In case of limited access to the WU campus during the winter term 2020/21, the content sessions will be held in a distance mode. That is, all students can participate in live sessions online via livestream and interact with the instructor. The two exams will take place at the announced times and will be held in an online format.

The assessment of students will be similar to the assessment in case of unlimited access to the WU campus. However, in-class participation will be replaced by Online Clicker-Questions and the group presentation will be replaced by a written paper summary to be prepared by the students.

Generally, students are required to attend at least 7 out of 9 sessions. However, due to the special situation, there will not be mandatory attendance in case access to the campus is limited.

This course is the first course of the specialization in “Accounting and Taxation” in the Bachelor program “Business and Economics”. The course covers the following aspects:

• Different types of taxes and their relevance for countries’ tax revenue.
• Key concepts of (business) taxation such as statutory, effective, average, and marginal tax rates, questions of tax incidence, etc.
• Key principles of business taxation, including neutral tax systems, the taxation of different legal forms (e.g., sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations), the relevance of financial accounting for the determination of the tax base, the tax treatment of losses, and the taxation of corporate dividends.
• The impact of taxes on business decisions.  

The instructor will present these topics in class and discuss them together with the students.

After attending this course, students will be able to:

• describe different types of taxes and reflect on their relevance for countries’ tax revenues
• define and differentiate between statutory, effective, average, and marginal tax rates
• outline the concept of tax incidence and understand the economic impact of taxes on the different stakeholders of a firm
• understand differences in the taxation of legal forms and the associated implications for tax planning
• show the link between financial accounting and the determination of the tax base
• understand the implications of tax losses
• explain different approaches to tax a corporation and dividend distributions to shareholders
• identify and understand the impact of taxes on a firm’s investment and financing decisions
• explain to effect of taxes on the relative advantageousness of an investment project and on equity and debt as a source of financing
• explain the idea behind neutral tax systems and the implications for a firm’s investment and financing decisions
• understand the relevance of academic tax research for business practice and tax policy
• develop and present an advanced topic together with colleagues 

Students are required to attend at least 7 out of 9 sessions in order to pass the course. No reason for absence is necessary. If a student is absent in more than two sessions, a positive completion of the course is no longer possible.

The class comprises nine content sessions with 2 hours each. During these sessions, the instructor discusses the relevant topics together with the students. The instructor presents the topics and outlines core concepts using practical examples and case studies. Moreover, the instructor outlines key findings in academic research and the connection to the topics covered in class. Students are expected to participate actively in the classroom discussion. Active student involvement will be essential for a successful completion of the course. Slides and relevant additional materials will be available via Learn@WU.

20% Online Clicker-Questions: After each online teaching session, students’ learning progress will be evaluated through online clicker-questions. These questions will be administered via Learn@WU.

20% Paper Summary (Group Assignment): Students will be asked to provide a written summary (3 pages) of an academic paper, researching a specific topic discussed in class. The summary should focus on the motivation, the research question, the main findings of the paper, and how these findings relate to the in-class discussion. The instructor will assign students into groups and allocate a paper to each group. The group size will depend on the number of students enrolled in the class. The assignment is due on December 31, 2020 and should be handed in via email.

20% Midterm Exam: The midterm exam covers the first part of the course and will take place on November 13, 2020.

40% Final Exam: The final exam covers theory-based questions and problem-centered open questions. The final exam convers the entire content of the class and will take place on December 22, 2020. No retake will be offered.

Grading:

87.5% or more: 1 (excellent)

75% or more: 2 (good)

62.5% or more: 3 (satisfactory)

50.5% or more: 4 (sufficient)

50% or less: 5 (fail)

Successful completion of the admission procedure.

Successful completion of the course „Financial Reporting and Analysis”

Office hours, schedule via e-mail!

For more information on the specialization, please see: https://www.wu.ac.at/fileadmin/wu/d/i/steuerlehre/Aktuelles/Acc_Tax_2020.pdf