The Fundamentals of Federal Taxation

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The sixth edition of The Fundamentals of Federal Taxation is a problem-based, transaction-oriented treatment of the basics of federal taxation. It features a balanced approach toward tax planning and tax policy and is structured for easy accessibility through the use of forty-two chapters, each of which can readily be covered in one, or occasionally two, class sessions. This edition incorporates developments in the law through August of 2022, including the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Changes since the fifth edition include new treatments of clean energy and climate change tax credits, pandemic tax relief, loan forgiveness, sexual harassment settlements, the charitable deduction, retirement plans, and education tax credits. This edition also further engages students by noting how tax law intersects with diverse and hot topics such as the Gig economy, cryptocurrency, the legalized marijuana industry, Silicon Valley job perks, wrongful incarceration, and human egg donations.

The first half of the book provides students with an understanding of the overall structure of the federal income tax. This part culminates in two major review problems that assist students in integrating the knowledge gained. Thereafter, the book covers various major topics of taxation—including real estate taxation, intellectual property taxation, family taxation, the tax consequences of litigation, and deferred compensation—with an emphasis on tax planning. It is designed to give students an appreciation for how the law of taxation connects with everyday events of American life.

Also available from Carolina Academic Press is a companion book by the same authors entitled Problems and Solutions for Federal Income Taxation. This is a student study aid with over four hundred problems and solutions organized with the same chapter structure as the main text. The teacher who wishes to de-emphasize the use of class time on the problems can simply assign this book as a companion to the main text. Both books contain detailed cross reference tables for internal revenue code sections, cases, regulations, and I.R.S. rulings.

The Fundamentals of Federal Taxation, is a cogent, straightforward treatment of a complex subject. The topics, the selection of cases, and the design of the problems are all calculated to make tax fun and thought-provoking.

A teacher's manual with complete solutions to all the problems is available. In addition, the authors make available to adopters a large set of PowerPoint slides organized by chapter assignments.