Question

Mike goes on vacation to Bermuda for two weeks. While walking on the beach, he finds an old wooden box half buried in the sand. After he retrieves it and makes sure no one is watching him, he opens the box and finds it full of pirate gold! Mike carries the box back to his hotel room on the beach and gets it inside with no one seeing him do so. (It is a small box). After looking up pirate gold on the internet, he discovers the loot is worth $12,999 (Mike is very meticulous, he is an accountant after all). He decides to end his vacation early to avoid being robbed before he can get the gold home. He packs it in his suitcase which he checks at the airport and pays the extra fee because the bag is so heavy. Once he gets home, he takes the gold directly to the pawn shop where his best friend from high school, Kevin, works. Kevin recognizes a good deal when he sees one and offers to pay Mike $9,999 in cash for the gold. Mike takes the deal and leaves the pawn shop to go to the bank and deposit $9,900 in a new savings account he opens that day. How much ordinary income, if any, should Mike report on his income tax return? (Do not assume any more facts than already given).

$9,900 ordinary income

$0 because he found it in a foreign country that does not have an income tax

$12,999 ordinary income

$0 because it was a gift from the pirates

Answer 1

• The pirate gold will be treated as treasure trove. It will be a taxable income in the year in which it is found and the value will be the fair market value.
• Foreign income are also taxed in the country. However, tax payer might be eligible for some tax credit if he had already paid any tax in such foreign country.
• Since the pirate gold is a treasure, it cant be treated as gift.

Therefore, Pirate gold will be treated as ordinary taxable income with a value of $12,999.