An accounting intern for a local CPA firm was reviewing the financial statements of a client in the electronics industry. The intern noticed that the client used the FIFO method of determining ending inventory and cost of goods sold. When she asked a colleague why the firm used FIFO instead of LIFO, she was told that the client used FIFO to minimize its income tax liability. This response puzzled the intern because she thought that LIFO would minimize income tax liability. Required: What would you tell the intern to resolve the confusion?

An accounting intern for a local CPA firm was reviewing the financial statements of a client in the electronics industry. The intern noticed that the client used the FIFO method of determining ending inventory and cost of goods sold. When she asked a colleague why the firm used FIFO instead of LIFO, she was told that the client used FIFO to minimize its income tax liability. This response puzzled the intern because she thought that LIFO would minimize income tax liability. Required: What would you tell the intern to resolve the confusion?

SWFT Individual Income Taxes

43rd Edition

ISBN:9780357391365

Author:YOUNG

Publisher:YOUNG

Chapter18: Accounting Periods And Methods

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 25DQ

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Mel Snow is the manager of a firm, Taxation Matters, which specialises in the preparation of income tax returns. The firm offers two basic products: the preparation of income tax returns for wage and salary earners, and the preparation of income tax returns for small businesses. Any clients requiring more complex services are referred to Snow's brother Roger, who is a partner in a large firm of chartered accountants. The processing of wage and salary tax returns is quite straightforward, and the firm uses a software package to process data and print the return. A software package is also used to prepare returns for small businesses, although more information is required, particularly about business expenses. Snow has only recently joined Taxation Matters and he is concerned about the firm's pricing policy, which sets flat fees of $60 per return for wage and salary clients and $300 for small businesses. He decides to use activity-based costing to estimate the costs of providing each of…
Mel Snow is the manager of a firm, Taxation Matters, which specialises in the preparation of income tax returns. The firm offers two basic products: the preparation of income tax returns for wage and salary earners, and the preparation of income tax returns for small businesses. Any clients requiring more complex services are referred to Snow’s brother Roger, who is a partner in a large firm of chartered accountants.The processing of wage and salary tax returns is quite straightforward, and the firm uses a software package to process data and print the return. A software package is also used to prepare returns for small businesses, although more information is required, particularly about business expenses.Snow has only recently joined Taxation Matters and he is concerned about the firm’s pricing policy, which sets flat fees of $60 per return for wage and salary clients and $300 for small businesses. He decides to use activity-based costing to estimate the costs of providing each of…
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