Question

Talbot purchased a laptop for $1,500 and a television for $1,300. The laptop is used solely for business and the television solely for personal entertainment. During the same year, Talbot experienced serious financial difficulty and sold the television for $300 and the laptop for $1,000. What amount, if any, is Talbot entitled to deduct as a loss relating to the sale of the television and laptop?

Answer 1

Answer:

B) $500

Explanation:

Individual taxpayers can only deduct certain losses regarding their property, specially those that are related to their business activity (Talbot used the laptop solely for business purposes). The only other case when an individual can deduct some property loss is when they suffer a theft or an incident like a fire, tornado, flood, etc.

In this case, Talbot paid $1,500 for the laptop and sold it at $1,000, therefore he can deduct a loss of $500 from his gross income.