The University of Toledo

Department of Accounting
Taxation of Business Entities
(ACCT 4250 001 / 6250 001)
Fall 2016
Class Day/Time:
Course Web
Page:

Online Only; Campus Presence Required for Exams, See Below

Professor:
Office:
Cell:
Email:
Office Hours:

Aaron M. Miller, MBA

Virtual Office Only
(419) 318-9318
aaron.miller@utoledo.edu
Online-By-Appointment

http://blackboard.utdl.edu

DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING MISSION: The mission of The University of Toledo

Department of Accounting is to:
Provide our diverse student body with the knowledge and skills necessary for successful
accounting-related careers
Conduct and disseminate research relevant to the accounting community
Provide service to the professional and academic communities
COURSE CATALOG DESCRIPTION: This course covers the taxation of corporations, their
shareholders, and other business entities. Topics include formation, taxation of income, and tax
treatment of distributions. Prerequisites: a minimum of a C (not C-) in both ACCT 3210 AND
ACCT 3120.
COURSE OBJECTIVE AND LEARNING GOALS: The objective of this course is to provide
students with a strong foundation in basic federal income tax principles and concepts as they
relate to business entities. While this course focuses on the income taxation of corporations, it
also considers concepts and principles that apply other types of business entities.
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. Define basic tax terminology, primarily as it relates to corporate entities and their
shareholders.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the basic tax laws applicable to corporation, both CCorps and S-Corps.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the basic tax laws applicable to corporate distributions
to shareholders.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the federal tax depreciation methods and compute
federal tax depreciation expense.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the federal income tax treatment of property
transactions and compute the resulting gains and losses.
REQUIRED TEXT AND MATERIALS:

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Textbook: Taxation of Business Entities, 2017 Edition by Brian Spilker, Ben Ayers, John
Robinson, Ed Outslay, Ron Worsham, John Barrick, and Connie Weaver; published by McGrawHill (ISBN 978-1-259-41684-2 for the looseleaf version- Also note the looseleaf version cannot
be returned once the shrink wrap is opened and it will not be bought back at the end of the
semester.).
Blackboard: All other course materials will be available electronically on the course page in
Blackboard, which can be accessed using the link previously provided, and your UT username
and password. If asked to select a system when logging in, select Blackboard9.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Chapter Quizzes: There will be a quiz after each chapter. It will be available in blackboard.
The chapter quizzes must be completed before the associated exam (ie: the quizzes for
chapters 1-6 must be completed before taking the mid-term exam which covers chapters 16). Quizzes are 35 points each. The lowest chapter quiz score is dropped.
Graduate Project: Because this is a hybrid class, graduates must complete an extra project in
order to receive credit for the graduate class. Please see the graduate project guidelines
posted on Blackboard.
EXAMS: Exams will be held on campus at a time and place to be determined. Exams will consist
of one essay problem from each chapter. It will typically be a Thursday from 5:45-7pm.
MAKE-UP EXAMS: There are no make-up exams. A missed exam will be assigned a grade of
zero unless a student presents, in a timely manner (normally within 24 hours of the scheduled
exam time), sufficient evidence that the absence was because of extenuating circumstances
beyond the students control. This evidence must consist of written documentation to validate
the absence. If sufficient evidence is submitted in a timely manner and in an acceptable form
(based on the sole discretion of the professor), the student will be assigned the grade of the
exam the student completed during the course.
GRADING POLICY: A summary of graded components is as follows:

Your course grade is determined using the following grading scale:

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The professor may curve up (but not down) the above grading scale when deemed necessary.
That is, the letter grade listed above is the minimum grade you can expect if your total points fall
at the corresponding minimum point interval.
Grade Posting: Grades will be posted to Blackboard. Grades will not be distributed via email or
telephone as this violates federal law (specifically the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
of 1974, also known as FERPA).
COMMUNICATION WITH THE PROFESSOR: If you have questions or concerns, you can feel
free to contact me via e-mail. My UT e-mail comes to my phone so I will generally respond to any
questions fairly quickly. If it is determined that your question cannot be answered, we can setup
a virtual appointment either through Blackboards chat room feature or a conference call.
ALL E-MAIL COMMUNICATIONS MUST BE SENT TO MY UNIVERSITY E-MAIL ADDRESS OUTSIDE OF
THE BLACKBOARD E-MAIL SYSTEM.

UNIVERSITY POLICIES
Policy Statement on Non-Discrimination on the basis of Disability (ADA): The
University is an equal opportunity educational institution. Please read The Universitys
Policy Statement on Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability Americans with
Disability Act Compliance.
ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS:
The University of Toledo is committed to providing equal access to education for all
students. If you have a documented disability or you believe you have a disability and
would like information regarding academic accommodations/adjustments in this course
please contact the Student Disability Services Office.)
ACADEMIC POLICIES

REGISTRATION POLICY: Students whose names do not appear on the Universitys official class
roster by September 2, 2016 will not be permitted to participate (attend class, take exams, or
receive credit).
WITHDRAWALS: According to the Registrars Office, the last day a student can withdraw from
the course is Friday, October 28, 2016. Students remaining in the course after the withdrawal

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deadline will receive the grade earned for the course. Consult the Registrars Office for
procedures related to withdrawal and verification of the last date for withdrawal from the course.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Academic integrity is expected. Your integrity is far more important
than your GPA. As a professional, your integrity is your prime asset and in our highly mobile
professional atmosphere it is becoming even more critical. I assume you have the highest
standards of personal integrity. You should assume I am the only person who may help you with
graded assignments unless the instructions for a particular assignment provide otherwise.
The most difficult ethical issue any student can face is their responsibility to take action when
they know another student is violating ethical standards. Such violations contribute to deception
of potential employers and are injurious to the ethical climate of the entire University. The
University and the business community take integrity very seriously.
As a student taking coursework in the College of Business and Innovation (College), you have an
obligation to maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct. This involves avoiding acts of
academic dishonesty. The reason for requiring the highest standards of ethical conduct is to
ensure fairness, honesty, and integrity in the evaluation of student performance. Evaluation of
student performance should not be invalidated by students intending or attempting to
misrepresent the skill, achievement or ability of either themselves or others.
To achieve this purpose, the College has enacted a Code of Student Academic Conduct (Code).
This Code sets forth specific types of academic misconduct which will not be tolerated. If there is
any evidence of any of these types of academic misconduct in this course, charges will be filed
against the student or students involved. Along with the Code, the College has also enacted a
Student Academic Grievance Procedure. The purpose of this grievance procedure is to provide
the exclusive method by which a student can file a grievance if they believe that the charge of
academic misconduct is false or to grieve a final course grade which they believe has been
unfairly or erroneously assigned.
The Code of Student Academic Conduct, the Student Academic Grievance Procedure, and the
form to be used when filing a grievance can be reviewed on the Colleges website. 1 By your
enrollment in this course, you are implicitly indicating to me that you have read, understand, and
accept the Colleges policies and procedures regarding academic integrity.
The first instance of any form of cheating on any graded component of the course (homework
assignment, tax return, exam, etc.) will result in a score of 0 points for that graded component
and may also result in a grade of F for the course.
CLASS SCHEDULE:

1 These items can currently be found at

http://www.utoledo.edu/business/COBI/COBICCD/COBIStudentResources.asp.

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Reminders:
Chapter quizzes must be complete before the exam (Chapters 1-6 must be
complete before 10/11 at midnight and chapters 7-12 must be complete before 12/6
at midnight).
Exams will be on campus in a location and at a time to be determined. I will be
trying for a 5:45-7 time slot.