McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Chapter 01 An Introduction to Tax

1-2 Learning Objectives Demonstrate how taxes influence basic business, investment, personal, and political decisions Discuss what constitutes a tax and the general objectives of taxes Describe the different tax rate structures and calculate a tax Identify the various federal, state and local taxes Apply appropriate criteria to evaluate alternate tax systems

1-3 Who cares about taxes? Businesses: What organizational form should a business use? Where should the business locate? How should business acquisitions be structured? How should the business compensate employees? What is the appropriate mix of debt and equity for the business? Should the business rent or own its equipment and property? How should the business distribute profits to its owners?

1-4 Who cares about taxes? Politicians: Politicians often distinguish themselves from their opponents based on their tax rhetoric. Voters must have basic knowledge of taxes to evaluate the merits of alternative tax proposals.

1-5 Who cares about taxes? Individuals: Would you like to own a home? Tax deductions for home mortgage interest and real estate taxes can reduce the after-tax costs of owning a home. Would you like to retire? Understanding the tax-advantaged methods of saving for retirement can increase the after-tax value of your retirement nest egg.

1-6 What qualifies as a Tax? A Tax is a payment required by a government agency that is unrelated to any specific benefit or service received from the government agency. Key components of a tax: Payment required Payment imposed by government agency (federal, state, local) Payment not tied directly to benefit received by the taxpayer.

1-7 How to calculate a Tax? To calculate a tax, a taxpayer must know: Tax Rate: level of taxes imposed on the tax base and is usually expressed as a percentage Tax Base: defines what is actually taxed and is usually expressed in monetary terms Tax = Tax Base * Tax Rate

1-8 Different ways to measure tax rates Marginal Tax Rate: the tax rate that applies to the next additional increment of a taxpayer’s taxable income. Average Tax Rate: the taxpayer’s average level of taxation on each dollar of taxable income. Effective Tax Rate: the taxpayer’s average rate of taxation on each dollar of total income (both taxable and non-taxable)

1-9 Tax Rate Structures Proportional Tax Rate (Flat Tax): imposes a constant tax rate throughout the tax base. Progressive Tax Rate: imposes an increasing marginal tax rate as the tax base increases. Regressive Tax Rate: imposes a decreasing marginal tax rate as the tax base increases.

1-10 Types of Taxes Federal Taxes: Income taxes Employment and unemployment taxes Excise taxes Transfer taxes State and local taxes: Sales and use taxes Property taxes Income taxes Excise taxes Implicit taxes