TAX RESEARCH MEMO 3 INSTRUCTIONS
Altidore Inc. operates a calendar-year-end business that suffers from dramatic seasonal variation in taxable income. For example, it often operates at a net loss for the first two quarters of the year and then operates profitably for the last two quarters and, for as long as anyone can remember, finishes the year with taxable income. The new tax director has been asked to help calculate the deferred tax assets at the end of the first quarter. After looking at the quarterly loss, he claims that since there is no net income, there are no deferred tax assets because the effective tax rate is zero. (Carrybacks and carryforwards are not allowed in this jurisdiction.) Is the tax director correct in his assessment of the effective tax rate for calculating the deferred tax assets?