Sean, Penelope, and Juan Formed the SPJ Partnership by Each

question 65

Essay

Sean, Penelope, and Juan formed the SPJ partnership by each contributing assets with a basis and fair market value of $200,000. In the following year, Penelope sold her one-third interest to Pedro for $225,000. At the time of the sale, the SPJ partnership had the following balance sheet:
Basis FMV
Cash $200,000 $200,000
Land $400,000 $475,000
$600,000 $675,000
Shortly after Pedro became a partner, SPJ sold the land for $475,000. What are the tax consequences of the sale to Pedro and the partnership (1) assuming there is no Section 754 election in place, and (2) assuming the partnership has a valid Section 754 election?

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Definitions:

Break-even Point

The point at which total costs and total revenues are equal, meaning there is no profit or loss.

Variable Expenses

Costs that vary directly with levels of production or sales volume, such as materials and labor.

Fixed Expenses

Recurring costs that do not vary with the volume of production or sales, similar to fixed costs.

Variable Costing

An accounting method that includes only variable production costs—direct materials, direct labor, and variable manufacturing overhead—in unit product costs.