Understanding federal income taxation

Understanding Federal Income Taxation consists of forty-four chapters with each chapter addressing a basic topic in individual income taxation, e.g., the taxation of personal injury awards, the interest deduction, installment sales. Because the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code are necessarily at the heart of tax study, a part or all of the Code section(s) pertinent to the specific topic are included in each chapter. Likewise, the chapters contain summaries of leading cases and relevant administrative rulings as well as numerous examples explaining the application of the law. Like the prior edition published in 2008, this new Fourth Edition of Understanding Federal Income Taxation is a valuable resource for students studying the tax law for the first time and for general practitioners handling transactions with individual income tax concerns. The Fourth Edition incorporates recent developments in the Internal Revenue Code, including new and amended provisions enacted as part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. In addition, this new edition addresses important recent income tax cases as well as revised regulations and other new administrative materials. Many of these tax law changes are illustrated in new and revised examples included in the Fourth Edition.

Introduction to federal income tax -- Gross income concepts and limitations -- The effect of an obligation to repay -- Gains derived from dealings in property -- Gifts, bequests and inheritance -- Sale of a principal residence -- Scholarships and prizes -- Life insurance, annuities, and individual retirement accounts -- Discharge of indebtedness -- Compensation for personal injury and sickness -- Fringe benefits -- Business and profit seeking expenses -- Capital expenditures -- Depreciation -- Losses and bad debts -- Travel expenses -- Entertainment and business meals -- Educational expenses -- Other deductible personal expenses -- Hobby losses -- Home offices, vacation homes and other dual use property -- The interest deduction -- The deduction for taxes -- Casualty losses -- Medical expenses -- Charitable deductions -- Limitations on deductions -- Cash method accounting -- Accrual method accounting -- Annual accounting -- Capital gains and losses -- Quasi-capital assets : section 1231 -- Depreciation recapture -- Assignment of income -- Below market loans -- Tax consequences of divorce -- Effect of debt on basis and amount realized -- Like kind exchanges -- Involuntary conversions -- Installment sales -- Sale of a business and sale-leasebacks -- An introduction to original issue discount -- Limitations on tax shelters -- The alternative minimum tax.