to
be covered in class. This is a tough and
time-consuming course. Make sure your
schedule allows you sufficient time to be successful.
Prerequisites:
Enforced prerequisite: ACTG 319
Other prerequisites: ACTG 317 and BA 340 (with C or better), and
departmental approval
Required Resources:
Text:
Jones and
Rhoades-Catanach, Principles of Taxation for Business and Investment
Planning, 2009 Edition
IRS Forms, Instructions, and Publications:
Certain IRS forms, related instructions, and
publications will be used throughout the course. These documents are available in PDF format
at http://www.irs.gov/ and can be downloaded
without charge.
CCH Tax Research Network:
The CCH
tax research database is available through the OSU library website (link
provided on Blackboard) and will be a necessary resource at various points
throughout the course.
E-mail:
E-mail may be used at times to communicate course
information to students outside of class.
All students need to have a functional
Blackboard:
Class
notes (Power Point slides) and various other course materials will be available
for download from the course Blackboard site at https://my.oregonstate.edu/webapps/login. Blackboard will also be the primary outlet
for important course announcements so it should also be checked AT LEAST DAILY.
Important
Dates:
Last Day to Withdraw from a Course: Feb.
20, 11:55pm
Last Day for Total Withdrawal from University: Mar. 13, 5:00pm
Academic Dishonesty:
Cheating
and plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course. If a student is caught engaging in such
activity, he or she will be dealt with according to University and
Grading:
Final
grades will be determined based on the following structure:
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Tax
Research Cases (3) |
80 points |
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Tax
Return Project |
60 points |
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Midterm
Exams (2) |
200 points |
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Final
Exam |
120 points |
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Professionalism |
40 points |
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Total |
500 points |
Homework: Problems will be assigned from each chapter to give
you practice in applying the concepts learned.
It is essential that you work through these on your own before
coming to class so you can participate in any class discussion and so
the material presented in class is easier to absorb. Homework will not be collected, but there are
two ways in which failing to complete the homework assigned can adversely
affect your grade. First, successfully
learning the material in this class depends at some level on having adequate
practice and repetition. Much of this
practice is provided by the homework. As
such, failure to take the homework seriously often translates into lower exam
scores. Second, coming to class
unprepared to participate in class discussions will adversely affect your
Professionalism grade for the course (described in detail below).
Tax Research Cases: Three tax research cases will be assigned that will
require you to find answers to technical questions and communicate your
findings. These cases are to be
completed in a professional manner, meaning that they must be typed, proof
read, clear, and accurate. You are to
work with a partner to complete the tax research cases (no more than two people
per team). Late work will be accepted up
to the next class session, but with a 25% penalty for each 24 hours or part thereof that the work is
late.
Tax Return Project: A tax return project worth 60 points will be
assigned in this course. More
information on the nature of the work and the time frame involved will be
provided in class. You are to work with
a partner to complete the tax return project (no more than two people per
team). There may or may not be some class time available to organize and discuss
the assignment; however, substantial out-of-class work will be required to
complete it. Late work will be accepted
up to the next class session, but with a 25% penalty for each 24 hours or part thereof that the work is
late.
Exams: Both midterm exams will be administered
during normal class times on the dates shown on the schedule portion of the
syllabus. The final exam will be held at
the times prescribed by university policy, which are also shown on the schedule
portion of the syllabus. All exams must
be taken during the times scheduled missed exams cannot be made up without prior approval from the professor. Absence from a scheduled exam without prior approval from the professor will
result in a grade of zero on the exam. Approval
to be absent from an exam will only be granted in cases of extreme personal
emergency. Written verification of
the personal emergency must be provided.
Note that recruiting activities, oversleeping, parking trouble, traffic,
etc. are NOT considered
extreme personal emergency.
Graded exams remain the
property of the professor, but may be viewed at any time during office hours.
Each student must have
his/her own calculator as no sharing will be allowed on
exams. Also, students are responsible for
battery failure and/or calculator malfunction and may not use this as a
reason for excused absence from an exam or additional time to complete an
exam. Finally, cell phone calculators or other
calculators with text storage capabilities are not permited.
Professionalism: Professionalism consists of class
participation, preparation for class, attendance, punctuality, cooperation,
respect for colleagues, respect for the instructor, etc. You are strongly encouraged to come to class
prepared and to participate in class discussion (including asking questions
when you have them). Please refrain from
behaviors that are disruptive to the learning process and/or disrespectful (to
the instructor or to other students) such as coming to class late, working on
or reading materials for other classes during class, conversing with other
students during class, using your cell phone (e.g., texting) during class,
etc. Please turn cell phones off. Finally, please attend the section for which
you are registered. The Professionalism
points in this course (noted above) will be awarded on the basis of the
professionalism elements listed above and will amount to about 8% of the total
course grade.
Grading Disputes:
Students who
believe that an error has been made in the grading of an exam, project, or quiz
should submit a written request for re-grading within one week of the
originally graded exam, project, or quiz being returned in class. This request must identify the item in question
and describe why the student believes it has been graded erroneously. Students should understand that submission of
this request will result in a re-grading of the item in question, which may
produce a higher or lower score than originally received.
Syllabus
Changes:
Changes
to the syllabus are not anticipated and would only occur if absolutely
necessary. However, you are responsible
for any changes announced in class, communicated through e-mail, and/or posted
on Blackboard.
Students with Disabilities
Accommodations are collaborative efforts between students, faculty and Services
for Students with Disabilities (SSD). Students with accommodations approved
through SSD are responsible for contacting the faculty member in charge of the
course prior to or during the first week of the term to discuss accommodations.
Students who believe they are eligible for accommodations but who have not yet
obtained approval through SSD should contact SSD immediately at 737-4098.
LEARNING
The
primary learning objectives of this course are to acquire suffiecient knowledge
and comprehension of the internal revenue code and regulations and federal
income tax forms to enable you to apply income tax law and concepts to
(properly) prepare income tax returns, to assess various income tax issues that
arise based on the underlying facts and circumstances, to analyze and solve
income tax compliance issues, to formulate solutions to complex income tax
planning problems, and to communicate your understanding and conclusions about
income tax issues to clients and colleagues.
*****
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ACTG
325 |
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Winter
2009 |
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Syllabus
- Class Schedule |
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DAY |
TOPIC (AND ITEMS DUE) |
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HOMEWORK |
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-Introduction |
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Chapter 1 |
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CH1
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TUE 1/6 |
-Course
/ Syllabus Overview |
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DQ 2, 6, 8, 12, 15; AP 1, 4, 7; |
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1 |
-General
Overview of Taxation |
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IR 1, 5, 8 |
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THU 1/8 |
-Policy
Issues: Standards for a "Good" Tax |
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Chapter 2 |
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CH2
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2 |
-Tax
Research |
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Chapter 5 |
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DQ 2, 5, 6, 9, 15, 17; |
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AP 4, 5, 7; IR 3, 4 |
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CH5
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DQ 2, 9; AP 3, 6, 11, 13; RP 1 |
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TUE 1/13 |
-Tax
Research (cont.) |
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Chapter 3 |
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CH3
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3 |
-Taxes
as Transaction Costs |
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DQ 2, 3, 4; AP 8, 11, 13, 14, 16; |
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IR 5, 6, 7, 8 |
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THU 1/15 |
-Taxes
as Transaction Costs (cont.) |
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Chapter 4 |
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CH4
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4 |
-Maxims
of Tax Planning |
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DQ 1, 7, 14; AP 11, 15, 16, 19; |
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IR 2, 3, 4; PC 4 |
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TUE 1/20 |
-Maxims
of Tax Planning (cont.) |
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5 |
-Catch
Up |
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THU 1/22 |
NO
CLASS - SELF STUDY |
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TUE 1/27 |
Research
Case 1 Due |
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6 |
-Review
for Midterm 1 |
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-Practice
Problems (time permitting) |
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THU 1/29 |
MIDTERM
1 |
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7 |
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TUE 2/3 |
-Brief
Review of Exam |
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Chapter 6 |
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CH6
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8 |
-Taxable
Income from Business Ops |
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DQ 8, 14; AP 1, 10, 21, 24, 27, |
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28,
29; IR 7, 11; RP 2; PC 2 |
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THU 2/5 |
-Taxable
Income from Business Ops (cont.) |
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Chapter 7 |
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CH7
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9 |
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Acq & Cost Recovery |
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DQ 7; AP 2, 7, 9, 12, 13, 17, |
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27,
29, 30; IR 8; PC 4 |
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NOTE: You can use the following key to identify the appropriate homework problems in the text:
DQ Questions and Problems for Discussion
AP Application Problems
IR Issue Recognition Problems
RP Research Problems
PC Tax Planning Cases
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ACTG
325 |
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Winter
2009 |
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Syllabus
- Class Schedule |
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DAY |
TOPIC (AND ITEMS DUE) |
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HOMEWORK |
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TUE 2/10 |
Research
Case 2 Due |
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Chapter 8 |
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CH8
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10 |
-Property
Acq & Cost Recovery (cont.) |
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DQ 1; AP 2, 7, 11, 18, 23, 24, |
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-Property
Dispositions |
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28,
30, 35, 39; IR 1; PC 3 |
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THU 2/12 |
-Property
Dispositions (cont.) |
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11 |
-Catch
Up |
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TUE 2/17 |
-Review
for Midterm 2 |
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12 |
-Practice
Problems (time permitting) |
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THU 2/19 |
MIDTERM
2 |
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13 |
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TUE 2/24 |
-Brief
Review of Exam |
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Chapter 9 |
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CH9
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14 |
-Nontaxable
Exchanges |
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DQ 5; AP 2, 3, 9, 12, 13, 15, 18, |
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20,
24, 26, 27, 29; PC 2 |
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THU 2/26 |
Research
Case 3 Due |
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Chapter 10 |
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CH10
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15 |
-Nontaxable
Exchanges (cont.) |
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DQ 12; AP 1, 3, 6, 13, 14, 18, |
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-Flow-through
Entities |
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19,
20, 21, 23, 26; PC 4 |
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TUE 3/3 |
-Flow-through
Entities (cont.) |
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Chapter 11 |
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CH11
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16 |
-Corporations |
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DQ 6; AP 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, |
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17,
21, 22, 24; PC 4 |
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THU 3/5 |
-Corporations
(cont.) |
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TBA |
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TBA |
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17 |
-Choice
of Business Entity |
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TUE 3/10 |
-Choice
of Business Entity (cont.) |
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18 |
-Catch
Up |
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THU 3/12 |
Tax
Return Project Due |
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19 |
-Review
for Final Exam |
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-Practice
Problems (time permitting) |
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MON 3/16 |
FINAL
EXAM - 9:30AM |
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20 |
FOR
TTh 12:00-1:50 CLASS |
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WED 3/18 |
FINAL
EXAM - 2:00PM |
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20 |
FOR
TTh 10:00-11:50 CLASS |
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NOTE: You can use the following key to identify the appropriate homework problems in the text:
DQ Questions and Problems for Discussion
AP Application Problems
IR Issue Recognition Problems
RP Research Problems
PC Tax Planning Cases