Exam 1: An Introduction to Tax

Leonardo, who is married but files separately, earns $80,000 of taxable income. He also has $15,000 in city of Tulsa bonds. His wife, Theresa, earns $50,000 of taxable income. How much money would Leonardo and Theresa save if they file jointly instead of separately for year 2018? (Use tax rate schedule)

Self-employment taxes are charged on self-employment income in addition to any federal income tax.

Nick and Jessica are married taxpayers that file married filing separately. Jessica earns $250,000 of taxable income per year. Nick earns $130,000 of taxable income per year. Using the appropriate U.S. tax rate schedule for year 2018, how much tax does each of them pay? What are their marginal and average tax rates? How much tax would they save, if any, if they filed jointly? (Round the tax rates to 2 decimal places, e.g., .12345 as 12.35%) (Use tax rate schedule)

Which of the following is not one of the basic tax rate structures?

Margaret recently received a parking ticket. This is a common example of a local tax.

Given the following tax structure, what is the minimum tax that would need to be assessed on Lizzy to make the tax progressive with respect to average tax rates? What is the minimum tax that would need to be assessed on Lizzy to make the tax progressive with respect to effective tax rates?

In a regressive tax rate system, the marginal tax rate will often be greater than the average tax rate.

Which of the following is not an example of a graduated tax rate structure?

Milton and Rocco are having a heated debate regarding a national sales tax. Milton argues that a national sales tax is a proportional, vertically equitable tax. Rocco argues that a national sales tax would be a regressive, vertically inequitable tax. Explain both sides of the argument.

Property taxes may be imposed on both real and personal property.

Al believes that SUVs have negative social and environmental effects because of their increased carbon monoxide emissions. He proposes eliminating sales taxes on smaller automobiles in favor of higher sales taxes levied on SUVs. Al performs some calculations and comes to the conclusion that based on the current number of SUVs owned in the U.S. exactly the same amount of total sales tax will be collected under his reformed system. Which of the following concepts explains why Al's idea may not work?

Nelson has the choice between investing in a city of Fruithurst bond at 4% or a J.B. Ribs, Inc. bond at 6.5%. Assuming that both bonds have the same non-tax characteristics and that Nelson has a 40% marginal tax rate, in which bond should he invest? What interest rate offered by J.B. Ribs, Inc. would make Nelson indifferent between investing in the two bonds?

Implicit taxes are indirect taxes on tax-favored assets.

Excise taxes are typically levied on the value of a good purchased.

Heather, a single taxpayer who files as a head of household, earns $60,000 in taxable income and $5,000 in interest from an investment in city of Oxford Bonds. Using the U.S. tax rate schedule for year 2018, how much federal tax will she owe? What is her average tax rate? What is her effective tax rate? What is her current marginal tax rate? If Heather has an additional $20,000 of tax deductions, what is her marginal tax rate on these deductions? (Round the tax rates to 2 decimal places, e.g., .12345 as 12.35%) (Use tax rate schedule).

Ricky and Lucy are debating several types of taxes. Their debate has focused on the different types of tax rate structures and whether they are "fair." Please define each tax rate structure, provide examples of each structure, and discuss how each structure may be viewed with respect to vertical equity.

Leonardo, who is married but files separately, earns $80,000 of taxable income. He also has $15,000 in city of Tulsa bonds. His wife, Theresa, earns $50,000 of taxable income. If Leonardo and his wife file married filing jointly in 2018, what would be their average tax rate (rounded)? (Use tax rate schedule)

Raquel recently overheard two journalism students discussing the merits of the federal tax system. One student offered as an example of unfairness the spouse of a well-known politician who paid little income tax as most of the spouse's income was earned in the form of municipal bond interest. What type of taxes is the journalism student considering in his example? What type of taxes is he ignoring? Define each type of tax. What role does each type of tax play in calculating relative tax burdens? What role does each type of tax play in evaluating fairness?

Jed Clampett is expanding his family-run beer distributorship into Georgia or Tennessee. His parents began the business many years ago and now three generations of Clampetts work in the family business. Jed will relocate the entire family (his parents, spouse, children, etc.) to either state after the move. What types of taxes may influence his decision of where to locate his business? What non-tax factors may influence the decision?

Taxes influence business decisions such as where a business should locate or how a business should be structured.