THE INFLUENCE OF TAX LEGISLATION ON FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING: A STUDY OF THE TIMBER INDUSTRY, 1905-1925

The purpose of this paper is to examine the financial accounting records of a Mississippi timber company and its subsidiaries in light of the dynamic tax environment of the period 1905 to 1925. The financial accounting records and correspondence with the Commissioner of Internal Revenue indicate deficiencies in the following areas: asset valuation, a lack of a cost accounting system to adequately value inventories, and the depletion and depreciation deduction. The demands of the new tax laws were often in conflict with the accounting practices of this period of time forcing changes in accounting practice.