Federal Securities Regulations
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CPA Regulation (REG) › Federal Securities Regulations
Under the Securities Act of 1933, the registration of an interstate securities offering is:
Required only in transactions involving more than \$500,000.
Intended to prevent the marketing of securities which pose serious financial risks.
Mandatory, unless the cost to the issuer is prohibitive.
Required, unless there is an applicable exemption.
Explanation
Several securities do not require registration, such as a Certificate of Deposit, securities issued by a governmental or non-profit organization, insurance policies, or short-term commercial paper (with a maturity of less than nine months). Issuer cost, riskiness, and dollar amounts are irrelevant with respect to the registration requirement.
If there was a material omission by an accountant, would he or she be held liable for damages under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934?
Yes
Only if additionally negligence was proven
Yes, only if it involved registered securities
If the security was part of an original issuance
Explanation
A plaintiff must prove that the accountant simply made a false statement or omitted a fact under section 10(b).
The registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 are intended to provide information to the SEC to enable it to:
Evaluate the merits of the securities being offered.
Assure investors of the accuracy of the facts presented in the financial statements.
Ensure that investors are provided with adequate information on which to base investment decisions.
Prevent public offerings of securities when management fraud or unethical conduct is suspected.
Explanation
The primary goal of the Securities Act of 1933 is to ensure that investors have sufficient information in order to inform investment decisions; the SEC does not assure the accuracy of the information or assess the financial merits of it.
Under the liability provisions of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, for which of the following actions would an accountant generally be liable?
Intentionally failing to notify a reporting corporation’s audit committee of defects in the verification of accounts receivable.
Intentionally preparing and filing with the SEC a reporting corporation’s incorrect quarterly report.
Negligently filing a reporting corporation’s tax return with the IRS.
Negligently approving a reporting corporation’s incorrect internal financial forecasts.
Explanation
Section 18 of the 1934 Act addresses only intentionally false or misleading representations in a registration statement.
An accuracy related penalty applies to the portion of tax underpayment attributable to A) Negligence or a disregard of the tax rules or regulations B) Any substantial understatement of income tax:
A
B
Both
Neither
Explanation
Accuracy-related penalties apply to the portion of tax underpayments attributable to negligence or disregard of tax rules and regulation as well as to any substantial understatement of income tax.
In evaluating the hierarchy of authority in tax law, which of the following carries the greatest authoritative value for tax planning of transactions?
Tax court decisions
IRS regulations
IRS agents’ reports
IRC
Explanation
The IRC holds the most value as an authoritative source in tax law and for regulations dictated throughout the US tax authority.