Selling in volume regarding taxes.

[egbeachley]

Originally Posted by Leon

Bill- great stuff and thanks for posting. So I have a question as a layperson. As I said before, I have a CPA and another (EA) accountant who do my taxes and books so I won't personally make mistakes (and they are pretty good and don't make many). But if I buy a near set of 520 T206s, and ascribe my cost basis of $50 for each one, and add or subtract the sale price of each one, why wouldn't that work?

Think of it this way, by using an extreme example. let's say you arrange a purchase of a T206 Plank for $50,000. But right before the purchase is completed you ask for the seller to throw in 4 T206 beaters that are essentially worthless. By using this method you have given yourself 5 cards with a $10,000 cost basis each.

During the next 4 years when you are in a 30% tax bracket you sell other cards and make a profit of $10,000 but also sell one of those T206 beaters for 1 cent. Your profit becomes $0 for each of those 4 years. 10 years later you eventually sell the Plank for $60,000 which gives you a $50,000 profit but you sell it the year after you retire and are in a 10% tax bracket.

Years 1-4 profit should be $10,000 and if in 30% tax bracket = $12,000 taxes.
Year 15 profit should be $10,000 and if in 10% tax bracket = $1,000 taxes.

Instead you have $50,000 profit in 10% tax bracket = $5,000 taxes.

So, in other words, if you apply high and low valued cards the same you can manipulate sales to lower your tax bill.