A fraud committed to lessen the amount of earnings that will be taxed this year is an example of?

The situation described involves manipulating financial statements to reduce the reported earnings, which in turn minimizes the taxable income for that fiscal year. This action directly relates to financial statement fraud, particularly the type that understates company performance. By disguising the actual earnings, the perpetrator is attempting to create a misleading picture of the financial health of the company to benefit from a lower tax liability.

In the context of financial reporting, understating earnings typically occurs when expenses are exaggerated, revenues are deferred or omitted, or certain income is not recognized in order to achieve the goal of reducing the taxable earnings reported. This practice can lead to severe legal repercussions and significant damage to an organization’s reputation.

In contrast, misappropriation of assets generally refers to theft or misuse of an organization’s resources without directly impacting how earnings are presented. Overstating company performance implies enhancing income or assets to present a more favorable financial picture, which is not the case here. Skimming cash refers specifically to cash theft that occurs before transactions are recorded, which also does not align with the intent of manipulating taxable earnings through financial statements.